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West End Antiques Mall boasts more than 250 booths and 55,000 square-feet. In mid-December, it expanded by opening a décor and design shop two doors down, called Project1.
Billed as “Your Home Resource,” the store presents sophisticated room vignettes and ever-changing, curated furniture and accessories from a multitude of eras and sellers. The mix within the shop, and within its vendors’ spaces, is inspiring and design-driven.
Dealers and designers have quickly jumped on board. Some have mentioned the leadership and talents of Steve Hedrick, the longtime manager of West End Antiques and the creator of Project1, as a reason.
Kim Vincze of Verve Home Furnishings is one. “Steve is a master at merchandising and has done so much to promote both West End Antiques and my shop,” she says. Vincze has booths in a mix of shops in Richmond and runs her warehouse full of mid-century and groovy finds just two tenths of a mile away. Still, she wanted to be a part of Project1.
So did Maurice Beane of Maurice Beane Art & Design. “I realized Project1 would be an ideal setting for the more upscale French Art Deco, Italian pieces from the 1950s and '60s and custom furniture designs I am dealing in,” he says.
Designer Style
So what else does Project1 have in store? Items from designer Mark Grovesteen of M Douglas Interior Design (his micro-booth is bright); furniture by bespoke maker Steve Lowry; upholstered pieces by Jessica Hornedo; and painted furniture by Anne Hues DeCamps of Anne Hues Designs.
Metro Modern, RVA Antiques (with their fine chalk and milk paints) – plus West End Antiques Mall, itself – all have a presence, with enticing booths and special handpicked vintage and antique items.
Barkhaus Moderne deals in modern American and Scandinavian pieces. Killer Junk Studios has a “California Modern meets the Big Apple” vibe.
It’s just one example of the crossover between time periods, styles and sellers you’ll find on display. And more vendors are on the way.
Custom Services
“We’re not limiting ourselves to furniture and accessories,” explains Project1’s Shay Moore. In addition to vintage and antique wares, “We’re also about custom options and services,” she says. Featured makers and artists welcome commissions.
Project1 also is home to an appraiser (Turner Johnson); restorer (Holly Grove Repair & Restoration) contractor (E. Pendleton Construction) and custom mattress-maker, Bedcrafters by Michelle.
Steve Hedrick’s son, Stephen, is also a part of the project. He’s excited to work with and feature high-end craft and visual artists in the store. “I want people from New York City to High Point to know what a great design destination Richmond is,” he says.
Bean agrees. Project1 is helping him connect with new and old clients, including collectors and designers from 1stdibs.com. “We are working on expanding our market into the Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Maryland suburbs,” he says.
There’s quality and value here. “At Project1 we are providing items that you can buy in New York or Paris for about a third of their price,” Maurice adds.
“We believe in the ‘buy less but buy better’ motto and ‘quality never goes out of style.’ ”
His fellow sellers likely agree.
Project 1 is at 2012 Staples Mill Road, next to Amir Rugs. Store hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
