New business opens in Opelika, offers affordable custom-built furniture
Photo by Robert Noles
The Layson family, Jenna, Jarrot and Bailey.
By Anna-Claire Terry
Staff Reporter
A furniture business that began in the garage of Jarret and Jenna Layson is now shipping handmade, farm-style furniture nationwide. What sets Simply Southern Home Decor apart from other furniture businesses is that all furniture is custom- built from solid wood right here in Opelika. “We’ve been in business for about two and a half years. We have grown a ton since we started. When we started, he (Jarret) did all the building, and I did the finishing,” Jenna said. Now, the Laysons employ six builders to help produce their product. Simply Southern Home Decor is Jarrot and Jenna’s first business venture. Jarrot is a local attorney, and Jenna was an educator at West Forrest Intermediate School for seven years before deciding to leave the workforce to stay at home with their daughter Bailey, who is now four years old. “ That’s kind of a big part of our story, I guess,” Jenna said. “Since Bailey was born, I prayed that I could stay home with her, and we got the idea of building furniture when we wanted a farmhouse table and couldn’t find one anywhere, and so I had Jarret build it.”
The Laysons realized there was a need for quality furniture at an affordable price. “And so we basically took a huge leap of faith and started this business, and God has really blessed it,” Jenna said. Jarret added that young couples who are beginning families are a target audience. “When you’re first starting a family, you can’t afford expensive furniture, so a lot of people say we’ll buy this cheap furniture because that is what we can afford, and then in a few years, maybe we’ll be in a better situation,’” he said. “What our business model is is to try to give people affordable furniture when they are starting out that will last a long time so their homes can look the way they want it to.”
The business is currently awaiting approval from the city to open its showroom at 181 Columbus Parkway. The showroom will be set up like a home or studio apartment so customers can see how the furniture and other decor will look in their homes. Another attraction coming to the showroom is Edgee Belle jewelry line, designed by Dalton Richardson, who is an apparel merchandising major at Auburn University. The bohemian style, handmade jewelry reflects Richardson’s personal style. “My style is edgy, so that’s where part of the name of my jewelry business came from,” Richardson said. Edgee Belle can also be purchased on Etsy and on social media.
Simply Southern Home Decor’s slogan is “Faith, Family and Farmhouse Tables.” They can be reached on their website at www.SimplySouthernFurniturehomeDecor.com.