DeWITT — All the world’s a stage for TogaLu, LLC Designs, even homes being sold. Staging is one of the one-year-old firm’s major services, according to its founder and owner, Leah Cahill. Staging takes a home that its owner is trying to sell and redecorates it to try to make it more attractive to buyers. […]
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DeWITT — All the world’s a stage for TogaLu, LLC Designs, even homes being sold.
Staging is one of the one-year-old firm’s major services, according to its founder and owner, Leah Cahill. Staging takes a home that its owner is trying to sell and redecorates it to try to make it more attractive to buyers.
“You really make sure the assets of the home are emphasized and the non-assets are de-emphasized,” Cahill says. “There might be some different things involved — de-cluttering, removing older items like carpeting, and perhaps updating a few features.”
Cahill emphasizes that she tries to minimize new additions to rooms when staging a home for sale. Instead, she works with existing pieces of furniture, perhaps rearranging them to make spaces appear larger.
TogaLu’s point of contact with homeowners is often a realtor. Cahill works with realtors who agree to offer homeowners one of her two-hour design consultations when they list a residence.
Cahill charges the realtors a $65 fee for each consultation. But if the homeowner decides to hire TogaLu to carry out her recommendations, she waives the realtor fee and bills the owner for her work.
Homeowners receive a list of recommendations after their consultation, regardless of whether they decide to hire TogaLu, according to Cahill.
Her emphasis remains on using furniture that is already in a space, although she sometimes purchases décor accessories. For commercial spaces, Cahill considers appearance, safety, and the potential for staff members to function efficiently.
About a quarter of her work is with commercial clients, she says.
“I’ve done more commercial work than I thought I would be doing,” Cahill says. “When I came into this a year ago, I really focused on the realtor side of it, so that has been a large percentage of what I do. But [the range of services is] starting to widen.”
Cahill declined to discuss revenue totals for TogaLu. She is projecting 15 percent revenue growth in 2012, which she expects to be largely driven by word-of-mouth and networking.
She is currently the company’s only employee and has no immediate plans to hire more. Cahill considered partnering with or contracting with interior designers or individuals who focus solely on commercial interiors but decided she isn’t ready for that yet.
TogaLu is located in Suite 118A at 5858 E. Molloy Road in DeWitt. The company shares the space with another small firm, Sweet Lemonade. That company, which is owned by Debbie MacMaster, designs clothing for children with disabilities. Cahill and MacMaster met at the WISE Women’s Business Center in Syracuse and decided to lease space together, Cahill says.
Cahill has about 450 square feet for TogaLu’s office. Molloy Holding LLC owns the building, where she and MacMaster lease the space.
For TogaLu, Cahill will visit homes and businesses within a 25-mile radius, she says. She has no plans to travel further. Cahill would, however, like to find more realtors willing to partner with her firm.
“I have to tell them that if they want a home staged, they really have to take the lead on it,” she says. “The most successful realtor I know, she tells her clients, ‘I work with a stager. Her name is Leah, and I’m going to have her come over. Let’s just see what she has to say.’ ”