By Vernon Robison

Moapa Valley Progress

Moapa Valley homeowners looking for unique and fresh furnishings and accessories can find some great deals between now and the end of the year at High Desert Design and Home Furnishings in Mesquite.

The boutique shop, which has been open for the past eight years at its location at 754 W. Pioneer Blvd. near the Redd Hills Cinema will be moving in early January.

In the meantime, High Desert owners and Mesquite residents, Jeff and Brenda Congdon, have marked everything in the store down 25% or more to get things cleared out for the big move.

“As you can see, we still have quite a bit (of merchandise) here, but an aweful lot has sold in the last few weeks and at great prices,” said Brenda Congdon.

As she walks around the spacious showroom she points out various empty spaces where furniture, wall hangings and other home decor used to be on display.

But Brenda is always adjusting, primping, changing and improving the many furniture displays that still remain. With 38 years experience in the Residential and Contract Design field, she has an eye for the arrangement of elements in a room.

“She has a real gift,” said Jeff Congdon of his wife. “She can look at a room, immediately notice the tastes and preferences of the customer, and then visualize all the elements placed perfectly in that room that is in keeping with that customer’s taste.”

“It’s really just the way that you put things together,” said Brenda dismissively.

The Congdons have built their business based on that kind of unique customer service. In addition to Brenda, the store has three other designers that make house calls to consult with customers about home decor solutions.

“We always encourage another pair of eyes to look at the room for ideas,” said Brenda. “Mistakes can be costly when you are buying furniture. So we love to come out and help our customers with their decisions and give suggestions. We do that all the time.”

The design advice is free when the customer makes purchases with the store, Brenda said.

But the High Desert Design service doesn’t stop with the sale, or even with the delivery, Jeff said.

“We deliver the furniture yes; but we also install it properly, hang it on the wall, place it where it should be,” said Jeff. “By the time we leave, we want to make sure that everything is just right.”

In addition to providing excellent service, the store prides itself on its unique offerings. The items stocked in the High Desert showroom are always changing.

“Our customers keep coming back,” said Brenda. “People always say that they come in one day, and then come in three weeks later and it is all completely different.”

An experienced wholesale buyer, Brenda is always looking for new items to stock the store.

“Most of the time, once something is sold, we never carry it in the store again,” she said.

This is important when serving a small town clientele. Many people like to have unique home decor that expresses their personalities, Brenda said. They don’t want to see an identical piece of furniture in a neighbor’s house down the street.

“That is how we differ from a big box store,” Brenda said. “It would be a boring world if all houses looked the same. We encourage our customers to push the line a little; to be an individual; to be you. Our customers seem to love that.”

High Desert Design and Home Furnishings will be continuing its big Moving Sale through December 31. On January 2, the Congdens are planning to have a whole new line of inventory in the store’s new location just down the street at 550 W. Pioneer Blvd. right next to the Nevada DMV office.

For more information call High Desert Design at 702-346-1919.