Willow Creek Designs to open to the public Thursday at Northrock Business Park
WICHITA — Not many people purposely decorate the back side of their drapery with a fabric different from the front, but Chris McCoy does. And she’s happy to help you do the same. “It’s kind of like your lingerie,” she says. “Sometimes what’s on the back or underneath only you know about.”
McCoy is opening her Willow Creek Designs to the public Thursday. She’s had the design business for several years and worked with friends or referrals. “This is kind of my big launch for the public,” McCoy says. “I’ve just been ramping up collecting samples and lines of furniture and . . . working on my house for three years.” Her house will function as her show house if potential clients want to see the lines she carries or the work she does.
McCoy used to be a partner in the antique boutique Douglas Avenue when it was in Old Town years ago. Then she started Brentwood, where she specialized in European antiques and home furnishings. “I consider myself a creator of ambiance rather than a decorator,” McCoy says. “Before they called it staging . . . I would just rework people’s things and their accessories.”
Her design studio and showroom is in the Northrock Business Park across from Sam’s Club on North Rock Road. McCoy has about 1,600 square feet where she can show customers furniture, lighting, fabric, rugs, custom bedding and an extensive line of kitchen and bath sinks and faucets.
Though McCoy will be at the shop during normal working hours, it will be open by appointment only. “If I’m here with a client, I like being with that client,” she says. Her family had a small restaurant in Stockton when she was growing up, and McCoy says that’s where she learned about customer service. “It’s always all about them.”
McCoy says she’s planning on serving customers in other cities and states as well. “We’re not just . . . Wichita based.”
Hentzen Contractors Inc. Letter of Recommendation
To Whom it May Concern;
Working with Chris McCoy, of Willow Creek Designs, has always been a pleasure. Her "hands on approach" compliments her creativity. Many times, getting the concept from one person to another is the hard part. Chris is able to communicate her ideas to those who must build the final product. That type of communication is invaluable.
None of the projects we've been involved in with Chris have been "typical or off the rack." Everything has always been designed or built to be period or style specific to the project. Her use of fabrics and accessories are no exception. Any new construction or remodel should fit the client and surroundings. That requires research and Chris is not afraid to spend the necessary time and effort it takes.
Custom building or remodeling is what Hentzen Contractors does. We are always delighted to be involved in well planned, well executed design. That pre-planning and design work is worth more to the schedule and budget than anything else.
I would recommend Chris to anyone who wants unique design. Chris is someone who enjoys the process, enjoys people, and is not afraid of hard work. I have always been happy with our working relationship.
Mike Winkle
Hentzen Contractors Inc.
www.hentzenco.com
