36 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday March 21, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Cocoon Furnishings -- where interior designers shop By Mandi Hargrave SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER If you've been searching through 20 or so different stores for that perfect piece of furniture and still have not found it, Cocoon Furnishings in Oakville may just be your last stop. Cocoon Furnishings, which has been operating for the past four years to serve interior designers, has recently opened its doors to the public. This allows consumers who don't require a designer to access the services the store offers. "We have lines that are not necessarily available to the general public," says buyer Glyn Austin. "We bring in a lot of things from Europe, New York; sort of different things that people are looking for when they look at a magazine and they think `Where would I ever find that.' This is where they find it." When you walk through the store you will be able to view different styles in various arrangements of rooms, where all the details are already set, from the carpeting to the lighting. "People have walked in and said `I've been looking for this type of store.' It's well laid out. It's not just a barn, you can see the colours and trends," says CEO KAREN NEWMAN / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER OPEN TO THE PUBLIC: After supplying interior designers with unique furnishings for the past four years, Cocoon Furnishings owners, Glyn and David Austin, have opened their doors to the public. The store is located at 2640 Bristol Circle. David Austin. service, and in today's world peo- designer before opening the store Cocoon Furnishings enjoys ple really do want people to focus in October 2003. She moved to being known for its personalized on them," said Glyn. "When peo- Oakville after living and working services. ple are busy they don't have time in Vancouver. She was one of those "There are a lot of department to look in 20 stores. They want to people, who was constantly travelstores and this is more of a bou- find someone who can look for ing to multiple stores, often in tique atmosphere. People tend to what they want and source that for downtown Toronto. like shopping in a smaller envi- them." "I wanted to bring a true design ronment with more personalized Glyn was formerly an interior centre to the west end," she says. "This is something local instead of going downtown." Her husband, David, who runs the business side of things, was formerly an employee for IBM. He plays a major role in Cocoon Furnishings' website, which has more than 10,000 images of various products for clients to look at. "It's a powerful tool," he says. All employees are experts in their own fields such as carpeting, drapery, upholstery, case goods and fabrics. The owners pride themselves on offering personalized service and one-stop shopping for customers. "We don't have everything," says David. "But what we do have, we go deep enough and broad enough in each category to cover the segment of market we're focused on. We can't have every carpet in the world, but then again, our clients don't want every carpet. They're looking for a more select focus." They say their clients are satisfied with their purchases because they can knock off multiple rooms at a time instead of just a few pieces of furniture. Cocoon Furnishings is located at 2640 Bristol Circle, Suite 200. For more information call 905829-2780 or visit www.cocoonfurnishings.ca. Spring Comes Alive at Atelier Salon & Spa! Together as a team we took the idea and let it unfold naturally holding the thought & feeling in our hearts that this will benefit someone or many individuals through the Heart & Stroke Foundation. We at Atelier Salon thank each of you for warming your hearts & participating in our event & we hope you enjoyed the evening. We know we certainly enjoyed your company, the fashion & beauty industry can make a difference. 301 ROBINSON STREET, OAKVILLE · 905.845.1911 A t e l i e r & Sp a salon www.ateliersalonspa.ca