CuriousSofa.com Blog: NOW OPEN! CURIOUS SOFA OUTLET

The new Curious Sofa 'Outlet' at the Lone Elm Antique Mall

I am happy to announce to all my local customers, friends and fellow Kansas Citians, Curious Sofa now has a small booth inside the Lone Elm Antique Mall in Olathe, KS. It took awhile for me to decide to do this, and as I had mentioned back in a January, I had signed a lease at one of our biggest malls and then backed out. I decided it was just too big of an undertaking and if I had done that mall it would have been. But after visiting Lone Elm throughout the winter, I decided it was less of a commitment (cheaper rent!), small and simple and just right for me to sell off a few personal things I had acquired that were too big to ship online. I moved in mid February and anonymously set up few items in the back of this 18,000 square foot mall. With over 100 dealers I knew it would be easy enough for me to hide and not do a full-on "Curious Sofa show".

Once my larger items had sold I began to look at a space closer to the counter and finally one was available. At the same time I removed a few items from the website and did a small show in Lawrence to get rid of some overstock. Once the items were in my car I decided it was time to come out of hiding, redecorate and announce my new space at Lone Elm and decided to name it the Curious Sofa Outlet! Not only is it filled with larger tables, lighting and shelving, but most items are offered at discounted prices (and certainly less than you remember me for in Prairie Village!!)

Only 8' x 9' but packed full of treasures.

Old ticking fabric made into a new awning.

My signs that hung outside the old Prairie Village store.

I added assorted white shutters added to extend the side walls.

I began by adding a collection of white shutters I had to the top of the side walls, then I added the barn wood wallpaper I sell online over the pegboard back wall. And of course I cannot leave the white painted sheet rock alone but had to distress it a bit although I knew it would be covered with so much stuff no one would see it! The booth had a shelf high on the back wall but the building interior was painted a deep burgundy so I wallpapered sections of a cloud mural on a thin piece of paneling and secured it above. I also had an old duvet cover at home made from faded ticking so I cut it up and made this scalloped awning. The Curious Sofa letters were saved from closing my store and the metal sofa had always hung outside too, so I just made the little Outlet sign and hung it from that. I'm still not 100% happy with that, but so be it.

The backside of the shutters (not for sale)

Barn wood wallpaper (order here)


I added a bit of distressing to the painted walls.

So once the bones were completed, the rug went down and the shelving, tables and lighting were put in place and then the tubs of smaller merchandise began to fill every nook and cranny. Now that it is done I know I should have waited for a space twice the size because I have already outgrown it!- but for now, it is just fine and I actually had fun making my new tags and postcards again which was something I always loved doing.