ELITE Furniture Resale

Elite Furniture Resale at 1749 S. Randall Road in Geneva has been open for business for a couple of weeks, with a grand opening planned before the end of the month.

But there's no mistaking where and why the company decided to open up shop in this smaller retail strip. It's situated between Walter E. Smithe to the north, and Ashley HomeStore to the south.

"We felt this was a good location and very visible," said store manager Jean Hennessy. "If people are looking for furniture, they would hopefully be over in this area."

The mission for Elite Furniture Resale is to show store visitors it offers something different from the traditional furniture stores.

But it's not to be confused with a consignment store. It's a retail operation, with buyers who obtain high-quality furniture at various locations for resale, Hennessy said.

"The buyers go look at all of the pieces from all over," Hennessy added. "We have a lot of Ethan Allen pieces and others known for very high-end pieces."

A couple of weeks ago, the store was still in need of a sign above the door, as well as a few pieces being sold to make room for better staging.

"We are probably a little cluttered at the moment because we just opened," Hennessy said. "But everything we put on the floor looks brand new, so we are very 'sexy' in how we show things."

Some people may have a certain view of what a "resale" shop means, but Hennessy feels "once people come in and see what we are about, they will see the difference."

In that regard, the store looks to create its own niche for high-end furniture in good shape by offering "the kind of things you'd want to have in your house," she added.

Whether by design or not, Elite Furniture has already accomplished something we haven't seen before -- helping create a tight little "furniture row" along our retail landscape in which three stores operate within yards of each other.