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

Kadeeja , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

One of the biggest trends I am seeing, is a renaissance back to individuality in the home. I think there was a long period, held up by large corporations of buying whatever mass produced items are trending . Homes lacked a certain individuality to them. Now, as people are purchasing more vintage and secondhand items for their home, I am seeing folks trend away from the sameness that can come from mass produced home goods trends. I think there is a lot more thought and intentionality that goes into our spaces now – which I think was really sparked by the pandemic and being at home more often. I love seeing all the creativity that has sprouted when it comes to home design and decor!

Kadeeja , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Amo Domūs [pronounced Ah – moe · Dough- moos] was born during the height of the pandemic in 2020. I was motivated by a need to replace lost salary when things shut down. I had been collecting vintage and secondhand furniture for years prior to this for my own personal use, but after a suggestion from a friend, I decided to see if others would pay for the things I found. I took $75 and purchased a few vintage and secondhand items that I thought would stand out, picked up my camera and shot photos and videos and listed my handful of items on Instagram. To my surprise, by the weeks end, I had more than tripled my investment and sold out of everything. From that moment on, I knew I had something special. But I didn’t get there by accident; my life leading up to that ‘ah-ha’ moment had prepared me.

I grew up in a household with 7 other siblings and a single mom, we didn’t have much, but my mom always went out of her way to make the houses we lived in, often times rundown, beautiful. We shopped at thrift stores for furniture and regularly picked up free furniture left on the side of the road, cleaned it up and made it beautiful. I didn’t know it at the time, but this experience would begin my own love for secondhand living. Once out of necessity, and now out of a love for creating unique spaces that encourages individuality and elevated living – sustainably.

Consumerism is changing before our eyes, people want to shop in a conscious way, while being able to really let their uniqueness shine within their home. Long gone are the days of big box shopping when it comes furniture and decor. Amo Domūs has been fulfilling that need for the last two years, shipping one of a kind, hand curated vintage furniture and decor all over the country!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

My career prior to my journey with Amo Domūs was actually in classical music – as a cellist. The world of classical music is very much steeped in perfectionism, it’s what I chased. I carried that need to be perfect with me in almost everything I did. So when I started this business, I brought that same mentality with me, thinking it would take me where I wanted to go, faster. But, I quickly realized that my perfectionism was doing more harm than good. I would spend hours and hours working on tiny details of my website, a photo, or even furniture repairs, thinking if I didn’t do these things I would fair. Instead of this propelling me forward, it was actually holding me back. I was taking far too long to move on to other tasks that needed to be completed because I was so focused on making that one thing perfect. I had to learn to let go of this idea of ‘perfect’ I had been chasing for so long. I realized it was an unattainable goal that was preventing me, and my business from making progress. So now I say; progress, not perfection.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Social media! I think really putting my focus on organic growth on social media has been the best way to generate new clientele! I would say the vast majority of my sales have come from Instagram or Tiktok.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://amo-domus.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amo_domus/
• Other: tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amo_domus

Image Credits
All photos by Kadeeja Best ( Amo Domūs )