In Business of Home ’s series Shop Talk , we chat with owners of home furnishings stores across the country to hear about their hard-won lessons and challenges, big and small. This week, we spoke with Kansas City, Missouri–based interior designer Katie Laughridge, owner and president of the furniture and home decor shop Nell Hill’s .

Nell Hill’s is named for the grandmother of the store’s original owner, who launched the business as a fancy food shop in 1981. On the hunt for a new career opportunity, Laughridge—who grew up in Kansas City shopping at the store and later pursued work in marketing—took over the small company with her husband, Brandon, in December 2018. The pair had just over a year to get their bearings (and get to know the vendors and five dozen staffers they inherite

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