Despite the tough economic times, Pittsburgh retailer Stacy Weiss equaled her 2007 sales numbers in early December. And that's enough to make her very happy — for now.

Weisshouse's inventory is about half furniture and half accessories/area rugs. Behind B&B Italia's Tulip chair, Roberta Schilling's wooden spider sits atop shelves holding Swarovski Peace and Skull pillows from Shine Home, red lacquer boxes from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, lamp by Verner Panton, pillows (bottom shelf) by Dransfield & Ross, and paintings by Karl Mullen and Jack Weiss.

The 14,000-sq.-ft. Weisshouse showroom is located in a turn-of-the-century building that once served as a parking garage for the Mellon family. It's a different business, and in a different place, from the company Weiss's father founded in 1943 and the precursor to Weisshouse — Modern Curtain and Rug Company.

One thing that hasn't changed over the years is the care and attention given to buying. Weiss, who worked alongside her father and brother for more than 20 years before becoming Weisshouse's sole owner five years ago, personally selects each item and shops several European shows in addition to the spring and fall High Point markets, Las Vegas Surfaces, New York Gift Show, Atlanta Area Rug Market and the International Contemporary Furniture Fair.

It's what she loves most, and she does it according to her own taste. She buys confidently, personally selecting each item, her decisions based on the premise that it must be something she'd like to have in her own home.

“Our style is very eclectic — mostly classic modern, with vintage kitsch, and some traditional estate pieces,” Weiss said. “We like to have as many unique, one-of-a-kind accessories in the showroom as possible. There are numerous retailers out there who promote mass production of the same style or current trend over and over. We prefer a more personal curated approach.”

Weiss credits her practiced eye to an early exposure to and realization of design aesthetics, and to a lifelong interest in colors and shapes. “Looking back now as a young girl, the way I would comb the beaches of Provincetown looking for colored stones is very similar to how I now comb the aisles of the many trade shows I attend — scanning, omitting, focusing,” she said.

Before joining the family business she applied those principles to her work as a photographer. “I had a great eye but I was not a good technician,” she said. “I believe my photography helped me become a good buyer because I developed a strong sense of composition.”

In this vignette, a Bobo chandelier is reflected in a Hickory Chair mirror, flanked by lamps from Oly. A giant Oly clamshell sits atop a Ralph Lauren ottoman-coffee table. The rug is by Odegard and the chairs are by Bolier.

Weisshouse reaches its target audience with print ads in local magazines and regional issues of national magazines, a capabilities brochure sent to new home buyers, postcards advertising special promotions and e-mail blasts to coincide with the promotions and billboards.

The company donates to more than 150 charities each year, and maintains a robust Web site that's currently screening its in-house promotional viral video, “…using contemporary fashion, furniture and lifestyle trends to set the seen.”

Weisshouse' clients are educated professionals who like to travel and have busy schedules, not unlike Weiss, who has five children between the ages of 13 and 23. She credits her ability to run both house and home to her “amazing husband Will” and a great housekeeper. “I teach them (the kids) to be independent… they have no choice,” she said. “I can't attend many of their after-school activities, but they understand. We all love each other very much.”

	Stacy Weiss is seated in a Veuve Clicquot loveseat by Karim Rashid. The two pink fiberglass “flower petals” are joined on a chrome-plated pedestal, a contemporary take on an 18th century French armchair.
The retailer's eclectic style pairs classic, modern and one-of-a-kind found objects and antiques, such as this collection that includes an Asia Minor chandelier, Verner Panton lamp, Oly pillows and Robinson rugs. The Barcelona lounger is from Four Hands and the sofa is B&B Italia.