I figured something was up when Barefoot Yoga couldn’t renew its lease this spring for its longtime space on Olive Drive in Davis. Well, the owners of the Design House Furniture Galleries just sold the property to a Carmichael developer.
Nancy Storm, whose mother-in-law Noni Storm founded the furniture store in 1978, messaged me on Wednesday, saying they have officially closed Design House but plan an “Everything-Must-Go Barn Sale,” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 7-12. The property is at 1015 Olive Drive, at the Richards Boulevard intersection. Noni died in 2023.
Todd Storm said his mom’s store started at First and F streets as BAD Goods, where the Regal Davis theater is today. Then it moved to 222 D St., home now to Mabel’s Market.
In 1984, she bought the lot of the former Campus Chevrolet at 1015 Olive Drive, and changed the business name to Design House Furniture Galleries.
“She had an incredible eye for design, and an excellent business acumen,” he said. “Closing the store and selling the property feels like the end of an era. It’s been an honor to … carry on my parents’ legacy all these years in the town I grew up in.”
Todd’s window-covering business, The Perfect Window, remains open at the location. (Meanwhile, Barefoot Yoga found a new home at 1260 Lake Blvd., Suite 106.)
In late June, the real estate company Pilot Midtown of Carmichael purchased the Design House property for $3.1 million. The Pilot Midtown agent, Kirk Khasigian, is also listed as the agent for a neighboring property at 1021 Olive Drive, which is slated for affordable housing.
Pilot Midtown has the property listed for a two-year lease. I left a message early today for Khasigian, hoping to learn more. The 16,000-square-foot industrial/retail space is available starting Oct. 1. The lot is 0.87 acres.
According to the proposal, the 88-unit adjacent project at 1021 Olive would consist of studio and one-bedroom apartments. Fourteen of those would have affordable rents and the remainder would be for affordable to moderate-income households.
All that said, it looks like the Design House property could eventually becoming housing too.
