Located in the burgeoning Gateway Quarter on Vine St. in Over-the-Rhine, Joseph Williams Home is explosion of color and style in urban chic interior design. I first visited the store in its original location on Reading Rd. but hadn’t seen their new digs so I headed out for a little one on one with owner, Fred Arrowood.
The first thing I noticed on approach was the vintage black and white tile “welcome mat” outside the door, the kind used in turn-of-the-century pharmacies and dry goods stores. With care, Fred had chipped out just enough of the original design to update it with the store’s name. I liked it immediately. The store is actually a group of three attached buildings - two side by side and one in the rear - offering sweeping display spaces and streaming light from ceiling high windows. Inside, the over sized space is made cozy by room vignettes, arranged very much the way they would look in your own home. Bold color sets the stage for sleek chrome and leather sofas, fanciful area rugs and hip paintings from local artists.
Fred, an Over-the-Rhine resident, has been in the furniture business for 24 years. He started in sales at Lazurus (now Macy’s), then became a buyer for such notables as Thomasville, Broyhill and Furniture Fair. Along the way he also managed teams of display designers. Frustrated with the lack of management’s vision for changing trends toward urban contemporary style, he decided to open his own store and fill a growing niche market.
“My timing could have been a little better,” laughs Fred. “I opened the store just when the economy took a down-turn and home sales dropped dramatically. People were cutting back and interior design was not a priority.” Like many small business owners, Fred had to come up with innovative ways to reach and service customers. And he did. He now partners with interior design consultant Heric Flores who offers design challenged home owners expert advice on color, furniture arrangement, window treatments and flooring. “It’s really been a major boost to sales,” notes Fred. “If I had to rely on foot traffic to drive business, I wouldn’t be around very long.”
That, however, is about to change. Plans for the new Mercer Commons complex of condos and apartments adjacent to the store, the soon to open Lackman Bar across the street and the recently opened SENATE restaurant are colliding in a perfect storm to make the Gateway Quarter a thriving retail district and vibrant neighborhood. Looking out the window to watch a neighbor pushing a baby stroller, Fred pauses a moment. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
