Maison Décor owner Shane Matherne sees a lot more people in his store at this time of year, and he says that’s no accident. Matherne said spring is the time of year where people are sprucing up their yards and are often looking for a centerpiece item to bring it all together. The store’s courtyard of elaborate fountains draw plenty of customer attention, though those items represent only a fraction of the total available: Maison Décor features over 700 fountains, with online supply and custom orders available in addition to the on-site selection.
“If a customer comes out and says ‘oh, I really like that fountain but I need something a little bigger,’ we take that (fountain) and customize it to their needs,” Matherne said. “I normally keep 20 to 25 fountains in stock. Sometimes it rises. We do have more coming in over the next few weeks to give the customer more options to look at.
“We’ll show them the options and then we’ll order it in the color they choose. And then once it comes in, we schedule it for us to go ahead, deliver it and set it up for them.”
Matherne said the sugar kettles made from cast iron and fiberglass have been big movers in the store’s inventory.
“They give you that New Orleans patio-courtyard atmosphere,” he said.
Other customers may already have a fountain and are seeking maintenance and repairs, which the store offers, be it to clean the fountain or to install new pumps and get it back in working order for the spring time.
Other items that are popular now include custom wall plaques by Concrete Décor that are often used to decorate an outdoor kitchen or patio.
“A lot of them are very New Orleans or Louisiana-oriented,” Matherne said. “That’s a really popular item right now.”
He also said the store’s selection of Yankee Candles are items that customers seek to “bring that fresh spring scent.”
Maison Décor’s selection of items in the Simply Noelle clothing line are also notable hot sellers among women.
“It’s a good quality of product at a very good price, and the styling is current and upbeat,” Matherne said. “We’ve got a lot of new styles in right now, and it’s been a big, big item.”
Matherne said the spring is one of the busiest times of year for the store, along with Christmas time, and that Maison Décor’s customer base comes from both the River Parishes area and, at times, far from it.
“We had people come here over the past couple of weeks from Lake Charles,” Matherne said. “Obviously, along the way from there to here there are other places along the way like ours. But I think the quality of the companies we deal with, the selection we offer and the customer service keeps people coming here, and I think the same was true of those people from Lake Charles.”
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