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Cristi Holcombe, owner of CH Home and designer at Cristi Holcombe Interiors, joins the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcast to share her unique experiences working in interior design, joining an HGTV show and opening her home décor shop. She shares intel with co-hosts Carol Morgan and Todd Schnick on the All About Real Estate segment about what it’s like to start a business during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Holcombe is an acclaimed interior designer and owns Cristi Holcombe Interiors, a full-service design firm based in Atlanta. Holcombe grew up on an Alabama farm and moved to Atlanta after graduating from college. From custom homes to renovations, inventory homes and working alongside home builders, Holcombe has worked on various facets of home design during her career.
Holcombe also worked on the HGTV Emmy Award-Winning show Elbow Room for three seasons where she designed and implemented renovations. After seeing a tweet from an HGTV producer looking for a female design host in Atlanta, Holcombe sent in her information, auditioned and was hired for the position. Holcombe acted as the main project manager and liaison between the construction and show production teams. She completed 39 renovations in three years for the show.
“It was an experience I couldn’t have dreamed that I would be involved in, but I’m so thankful that I was,” said Holcombe. “I learned so much about the construction process, so that’s been a huge benefit to my clients.”
CH Home is a home décor and gift boutique located in Johns Creek. The store offers a selection of home goods including small accessories and custom furnishings. With a modern, fresh atmosphere, the shop incorporates Holcombe’s personal aesthetic style into its design.
Holcombe wants the store to carry “lovable” pieces such as performance fabrics and items that are safe for kids and dogs. Holcombe also ensures every item is attainable by establishing affordable prices and providing décor with a versatile design to fit a variety of homes. The shop consistently rotates goods including unique gifts and accessories which are all selected by Holcombe.
CH Home originally planned to open in the spring of 2020, and they moved forward with plans even when faced with the COVID-19 pandemic. During this unprecedented time, Holcombe and her team faced uncertainty about the store’s opening and how the store would function with constantly changing health restrictions from the CDC. Fortunately, the shop received an abundance of support from the community and remains busy.
“We don’t know what it would’ve been like had we not opened up during COVID-19, but I can’t imagine it being any better on the business side,” said Holcombe. “Everyone was nesting and doing things for their home. Even if it was just buying a pillow, they wanted something new. It was really fun to help them love their homes again.”
Recently, CH Home celebrated its first year anniversary, and Holcombe saw this as an opportunity to give back to the community that offered support during the store’s opening. The CH Home team threw a one-year celebration party with refreshments and an exciting raffle giveaway. They also hired a long-time friend to play music at the event who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) last year. To show support, CH Home donated a portion of its proceeds from the anniversary celebration to the Georgia Chapter of the National MS Society.
Cristi Holcombe Interiors and the CH Home shop work hand-in-hand, and the design firm operates from the back of the shop. The opening of CH Home provided Holcombe with an opportunity to expand her design services with a larger space and create a retail store to accompany it. The home décor shop offers Holcombe’s clients visual representations of the pieces that they’re considering for their home, as well as a chance to feel the textures of the décor. The design firm also complements the shop as professional interior designers are always present to guide CH Home customers interested in decorating their homes.
Currently, the CH Home team is already planning for the holiday season. They are planning a fall event, as well as an exciting Christmas celebration. Holcombe also looks forward to gathering new products for CH Home to prepare for the start of 2022.
Listen to the full interview above to learn additional details. To learn more about CH Home and its events, visit www.CHHomeInteriors.com. Find more information about Cristi Home Interiors by visiting www.CristiHolcombe.com.
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Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee, License #22564. NMLS ID #6606. Subject to borrower and property qualifications. Not all applicants will qualify. New American Funding and CH Home are not associated. Click here to view the terms and conditions of products mentioned during the show. Corporate office 14511 Myford Rd., Suite 100, Tustin, CA 92780. Phone: (800) 450-2010. (July/2021)
New American Funding is a family-owned mortgage lender with a servicing portfolio of over 123,000 loans for $30.4 billion, 198 branches, and about 3,100 employees. The company offers several niche loan products and has made Inc. 5000’s list of Fastest-Growing Companies in America six times. It has a state-of-the-art career training facility and develops innovative technology, including the GoGo LO mobile application. For more information, visit www.branch.newamericanfunding.com/Atlanta.
The Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio “All About Real Estate” segment, presented by Denim Marketing, highlights the movers and shakers in the Atlanta real estate industry – the home builders, developers, Realtors and suppliers working to provide the American dream for Atlantans. For more information on how you can be featured as a guest, contact Denim Marketing at 770-383-3360 or fill out the Atlanta Real Estate Forum contact form. Subscribe to the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcast on iTunes, and if you like this week’s show, be sure to rate it.
