Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine McGahan
Hi Catherine, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I entered the retail furniture business in a unique way. Most people have formal training in interior design, business, marketing or logistics. I brought with me a TRUE LOVE of art, fashion and interior design, degrees in psychology and education policy analysis, and practical experience designing databases for state and local education agencies using technical software programs like SAS.
I opened my first retail store—Rumson Gifts & Home Furnishings— in Buckhead, Atlanta in 2013. We sold corporate gifts, furniture and art and hosted a bunch of fun trunk shows over the years. I had 3 kids under the age of 7 at that point in time. Prior to opening the store, I had been selling corporate gifts at church bazaars and private school fairs and was shipping corporate gifts for a local gallery and corporations like Cox Media Group. A home-based gift business was a great career option for a mom with young kids, but the business was starting to out grow our home when I made the move to brick and mortar.
In my new retail space, the art we selected seemed to speak to people and really started to take off. Our first art show, which we launched opening night, was a large collection of framed Hermes scarves. I still collect them! Over the years, we hosted shows for abstract artists, photographers, fashion illustrators and more. I loved that space and the opportunity to support emerging artists. In the home space our our offerings in Buckhead grew to include more home decor, rugs and even lighting. I took on jobs representing artists in a management capacity—facilitating commissions, setting up shows around Atlanta, etc. I was also starting to get jobs styling photo shoots for local magazines. Lastly I worked briefly with a representative for Busatti, an Italian linen brand and was able to learn some about textiles as well.
I landed in Charleston, South Carolina professionally after a friend from Atlanta moved to Daniel Island. She approached me about starting a furniture business in the Charleston area and I jumped at the chance! We began mapping out what would be Hutton + Home in August of 2023 and opened our 4,500 square foot showroom in The Jasper apartment building in March of 2024. It has been a whirlwind! I have learned so much about life in the City, enjoyed the art and incredible food and also grown tremendously professionally and personally in a very short period of time. As far as work homes go, I consider myself very lucky to be in Charleston!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I wish I could say the road has been all smooth! But the truth is there have been many (many!) challenges along the way. Challenges that provided real opportunities for me to learn and to grow.
In 2019, COVID dealt my first business, Rumson Gifts & Home Furnishings, what was basically a death blow. I had to close the store, move everything home and liquidate my merchandise. That was not a fun period of time, personally or professionally.
Now, here in Charleston, I have experienced what seems to be nearly every high and every low imaginable in the process of starting a business. First, I learned that stocking and opening a retail furniture store is a BIG endeavour. Bigger than I could have imagined. Every day is moving day! I also learned about floods. And how water, art, rugs and furniture are not friends. I knew this, but had not lived it.
Beyond that, I believe I have learned, the hard way at times, that it’s easy for people see the store, the furniture and the sign. But perhaps less noticable are the aspects of business development that I have been so deeply engaged in for the past year. Some of which posed real learning curves for me, personally. Now I can say that my practical experience has grown to include brand development, establishing vendor relationships, warehousing and logistics, and trying to to grow a “starter” business into a business that turns a profit. Expertise in any of this certainly lies further down the road, but we learn by doing, and I plan to keep at it.
My last big take away has been that some of the biggest challenges we created for ourselves in these areas were grounded in mistakes during the early, excited stages of Hutton + Home. If I could go back in time, I would advise myself to spend a little more time in the planning stages. But, all struggles aside, it was absolutely exhilarating to develop a business idea with a friend and work to bring it to life. I feel lucky for the experience. The moment we opened the doors to the store and saw customers walking in, and felt their appreciation for what we created, will always be one of the proudest moments of my life.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I think I said some of this in question one. That is that I have a unique skill set including training in psychology, work in the field of education, in depth knowledge of statistical analysis and creative vision that I have applied to the retail industry.
I am always thinking and reading and willing to learn from anyone who will teach me what they know. I am known for working hard, for setting plans, establishing goals and measuring progress along the way. If they would add more hours to the day I would also work those hours.
I am perhaps known for intensity as well. I like the phrase “make no small plans.” I have big dreams and work hard to see if I can make them come true. And, in that process, I fall down a lot. I expect to fall. But I also know I will get back up… again and again and again. I try to laugh at myself at least a few times a day.
In terms of what brings me the most pride, it is that I have been able to model the value of hard work, persistence and willingness to learn for my children in many ways on many different days.
Second to this, I am proud to have supported other small businesses and female-owned businesses over the years as well as to have provided support for causes that are important to me and to those I love.
What matters most to you?
My family—meaning my children, my parents, my brother and my friends, who have truly been family to us over the years. Prayer matters a great deal to me, as do hard work, gratitude and humor. I think these traits are due in part to my Irish background and upbringing and deep respect for my parents, whom I have watched work hard every day of their lives.
I am also deeply grateful for every day I get to spend on Earth with the people I love, getting to do the things I love. That is perhaps the most important for anyone reading this to know about me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.huttonandhome.com
- Instagram: 310broadhuttonandhome, Catherine_d_mcgahan
- Facebook: Catherine_d_mcgahan
- Twitter: HuttonandHome
- Youtube: HuttonandHome
- Other: Tiktock Hutton + Home
