A few years after Paula Minnis and her family moved to Boulder, a realtor friend mentioned several clients had houses full of amazing furniture they wanted to clear out but nowhere to consign it. Armed with years of experience in visual merchandising and retail consulting, Minnis opened The Refinery in May 2024.
“I knew the fun part would be styling the furniture through locally and globally sourced décor,” Minnis says. Minnis puts her own spin on the carefully curated furniture for sale with décor, both to help it sell and to show customers different ways to style it. That means selecting just the right accent pillows for sofas, books and baskets for coffee tables, and candles and figurines for shelves.
She sources from vendors she discovered through travels to places like Morocco, India, and East Africa and also highlights works by local artists. “Many of these items make great gifts,” Minnis says, “so we’ve also become a destination for gift-giving.”
Minnis is picky about the furniture she accepts; no odors, stains, or significant damage allowed. But she’s not opposed to a little wear and tear. “I’ll happily help sell a dining table with a few surface scratches,” she says. “This means many meals were shared on it, with memories created.” Some pieces sell practically the minute they hit the floor, while others take a bit longer to “find their person.”
Minnis loves working with customers going through every season of life, from college grads moving into their first apartment to empty nesters downsizing. She recalls an older couple who somewhat reluctantly consigned a dining table that had been a wedding gift from the wife’s parents. When Minnis later relayed to them that the purchasers were newlyweds furnishing their first home, they were overjoyed knowing their table’s journey had come full circle.
“This happens all the time,” Minnis says, “and it’s a joy to bear witness to.”
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