Realtors make serving the needs of their clients their profession. From locating a perfect home for their buyers and then facilitating the purchase to finding buyers for their sellers and then negotiating the right price and terms, Realtors works days, nights and weekends to make a challenging process goes as smoothly as possible.
Out of gratitude, AJaye Mashburn and Lindsey McClure make serving Realtors their business.
Mashburn and McClure are the owners of DWELLing Décor + Apparel, a home décor boutique located on Nashville Street in downtown Ringgold. From tea towels and candles to diffusers and faith-based apparel for women, DWELLing offers products for making a home feel like, well, home.
Longtime friends Mashburn and McClure opened DWELLing two years ago to give themselves and the Ringgold community a local place to shop for décor.
“We go to each others homes and help each other decorate for every season,” says Mashburn. “It’s what we love.”
“But we always had to drive to Chattanooga to find things we like,” McClure chimes in. “So, one day, we said, ‘Why don’t we open a home décor shop in Ringgold?’”
After launching DWELLing, Mashburn and McClure began receiving queries from Realtors about putting together closing gifts for buyers. The business partners liked the idea.
From a bottle of wine or a bouquet of flowers, to a gift certificate to a local restaurant or a pet collar sporting the buyers’ new address, closings gifts are an ideal way to celebrate a happy occasion, they agreed.
To capitalize on the opportunity and say thank you to Realtors for their part in helping to make Ringgold not just a town 15 minutes from the edge of Chattanooga but also a charming Northwest Georgia community, Mashburn and McClure devised a closing gift program for real estate agents.
“If you mention you’re a Realtor and you’re buying a closing gift, we discount your purchase 15% and give you a $15 gift card you can either keep for yourself or offer to your client,” McClure says. “That’s it in a nutshell.”
Realtors often need a basket rather than a nutshell to hold all of the goods they tend to pack into their closing gifts. Mashburn says agents can either choose the items themselves or let her and McClure customize the gift based on what the agent believes would be meaningful to their client.
“Sometimes, a Realtor will call us and say, ‘I need a $50 closing gift in 20 minutes.’ And we’ll be like, “Younger couple? Older couple? We’re on it.’”
As a final touch, Mashburn and McClure will include a wooden plaque with a thematically suitable phrase such as “Home Sweet Home,” “This Is Our Story” or something else for free.
Chattanooga Realtor Christi Oliver of Real Estate Partners can’t say enough good things about Mashburn and McClure and their closing gifts, which she now presents to each of her buyers – and sellers.
“AJaye and Lindsey pour their hearts and souls into curating unique products,” Oliver begins. “They always welcome me the moment I enter their shop and have a talent for crafting beautiful gifts for my clients.
Oliver adds that she was excited when she found DWELLing, which she likens to a gem, as well as its owners.
“Their passion and attention to detail set their charming shop apart. As a real estate agent, I’m thrilled to be able to partner with them.”
Mashburn and McClure note that their partnership with Realtors is a proverbial “win-win.” Buyers, for example, are left with a reminder somewhere in their home of the help they received when purchasing it, as well as the agent who provided that assistance, while DWELLing hopefully gains another customer when the homeowner arrives to spend the balance on their gift card.
“It’s a great way to support fellow businesses,” McClure says.
DWELLing is part of a resurgence of commerce in downtown Ringgold that’s attracting customers from out of the city to the bevy of boutiques that line Nashville Street. From established businesses like Trestle Side Antiques and Caffeine Addicts to new additions like The Spot Creamery and Jefferson’s, the city is becoming a picturesque place to escape for an afternoon or evening a short drive from the city center.
Mashburn and McClure say they’re grateful to be part of the downtown Ringgold revival and want to give something back to the people who helped to make it happen.
“Realtors have made a big difference in our community, and we hope we can make a small difference in their business,” Mashburn says.
Learn more about DWELLing and browse its extensive product line – which Mashburn and McClure somehow comfortably fit into their 1,100 square feet of retail space at 7567 Nashville Street – at dwellinghomedecor.com. A link to the shop’s Realtor Closing Gift Program is located at the bottom of the homepage.