Thinking Small in Asheville - Atelier Maison & Co.

Thinking Small

In Asheville

 

Supporting small, local businesses helps everyone grow and thrive. An interview with Atelier Maison & Co. Owners Sean & Laura Sullivan

Thinking Small

In Asheville

 

Supporting small, local businesses helps everyone grow and thrive. An interview with Atelier Maison & Co. Owners Sean & Laura Sullivan

Localized Economy

Life is moving faster than ever, and people are busier than ever. It can be tempting to seek out the most convenient and affordable shopping and dining options. However, when we attempt to save money and time by sitting in drive-thru lanes and navigating online and big box retailers, we can miss out on the tremendous benefits shopping local provides–not just for the business owners, but for our neighbors, our communities, our country, and ourselves.

Ninety-nine percent of all United States businesses are small businesses, and 62 percent of all new jobs from 1995 to 2020 came from small businesses. When it comes to the local and national economy, small businesses matter in a big way.
“When you support small businesses, you’re supporting the livelihoods of millions and millions of people in our country,” notes Laura Sullivan, owner of Asheville design firm ID.ology Interiors & Design. “You’re also supporting the livelihoods of people in your community, the local economy, and the town that you live in. Shopping online or at big box stores takes away that support.” Laura and her husband Sean are passionate about promoting small businesses. They are both proud Asheville business owners: Sean owns Living Stone Design + Build, and together they own Atelier Maison & Co., a premier furniture store in Asheville’s burgeoning design district. And they see the need for small business support all around them.
“We have a love and admiration for friends and family members with an entrepreneurial spirit, who work so hard to provide for their families, and also for the families of those they employ,” says Laura.
There are reasons to support local independent businesses that go beyond building up communities and shoring up economies. A smaller infrastructure, local buyers, and locally sourced inventory significantly reduce shipping needs, greatly lessening the environmental impact of doing business. This is a huge element to green building.
Independently owned businesses offer personal, face-to-face service, and an opportunity to build relationships. Small businesses also rely on one another for goods and services, creating a network that benefits everyone who is a part of it. And small businesses add character and individuality to towns and cities, fostering local pride.
Small businesses are also able to provide a level of knowledge, assistance, and expertise you won’t find online or at big box stores. They can also offer unique, original, and custom items that are inaccessible elsewhere.
The Sullivans appreciate the opportunity owning and operating a business provides to live out their values and serve their community in their own unique way.
“We can thoughtfully and conscientiously choose the products that we offer our clients,” explains Laura. “Big box stores and nationwide chains sacrifice quality of construction because they focus on mass production through low wage laborers overseas. A good example is when you buy a faucet from one of the big box stores for less than it would cost at the plumbing supply house, you are not getting the same quality. The big box store has used plastic parts instead of stainless steel parts and so that fixture will wear out in one quarter of the time. Its the same with buying furniture. At Atelier Maison, we intentionally design and choose furniture and accessories that are made to a specific heirloom-quality, healthy non-toxic standard, so they will enhance and improve the interior of our clients’ homes for decades to come.”
Sean and Laura have even created their own private line, the LK Sullivan Collection. The line is designed in-house and bench made in North Carolina, allowing them to control the quality standards and support local furniture makers.
Laura notes that it’s certainly no sacrifice to support small businesses in “The Paris of the South.”
“Asheville is such a wonderful place to shop local,” she says. “It’s a hub for so many different creative avenues: culinary, artisanal, style, design, fashion–there are so many great things in one location.
“Some of our personal favorite places are close by us in the Asheville Design District, such as Mountain Paint and Decorating, Sweeten Creek Antiques, Hillman Brewing, Corner Kitchen, Making Whole, and several different art galleries and artisans.”
Laura believes the tide is turning when it comes to local business support in Asheville, but there’s more work to be done.
“People who live here generally have a respect and desire to support the local culture,” she says. “More and more often, I see people preferring individually owned restaurants, boutiques, and mom-and-pop kinds of shops. I’m also seeing great support for minority-owned businesses, which tend to be small businesses.
“There’s a greater awareness, but there’s still a long way to go for it to be more widespread, and for people to develop a sense of duty and responsibility to support their neighbors in the community. I do think we’ll get there, though. And Sean and I are excited to be a part of it.”

Learn more about the team at Atelier Maison & Co. here! Alternatively, feel free to reach out to one of our locations anytime!