Amy Schutte, owner of Bella Design and Decor, recently hosted the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce's Business After Hours at her store at 110 E. Third St.
Schutte hosted the event to showcase the store's recently completed expansion, which includes an expanded selection of furniture and home décor items.
Bella Design and Decor is a home decor store that carries unusual rustic decor items. Schutte, a longtime hair stylist in Grand Island, brought her love of the American Southwest to Grand Island when she opened Bella Design and Decor on Diers Avenue a few years ago.
All of the store's extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar is sourced from Italy by Santa Fe Olive Oil Company.
The Independent/Josh Salmon
Her inventory has grown to offer items such as cowhide rugs, cowhide furniture, rustic furniture, pottery, serape blankets, etc. You'll also find Southwestern-style table runners, pillows, handbags, hand-painted leather lampshades, iron lamps, and many other items.
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As demand grew, Schutte realized she needed to expand, and that would be her chance to grow into the store she envisioned.
Her philosophy was, “There's something for everyone.”
In addition to Southwestern-inspired décor, Schutte also incorporates rustic farmhouse and rustic contemporary furniture.
It was around 2013 that she began studying Southwestern design.
“I saw that there was a demand here,” Schutte says, “so I felt like I could fill that void, so I started sourcing. It took about a year, and I work directly with a factory in Mexico. I design a lot of the furniture, and then I find the fabrics, leathers, etc. for the furniture that I design. I send them the designs, tell them what I want, I send them the leather, and they make the furniture.”
She moved her business to Grand Island's Railside District in 2019.
“We are ecstatic about our move to Railside,” Schutte said, “and excited to be part of the Railside community. Not only will we have more space to display all of the unique products we have in store, but we'll also be able to attract more foot traffic.”
The building that now houses Bella Design and Decor was once home to Williams Furniture.
“I believe the building is over 100 years old so it has a unique beauty,” she said.
Schutte said that after moving and finding more space, he realized customers wanted a different style outside of the Southwestern style, which inspired him to expand the store.
The new Railside store has much more space, allowing the brand to incorporate other design styles into the store.
She also began adding more variety to her store to meet her customers' exotic tastes. Schutte partnered with Santa Fe Olive Oil Co. in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
She expanded the store and stocked a new section of the store with a different variety of furniture and furniture accessories, including those with a Southwestern feel.
The Independent/Josh Salmon
All of our extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar is sourced from Italy by Santa Fe Olive Oil Company.
“It's really popular and very successful in Santa Fe,” Schutte said, “and we thought it would be a unique twist for the store to let people come in and sample our olive oil and balsamic vinegar.”
Schutte said the new location allows him to show off his decorative painting skills, and that applies to the new additions he's made to the store.
“It really adds to the beauty of this old building,” Schutte said.
Schütte decided to expand into the clothing business in his new location and opened a small boutique inside the store, though he scaled back on his furniture selection due to space limitations.
She expanded the store and stocked a new section of the store with a different variety of furniture and furniture accessories, including those with a Southwestern feel.
“We had a lot of furniture in the warehouse and knew we would expand at some point,” Schutte says. “Expanding gave us the opportunity and the space to focus on home décor and furniture. We have a variety of furniture styles, but we'll always have Southwest furniture.”
Schutte began expanding into the new space in February and re-stocking it with furniture. She did much of the expansion herself, ensuring the store reflected her vision for not just what it would look like, but what it could be.
Alongside Bella Design and Decor, Schutte continues to work as a hairstylist, a profession she has been involved in for more than 20 years. She is a graduate of Joseph's Beauty School in downtown Grand Island.
She continues to work as a hairstylist for her loyal clients, who have been doing it as their full-time job for many years.
But there were other reasons to continue with hair care.
Amy Schutte decided to go into the clothing business in a new location and opened a small boutique inside the store.
The Independent/Josh Salmon
“When I started this business plan, I was going to pay rent,” Schutte said. “I had to do something to pay the rent and be self-sustaining and make this business work.”
Like many other small business owners, the COVID-19 pandemic has created both challenges and opportunities.
Schutte said he's been able to continue growing his business during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“God has been so good to me,” she said, “and I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to grow.”
Schutte said his store is committed to offering a variety of products to customers.
“I don't want people to have the mindset that that's all there is to it, but I want people to know that it's here if they want it,” she said.
She said she plans to transform her store into a “Christmas winter wonderland” during the holiday season.
“We're going to have all kinds of holiday items,” Schutte said. “It's going to be amazing.”
For more information, call 308-398-1212 or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/belladesignanddecorgi.
robert.pore@theindependent.com
