Print edition: 
When Jan Bishop rented 800 square feet of space on North Rock Road, she just needed a place where she could store imported furniture on its way to buyers. It was a part-time gig for the former airline worker. Her storefront, tucked behind Haverty's, isn't even visible from the road.
Four years later, Diva Furniture and its sister consignment store, Invio, have grown to 3,750 square feet. They're open six days a week and — despite the location — attract plenty of walk-in business in addition to working with professional designers and decorators.
"I don't know what happened," Bishop said, sitting in an office next to two huge vases with "sold" stickers on them. "It just kind of blossomed."
Andrea Attwater probably knows what happened. She's done Bishop's books for years —"I'd be in tax jail without her," Bishop said. As Attwater watched Diva grow, she bugged Bishop for space for her own concept.
Attwater, who's also a Realtor, wanted to open a consignment store to help people who were moving get rid of furniture they didn't want to take with them. She opened Invio Fine Furniture Consignment — invio means consignment in Italian — in the back of Diva four months ago.
The two women say the operations work well together.
"They can get rid of their old stuff and get new stuff," Bishop said. "Or they can buy old stuff if they can't afford the new stuff."
Actually, the "old stuff" isn't exactly cheap. Attwater has no problem directing potential sellers to other consignment shops.
"It just needs to be upscale, nice," she said of the items she accepts.
As for Bishop, she said her main goal is making sure her inventory is "different from your normal stuff" in furniture stores. Like Attwater, her primary market is upscale; many big pieces would crowd smaller homes, although there are plenty of exceptions among the tables, sofas, chests and more.
Some of her favorite pieces feature reclaimed wood with interesting histories and textures, like a table with teak wood from India. Much of her inventory comes from that country, along with Peru, China and Vietnam, although it's not particularly Eastern in design. "It's more of an Old World style," she said. "It's not ultra-contemporary at all."
Attwater, on the other hand, says she "will go contemporary back there" in her consignment store. A Hooker plasma TV stand and Stanley bedroom set were among pieces on hand this week.
The third leg of the operation is a design center where customers can choose materials for new upholstered pieces and consult with three professional designers on staff.
"We'll go into people's homes and figure out their space," Bishop said.
Bishop counts herself lucky to have found a business where she can combine her obvious people skills with her love of buying things.
"I just did it part time until it became full-time," she said. "This is what I love to do. I didn't know it then, but I do now."
