Home Décor in Sidney with an emphasis on friendly service

Kathy Assad has been bringing the residents of Sidney a mixture of home accents for the past 16 years.

From modern to the more traditional in style, Accent Home Décor, formerly known as The Crafty Corner, sells a variety of things to spruce up any home environment and then some.

Assad’s store is broken down into several sections, accommodating every room of the house from the kitchen to bathroom, and even includes a baby section and specialized gift section.

Assad opened the business in 1997 as The Crafty Corner, a consignment craft shop selling hand crafted items, but that would change within a handful of years.

“It got to be where I didn’t make that much on selling for crafters, because crafters don’t even make much money on their stuff. They put a lot of hard work into it but they don’t get that much for it. So then we started going to shows (market) and from that decided we were going to start going more towards home décor.”

Once the inventory changed so did the name, something Assad said was a slight hardship for her business.

“That was a little bit of a mistake, because I still have people who call asking if we are Crafty Corner, and I say we used to be,” however, it hasn’t stop people from inquiring where she is located, coming in the store and adjusting to the newer name.

The evolution in her business, one that Assad admits was a bit harder than she thought it would be was the inventory change.

“It was a hard change,” Assad said, “because before people brought me things and I didn’t have to do much thinking about what people may want. Everyone has different tastes, so it’s so hard to choose things people might want.

The change from strictly handcrafted items to a wider variety of home décor items was a wise decision for Assad as she said it has really opened up her customer base.

“The more modern stuff brings more people in. Your craft consigning stuff is usually wood, fabric and a little bit of metals, but it is a lot of the same type of stuff, but designed differently,” Assad said.

She said her inventory now is geared more toward things people can use to update and change their homes with, without breaking their bank.

However, Assad didn’t completely give up on consignment selling, saying she still has five people she works with on consignment items, but for the most part the things in her shop are bought at market.

She goes to market once or twice a year, going between Kansas City, Denver and Las Vegas.

“All the stuff is just amazing. It’s amazing all the different show rooms,” Kathy said about going to market.

“Laila goes with me a lot and we really try to find unique different stuff than anyone in the area has that way people will come in and not see the same thing they seen down the street.”

According to Assad the input from her daughter has really turned things around for the business since she has an eye for “what the younger people like, I’m older so I know kind of what the older people like, and it has worked good for both of us.”

As much as they have tried to ensure there items are not what a person may find elsewhere in Sidney, “We still end up with some of the same stuff,” as another business might, “because people have the same eye we do or the reps come and even though we tell them not to sell us the same items they sold next door they still do. So we still end up with some items other people here have, but we really work hard at trying to find different stuff.”

Because she broke her shop up into different sections going to market is fairly easy for Assad.

“We watch for the kitchen area, the religious area, and the home décor area looking for something different that people will want on their walls or tables. We try and think about what we already have and what we can work in, but still be different.”

A successful Christmas season Kathy said, came from her ability to offer “a variety of different stuff and price range. I try and stay at an affordable price range due to the economy and many of my customers being on a set income.”

Though she said she also takes into account her younger customer base, people who are financially thriving or not as worried about money, hence the more modern inventory.

“We try to change things all the time. We try and keep those things like Willow Tree and certain collectables people buy, but we try to change too.”

A couple perks to shopping at Accents Home Décor are the special ordering Assad will do and gift wrapping merchandise bought as gifts.

“I think it gives a little more personal aspect for our customers,” Assad smiled. “This may sound a little corny but to me the customer is the most important thing. I would like to say I am doing this to get rich and make money, but I’m not, I’m trying to make a living but I stress more than anything to my girls you have to really talk to the customers.”

Assad said she has been very lucky in Sidney, because all her employees have been wonderful and have a hospitable demeanor toward customers- which is key to Assad in an employee.

“We like talking and visiting with the customer, and to me even if they don’t buy a thing the friendliness and the warmth of somebody interested in something you like, it’s going to come back.”

For Assad, the greatest joy she has found in running her own business in Sidney has been the customer interaction.

“I love visiting with people. I have met some of the most wonderful people from Colorado, Wyoming and eastern Nebraska that I may only see once or twice a year but when they are in this area they stop. I have so much fun when I see them. I love to visit with them!”

Kathy said she doesn’t think she could ever have the same kind of relationship with the customers if she were not in Sidney, because “in your bigger cities and shops people are not as personal, like they are in a small town.

“For an example, if you were in a big city and your walkway needed scooping and for whatever reason you couldn’t do it, next door wouldn’t do it for you. I mean Larry’s Clothing, he’s helped us out. It’s just that a small town is a community and the people downtown in these shops are wonderful.”