Elegant Clutter under new ownership

Lisa Casinger -- Home Accents Today, 5/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

Elegant Clutter, Danville, Calif., has a new owner. After 23 years in business Margaret Cohen and Gayle Warrington decided to sell their high-end, ARTS Award-winning business to entrepreneur Andrew Greenblatt.

"We sold Elegant Clutter because we just didn't have the passion or drive after 23 years to continue taking the store to new levels," Cohen said. "Our sales were still growing, but not in the manner we'd always experienced."

Cohen, a former member of Home Accents Today's retail advisory board, originally was in the process of buying the business from Warrington when she realized she was ready to do something different with her life and so the duo worked with a local business broker to help them find a suitable buyer. Warrington and Cohen wanted a new owner who would not only retain their staff, half of whom have been with the company more than 12 years, but also someone who lived in the community and recognized the importance of the store's name, reputation and civic involvement.

"Andrew is very much an entrepreneur," Cohen said. "He owned a business and grew it successfully before selling it. He is very bright and motivated and it is important to him to make a community contribution. He also understands the need to preserve the shopping experience we have created."

Greenblatt plans to keep all the employees and already has added an in-home design service to the store; the most often requested service.