April 28, 2008 – Furniture Inn, a landmark on St. Thomas for some 12 years, recently opened its doors on St. Croix.
Store manager Abed Hussein says his family wanted to bring the beauty of tropical elegance to homes on the island.
"We had a lot of people from St. Croix coming to St. Thomas to buy furniture and having it shipped," says Hussein, whose father Hussein Hussein ironically left St. Croix years ago to open the St. Thomas store. "We decided since a lot of people from St. Croix were coming to shop, we can bring our store here."
The store held a grand opening April 14 at its LaGrande Princess location, near Five Corners, where another furniture store once stood. That store closed about two years ago but the younger Hussein says he's not worried about Furniture Inn going that route because he believes that the brand and style of merchandise offered gives it staying power.
"We have a range that's more modern-tropical, with a bit of contemporary style that people can afford," the younger Hussein says. "We have merchandise in teak wood, rattan, whicker, sea grass and bamboo styles and our accessories range from natural flowers and figurines to abstract designs."
Furniture Inn offers merchandise that is a combination of elegant, sophisticated designs and best quality for walls, living areas, table tops, and bathroom, Hussein says.
It first opened on St. Thomas at Lockhart Gardens in 1996 and has become known as the go-to place for home accents, many in abstract designs, statuesque floor lamps, room dividers in geometrical patterns and antique-look vases that bring natural beauty into a room, anytime of day.
Like its St. Thomas counterpart, Furniture Inn on St. Croix boasts an array of chic designs bound to spark appreciative nods and make good conversation starters at social gatherings. Home accents are fashioned from a range of materials including rustic metal and aluminum to natural or glazed-finish woods and come in table-top and floor model pieces in abstract designs. One such piece is a trio of arch-shaped candle-holders in teakwood and aluminum siding. The candleholders can be showcased in three separate locations around the home but placed together in an ascending fashion – from smallest to largest – form an elegant tower that adds a flair to any corner.
Store hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays and customers can use cash, checks or credit cards to shop. The store also has in-house financing and a layaway policy, Hussein says.
Abed Hussein anticipates that the new store will be just as successful as the one on St. Thomas.
His father, he says, worked in furniture stores on St. Croix prior to packing up and moving his family to St. Thomas where he ventured out on his own.
"Fate took us there," he says of the move when he was still a child. "At the time, there was an economic boom going on St. Thomas and my father decided to move us there. Now we're back."
Hussein, who takes pride in ordering merchandise selections, says he honed his eclectic taste over the years helping his father.
"Everybody has their own taste but we choose the merchandise because everyone seems to admire the tropical, sophisticated look," he says. "Besides, we are on an island, and the pieces just seem to fit right."
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