Hendersonville interior designer opens new storefront
When the storm swell from Mud Creek ruined their downtown store, Harry Deaton, husband Joe, and associates both two-legged and four-legged (including Adie, shown here) pivoted to a smaller but charismatic space that intensifies each design vignette.
For the past decade, Harrietta “Harry” Deaton has operated her retail store and full-service interior design firm, Harry Deaton Interiors, out of a commercial space on South King Street in downtown Hendersonville. But all that changed with Hurricane Helene.
“There had to have been probably six feet of water inside the store,” says Deaton, explaining that Mud Creek rose higher than she had ever witnessed. “It was devastating because we lost everything inside. It just broke my heart.”
Luckily, the storm didn’t break her spirit. Deaton says after the initial shock wore off, she and her husband Joe figured they had a decision to make: “We could either keep moping,” says Deaton, “or we could get off our butts.” They chose the latter.
In December, the couple signed the lease on a commercial space on Asheville Highway, just minutes from their old spot. With the support of friends and family, they spent the next three months remodeling the derelict building. Then, on Valentine’s Day, they hosted a soft opening.
“We had more than 150 people come out to support us. There were so many people they couldn’t even find parking,” says Deaton. “It was amazing.”
Photo by Rachel Pressley
Business has more than doubled in the months since, partially because the major thoroughfare offers more visibility. Aesthetics matter, too.
Built as a primary residence in 1938, the new space is a dusty-yellow clapboard cottage framed by pine and holly trees. Inside, Deaton has carefully staged each room — from the chic sitting area to each of the four bedrooms — to evoke a sense of home. “I could probably live here,” the interior designer gushes. “It’s such a cute little house.”
It is little, though, relative to her last location. At 3,000 square feet, the structure is half the size of the previous business. Because of the limited footprint, Deaton nixed the high-end consignment element of her business model. Now, she strictly sells new furniture. (Long-time customers will be pleased to know Joe still makes custom bedding and window treatments.)
Beyond catering to customers on the search for sofas and side tables, Deaton is working with clients to make their homes — whether newly constructed or freshly remodeled — feel like a true reflection of themselves.
Photo by Rachel Pressley
“I like to make people feel good, and I think if your space doesn’t feel good, then you’re not really feeling good,” says Deaton. “When you come home, you have to be comfortable and happy with what surrounds you.”
She adds that helping homeowners is what gets her up in the mornings; it’s her “why.” But Deaton also admits she was losing sight of this purpose in the months before the storm. Hinting at burnout, she says she had lost a lot of the pleasure of running her old place — that is, before disaster forced a whole new hand.
“Now, I love going to work. I really do. [It’s] been a blessing in disguise.”
Harry Deaton Interiors, 2030 Asheville Hwy., Hendersonville, 423-972-1035, @harry_deaton_interiors on Instagram and Facebook. Store hours are 10am-5pm, Tuesday-Friday, and 10am-2pm on Saturdays.