Small Business Spotlight
Niche Market Furniture, located at 424 Broadway Street in downtown New Haven, has become a regional draw for visitors and customers looking for ways to add to their comforts of home. Since 2005, Nichole Westendorf has worked hard to provide an establishment that provides the right products at the right prices, along with a high level of customer service.
Niche Market offers customers furniture and home décor products as well as design services. Nichole strives to help clients create a warm, welcoming and relaxing atmosphere in their homes. According to Nichole, given the limitations of life people are experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a happy home environment is even more important than ever. In fact, sales have stayed strong this year as people are spending money they would normally spend on vacations on decorating their homes.
Nichole selected New Haven as the location of her business because she enjoys being part of something that smaller communities offer. The communication from the New Haven Mayor’s Office and the New Haven Chamber is strong, and she knows several other business owners in the downtown personally. According to Nichole, “People in New Haven are responsive and you know who to talk to when you need business assistance.”
The Niche Market website and Facebook page have been important marketing tools for the business and some shipping will start to be offered after the beginning of the year. Nichole believes that social media is essential for the survival of many small businesses moving forward; it creates opportunities and access for small businesses to locate and thrive in small communities where the overhead is lower than in more urban areas.
