Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brett Mehringer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Brett, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?

I got my start doing anything related to design/decorating/business as a furniture restorer. I called it GreyKey. It was a small humble little side hustle that I started going on 10yrs ago. I would paint and update any piece of furniture that needed new life…often times free items given to me by family members or found at thrift stores, etc. This fueled my desire of wanting to own my very own shop. Fast forward, 6 yrs later and the furniture restoration fizzled out but the passion to be a business owner was still there.

I met a fella who owned this adorable little furniture shop in the heart of Indianapolis called Foundry317. I started helping around his shop, working the storefront, rearranging merchandise, etc. Six months later, he approached me about buying him out. Was this my chance? Granted; I have a full time career and wasn’t prepared to own a business at that very moment…more so 10-15 years away from that goal. I decided to take a chance anyway and purchased the business. It has been 4 years and still loving every minute of it. The shop has changed and evolved over that time, slowly making it into my own. It has been such a pleasure seeing a dream actually come to life.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Brett Mehringer and I own Foundry317 in Broad Ripple; a little artsy neighborhood of Indianapolis, IN. I have owned the business with my husband for 4 years.

I was a design intern for Good Bones on HGTV and met someone who owned what is now my shop. He asked if I would be interested in working the storefront, rearranging merchandise, etc. and that is what I did. Six months later, he approached me about buying him out. Granted; I have a full time career and wasn’t prepared to own a business at the time. it was more so a “retirement” dream. We decided to take a chance anyway and purchased the business. The shop has changed and evolved over time the last 4 years, slowly making it into my own. We are a home decor and small furniture boutique offering both new, reproduction and antique items; following trends but remaining true to classics. In addition to the storefront, we also offer staging services to local realtors, homeowners, and investors.

First, I am very proud of the relationships we have been able to make within our community and city. Building strong relationships with our customers/clients is so important to us.
Second, I am even more proud of the collections within the shop. Everything is handpicked and sourced from the best vendors in the industry.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think the biggest thing that helped us is showing authenticity and “realness”. There are so many home decor and furniture brick-and-mortars as well as online options nowadays. What makes us different if the personal experience you get when shopping with us. We remember who you are, your story, your situation and we take the time to get to know you as a customer.

We work in the shop every weekend so you get to see us face to face; ask us questions, get to know us and cultivate a good relationship with us. Of course, we want to make sales but even more than that, we want our customers to feel important and to feel like family. When a customer feels comfortable and enjoys their experience; they will become repeat customers. We’ve seen it time and time again.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I first bought the business, I had to learn how to shop for the store which can be quite overwhelming. I remember my first trip to Market and feeling so stressed that I was almost in tears. You don’t know how much to buy, if customers will like it, if it’s the right season, how much to budget, etc. As I got more familiar with the buying process, I noticed I kept ordering items that I would buy for myself and I thought “Well if I liked it, obviously everyone else would too, right?” Quickly learned that is not always the case.

I had to take off the hat of “shopping for myself” and put on the hat of “shopping for my customers”. Now, that doesn’t mean you don’t stick to what you gravitate to or what you like because creating a brand and a look is JUST as important. I cannot stress that enough. You want to stand out and find your niche while also keeping your customers in mind. They are coming to you for a reason. You are the expert so steer them in the right direction but don’t wear blinders and be so siloed that the customer turns away. It is and will always be a delicate dance.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @foundry317
• Facebook: Foundry317