©2017 Saratoga Photographer.com
By Maureen Werther
After four successful years in business, 23rd and Fourth Interior Design studio and showroom has moved to a new location at 130 Excelsior Ave. in Saratoga Springs.
Formerly located in Franklin Square, the mother/daughter ownership team of Janet Longe and Jamie Davies said that it was time to expand into a larger space.
“We were busting at the seams and we were also looking for a space that gave us more visibility,” said Davies.
Originally, Longe and Davies had considered building their own space. They were in the process of looking at plans for a 6,000-square-foot showroom and studio when Davies happened to drive by the building on Excelsior Avenue that was recently completed by Bonacio Construction.
Davies said that she might have missed out on it if she, her husband, and their two young children had been at her parent’s summer house on Brandt Lake.
“Usually, we are all up there every weekend during the summer. My mom finally said that she needed a weekend without all of us there,” she said, laughing. “So, instead, I was home in Saratoga on a Saturday, and I decided to go to the Farmer’s Market.”
That is when Davies drove by the property. The ceiling-to-floor glass windows had just been installed and Davies said there was something special about the look of the building. It wasn’t as big as they were looking for, but when they went to see it, Davies and her mother were both sold.
The new 23rd and Fourth has storage space for excess inventory attached to the building. The new space gives Longe and Davies the ability to display a broader range of furniture, lighting, rugs and a variety of accessories and home goods.
“We have always done a lot of custom design work and sometimes our clients have had to select items from a catalog or online, without getting a chance to touch, feel, and sit on the furniture,” said Longe.
There is a large variety of items in the showroom for customers to choose from. Longe and Davies continue to offer specialized services, finding unique and hard-to-find styles and brands for clients.
Longe is a graduate of Sage College of Albany, with a degree in interior design, and she has been plying her craft for more than 20 years. Davies has a degree in business and marketing. Before deciding to come on board as her mother’s business partner, she had a career in the insurance industry. Davies handles most of the day-to-day business operations. But she also inherited her mother’s passion and eye for design and she is an integral part of the team, working alongside her mother.
In addition to the expansive showroom area, there is also a design work space area, filled with fabric books and other design samples for clients. Longe and Davies refer to themselves as “designer-friendly” and they welcome other interior designers to their new location, where they can bring clients. Designers and their clients can now find the styles and designs that they would otherwise be hard-pressed to find locally.
“Customers were looking for a place like this, and the area really needed it,” said Longe.
In addition to their physical expansion, Longe and Davies hired Beth McClain as showroom manager. McClain recently relocated to Saratoga Springs from Manhattan and she first discovered 23rd and Fourth at its original location in Franklin Square.
“I was always going in there to buy things. And I finally told them they should just hire me,” said McClain.
23rd and Fourth will be open six days a week, Monday through Saturdays, but they have not finalized their hours yet. Customers can check the company website for more information at www.23rdandfourth.com.