Meet Richard Kline Jeff Arnold | Co-Founder/EVP of Operations (both)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Richard Kline Jeff Arnold and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Richard Kline, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
Jeff is originally from Oklahoma but spent most of his school years in Illinois. Jeff went to a college close to home – the only one that offered computer programming – and his first job out of college was working for NASA. He spent many years working for the DOD around the country before moving into the private sector in Chicago and Seattle.
As his father’s health declined (Parkinson’s) , Jeff needed to move his parents to the Atlanta region for his father to receive treatment at Emory. Several years later, both Jeff and his parents relocated to Austin, Texas and Jeff entered the world of Real Estate. Jeff became a Realtor specializing in the Senior Market
Richard grew up in Kansas – attending both the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri. A part-time job waiting tables in order to pay for school turned into a 25 year career in the Hospitality Industry. From independent restaurants to private clubs to luxury hotels – Maître d’, Catering Manager, Restaurant Manager, Assistant F&B Manager, Director of Purchasing.
in 2010, my husband was transferred to Austin, Texas and I decided to leave the industry and try something new. I had always been interested in Design – and was always the one that friends turned to for advice.
I investigated Property Staging and decided to invest time and money in opening a design business specializing in helping Seniors downsize. I have always had an affinity for Seniors and understand that that market requires a tremendous amount of patience and empathy.
That is how Jeff and I met. Jeff hired me to Stage all of his listings.

What should our readers know about your business?
The pandemic hit our business extremely hard in Austin. The Real Estate market completely dried up – and the few houses that were up for sale all sold within a matter of days if not hours. Sellers were not willing to invest the money in Staging (even though it is proven that they could sell their property for a greater profit) when they knew that the house would sell immediately without them having to spend any money at all.

Prior to the pandemic, we had started renting some of our inventory to other Stagers in the Austin area – and were also one of the sponsors of the Major League Rugby Team in Austin.

We were looking to expand the Rental side of our business and had been looking at the Atlanta region – primarily because of Jeff’s prior experience here and because the Atlanta Major League Rugby Team was looking for sponsorship.

The Real Estate market did not slow down in Atlanta – so we decided instead of just opening a branch here, we would move our entire operation to this region. I am relatively well-known within the Staging community so we were able to start our Rental Business rather quickly – and with the Rugby Team we did the VIP Lounge, the Coach’s and Player’s Housing.

We reached out to the Film and Television Industry through the unions and have been fairly successful at renting furniture to them. That group has been very happy to have a source for contemporary furnishings rather than the vintage furniture that local prop houses have.

However, like most businesses, we needed to learn to pivot (again and again) and so we have also opened an on-line store featuring products produced by small businesses from around the globe – primarily women and minority-owned. These products have been selling extremely well and we have been so glad to be able to support those businesses to help them achieve their goals. Hand-painted glass from France, folded-book sculptures from Scotland, stunning birch trays from Sweden, textiles from Rwanda, elaborate jigsaw puzzles from Denmark, art glass from Murano, sophisticated and complex scented candles from here in the U.S., and our new line of preserves and jams.

We also have our very own line of decorative pillows – fabric that is designed by independent designers, made for us by the Amani Women’s Center here in Atlanta (the Center works to teach refugee women how to sew) and a portion of the proceeds are returned to the Center.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is the worst question to ask of us – both of us have been extremely careful because of the pandemic – and because of the amount of work that we have put into establishing our business here in Georgia. I have spent very little time exploring Atlanta – primarily only while on deliveries – but one thing that I am so grateful for is the amount of green that there is.
Austin, Texas is so hot 98% of the year and consequently is very brown – – to be surrounded with all of this green – and the flowering trees and plants is just wonderful. I don’t think that people appreciate it as much as they should.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Our next door neighbor in our business park has been an enormous help and a great inspiration to us since our arrival here in Atlanta. Ceata Lash – the Founder, Inventor and Co-CEO of PuffCuff

Website: https://www.soughtfoundmercantile.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soughtfoundmercantile/