Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison & Chandler Stevens.
Allison & Chandler, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
KeyPiece Furniture started with humble beginnings as a side-hustle in 2020. It was birthed out of necessity when Chandler and Allison’s salaries were cut in half due to the COVID pandemic. In order to continue their ministry jobs with the youth group they led, they began buying pieces of furniture from local auctions and reselling them out of the basement and garage of their condo. These were the days of renting Uhauls and filling every nook of their home with “inventory!”
Outgrowing the Space!
It quickly became clear that this side-hustle needed its own home, so in January of 2021, all of the furniture was moved to a storage unit. Although this was an upgrade from the condo, there was still no heat or electricity, and at times it was a bit difficult to explain to customers that they would be meeting us at a storage facility. Regardless, the operation quickly grew from one unit to six storage units. We also purchased a truck, a trailer, and a forklift.
In October, three big upgrades were made to the side-hustle. First, we created our first online group called “Allendale Furniture Deals.” To our surprise, it grew from 0 to 10,000 members in the first year! Second, we began purchasing liquidation furniture from major retailers by the truckload (no more Uhauls needed)! Third, we moved to our first real space, a small warehouse in Allendale.
2023-2024 KeyPiece Furniture comes to life.
In August of 2023, KeyPiece Furniture LLC was formed as a registered business! Not longer after though, we were forced to move out of our small warehouse due to unforeseen circumstances. This was a difficult time of frantically searching for a new space and wrestling with whether or not our new business would be able to survive. After about 6 months of being closed, we finally found the perfect space and signed for our new building – a warehouse / storefront on Chicago Drive in Jenison! At this time, we also signed multiple contracts with manufacturers which would allow us to sell new furniture and home decor.
The KeyPiece storefront officially opened in November of 2024 at 916 Chicago Drive in Jenison. Although the location and the business model have shifted over the years, our core values have always been the same… to offer key pieces of furniture at great prices. We are excited to continue to grow this business and serve our community in this way!
We are reaching our ONE YEAR of officially being open as a store front, and even with limited open hours, we are constantly shuffling semi loads of furniture for our customers through our small store.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Compared to other furniture stores, we are considered quite small. Sometimes this feels like we are a the small guy in a big pond! Where other furniture stores have a huge showroom, big marketing budget, and diverse sales team, we are just a husband and wife team. Although this allows us to stand out and help people save money, sometimes it means we have to put in a lot of extra heavy lifting and long hours.
We’ve been impressed with KeyPiece Furniture, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Chandler and Allison Stevens are a young couple who are West Michigan born and raised! They got married in 2018 after going to high school and Bible college together. After working various jobs for a handful of years, they took the leap to launch their own business and KeyPiece Furniture was born. They consider it a joy to build this business together and get to serve you!
We have a small store, with BIG heart! We partner with manufacturers offering brand new furniture that is 20-40% OFF Retail, to help customers find key pieces of furniture at great prices that won’t break the bank.
– Curated showroom
– Wide order-in catalog (with more than just living room pieces)
– most pieces arrive in just 2-3 weeks
We believe our authenticity and attention to quality customer service sets us apart. To us, KeyPiece isn’t just about selling furniture, it’s about serving people!
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
KeyPiece was a big risk for us! From a much larger space with a more expensive rent payment and no idea if this model of our business would actually succeed, we risked it all! We started this business from the ground up without any financial backing from the bank or family, making the decision in January of 2024 to step away from outside income and do KeyPiece full time.
Although we don’t consider ourselves natural risk-takers or dare devils, we have recognized that risk is simply a part of business and the more you do it, the easier it is to take that first step of faith.
Pricing:
- 20-40% OFF Retail Prices
Contact Info:
- Website: https://keypiecefurniture.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keypiecefurniture/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551788368048
