The owners of the Odd Room like it that way, selling upscale used furniture to discerning buyers.
By JACKIE RIPLEY
Published October 3, 2003
CARROLLWOOD - Don't expect everything in the Odd Room to match. Don't expect it to be brand new either.
But expect something a little bit different, perhaps even in your price range.
"We offer nice, good quality used furniture," said store owner Jeff Hoersch, who aims to become the Ethan Allen of used furniture. "You can visit a used furniture store and things are beat up. We didn't want that."
Certainly, walking through the Odd Room - in what was once Whaley's Market at 11743 N Dale Mabry Highway - is no junk shop excursion.
The 4,500-square-foot store is an eclectic mix of used furniture, factory seconds and model home buyouts; most of it upscale, some of it quirky.
"I came in looking for a sofa," said Lisa Travis of Seminole Heights, "and fell in love with the red lamps."
Store manager Drew Degood said the idea was to appeal to younger people who want nice, stylish furniture without spending a lot of money.
But "what I'm getting are people with lots of money," who know a good thing when they see it, he said.
Part of the reason is that while there are numerous stores of this ilk in South Tampa, there are few in northwest Hillsborough.
Inventory changes weekly, but on a recent visit to the Carrollwood store shoppers could find items such as a beige leather love seat for about $200; a cherry chest of drawers, about $250 or an rustic tricycle-shaped end table for $59.
Store inventory also included framed art, mirrors, tables, accessories, and various odds and ends.
"We might have a dresser, but that's it, the dresser," Degood said. "This isn't the store for the person who wants everything to match."
Hoersch has lived in Pinellas County for more than 20 years and owns a similar store in Oldsmar. He said he's been in the furniture business "since I was old enough for my dad to throw the keys to me."
His father worked for a furniture company in South Dakota. One of Hoersch's first jobs was as a furniture service representative. For years he longed to own a store, and he was determined to create something different from the mainstream.
There is so much variety at the Odd Room, in fact, that Degood has noticed repeat visitors.
"We have some people stopping two or three times a week," he said. "It just takes five minutes to run through."
