Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Lane
Hi Jennifer, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I opened Belle Patri 17 years ago in Jarrettsville with the intent of selling repurposed furniture & home decor. I was fortunate enough to have a large space which I quickly learned would be difficult to keep full without adding consignment into the mix. This offered us a great opportunity to not only stock our store constantly but to help customers who may want to buy something have an outlet to get rid of what they didn’t want and make space for something they did, We grew through the years and have taken on the entire building plus our cottage out front of our store in Jarrettsville plus 7 years ago expand to open a second store in Columbia, MD. We have now helped almost 18,000 consignors sell their items. We have expanded to bring on new furniture and home decor to broaden our inventory and help fill all the needs of our customers. For years we have sold chalk paint for painting furniture, taught classes as well as custom paint for customers. We offer Ladies Nights, informative classes and work with other small businesses to expand our communities awareness of what we all offer and for fundraising events. We truly pride ourselves in our outreach and community/customer support. Our stores are set up to help our customers envision pieces in their home and inspire them to create a space perfect for them. Belle Patri, which means beautiful home (homeland) is what we want our customers to feel they can create when they shop with us.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being a small business always has its ups & downs. I love what I do so it never really feels like work. The one thing I’ve learned in the last 17 years is that if you cannot change & adjust you will not survive. Trends always change as well as what our customers are looking for. Being able to bring in those items, shop with new vendors and adjust to what is or is not needed is a constant challenge. With the mix of new & consignment allows us to easy suit those needs.
Covid for many was a make or break time. The challenge of how to stay afloat when you can’t have customers come into the store made us adapt. We kicked our website into gear & began selling online. We also offered decorating services via zoom. Our social media presence had to go into overload as that was the only way our customers could see us & fortunately for us our business prospered.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Belle Patri is a mix of new and consignment furniture and home decor. With a constantly changing inventory we have something off everyone at all different price points. Belle Patri is known for its painted furniture but we also appreciate a beautiful solid weed piece as well. The style of our store can fluctuate depending on what items are in stock. We aren’t your regular furniture/chain store. We love setting each area of our store in vignettes so that as our customers walk around they can envision these items in their home. We love to mix the new and the old as we understand not everyone can go and buy all new. So many customers love to have their houses to have character and feel comfortable and that’s more achievable when you find unique pieces, decor that feels like you’ve gathered them versus just gone to a big box store and bought them.
We offer Ladies Nights where we work with other small businesses to highlight the many amazing talents our community has. Our furniture paint classes are always a big hit which we offer monthly at each store. Not only do we teach how to paint furniture but we sell the paint for DIYers and offer custom painting as well.
For those not confident in their decorating skills we offer complimentary in store design or in home design services with Jen or Vanessa can be scheduled.
What are your plans for the future?
At the moment we don’t have any large scale big plans. We have just renewed our lease in Columbia for another 5 years and we are really excited to continue to grow in that community. This next year we are planning to continue our Ladies Nights, special events and classes with other local businesses. We truly believe 2025 with be the year of small businesses as that is how we continue to support & grow our communities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bellepatri.com
- Instagram: belle_patri
- Facebook: Belle Patri – Jarrettsville & Belle Patri – Columbia
