New Design Center to Offer Home Remodelers One-Stop Shopping

The task of remodeling a room can seem daunting especially given the number of vendors involved. Tile, flooring, fixtures, furniture, paint, wallpaper, lighting--each material requiring its own trip to a supplier.

Later this month, the Grosse Pointe Design Center will open in Grosse Pointe Woods offering remodelers a one-stop shop by housing a variety of suppliers under the same roof. The new center will be open to the public as well as professional designers and is meant to reduce the hassle of redesign, said owner Brad Jespersen.

Jespersen moved into the space at 20497 Mack Ave., formerly The Light House, in September. While the storefront still bears the old name, Jespersen’s business is called Lighthouse Lighting & Design--and will be one of the vendors featured in the design center. He sells a wide array of commercial, residential and landscape lighting materials and does lamp repairs.

The space will once again transition at the end of May to The Grosse Pointe Design Center, when a number of merchants set up display areas within Jespersen’s store. These vendors will include Kitchen Studio, Michigan Home Builders, Michael Meda Custom Painting & Finishing, Russell Hardware, and Kohler. Customers can walk in or visit by appointment to pull together an entire look for a room.

Jespersen said the new arrangement is ideal both for customers, who can outfit an entire space without making trips to a half-dozen different stores, and for the retailers, who share the overhead costs. The Woods allows only one business license per storefront, which means customers can only make on-site purchases from Jespersen. However, customers can make purchase arrangements with the other vendors and request home consultations, during which vendors will come to their homes to advise them on materials.

The design center is slated to be fully operational by Memorial Day. The center is ideal for the Grosse Pointe area as there is not such a business on the east side, Jespersen said. The closest one, The Michigan Design Center, is located in Troy. It opened to the public two years ago whereas previously it was only open to tradeworkers.

Jespersen spent 12 years working for Michigan Chandelier in Troy before embarking on his current venture. The remodeling business is strong despite the poor economy, largely because most homeowners are staying put and improving their houses rather than selling at a low price, he said.

The prevalence of online retailers means that homeowners are frequently tempted to buy design materials on their own — but they quickly realize this is a bad idea. Because of their experience, professionals have a far better understanding of the materials that are best suited to various living spaces, he said.

This is particularly important in light of the fact that many remodeling supplies cannot be returned once they are installed and the homeowner decides her or she is unhappy with them, Jespersen said.

Additionally, professionals assume the burden of shipping damaged materials back to suppliers when necessary and can refer customers to trustworthy, skilled installers. Moreover, they forge relationships with manufactures, he said, and consequently get perks that they pass on to their customers.

CORRECTION: Part of a sentence was deleted from this story May 10, 2011, at 11:02 a.m. to remove information about the Michigan Design Center being open only to tradeworkers. The Center is open to the public and every vendor has a different policy on how purchases are made but the public is welcome and able to purchase there.