Loyalty to Local Is Important to Loudoun Consumers
Brian Tinsman
Digital Properties Manager
With more than 10,000 small businesses operating in Loudoun County (86 percent of all businesses), the enthusiasm of local customers is critical to success.
Staged Envy, LLC, is a boutique professional home staging and interior decorating business that located in Loudoun because of the support that residents provide to local and boutique businesses.
“What I love most is the loyalty that Loudouners have for their local business community,” explained owner and founder Dianne Buckley. “It’s why I chose to locate Staged Envy here.
“The county is expanding and growing and everything is going to change once the Silver Line opens. However, the core atmosphere is to support Loudoun. That’s really why I decided to do it.”
Loudoun has been one of the fastest-growing counties in the U.S. over the last 20 years, growing from 169,599 in 2000 to more than 386,000 today. With Metrorail on the way and job creation at an all-time high, there is little reason to believe that trend will change.
Buckley and her husband were part of the trend, moving to Loudoun from D.C. seven years ago.
Her husband worked for a construction company contracted to work on the Silver Line expansion, making Loudoun the place to be. “We moved out here because he knew he was going to be out here a lot,” she explained. “We were not intending to stay, but it’s a beautiful area and we’ve always loved Virginia.”
“In becoming more familiar with the people, our neighbors, we just kept getting the sense that this is a place we wanted to stay and wanted to live. When we moved here, I knew that I really wanted to start working again, but I wanted to do something that I really love. I wanted to stage and decorate.”
Home staging sets the scene throughout a house to create immediate buyer interest that leads to homes selling for the highest possible price in the least amount of time.
Buckley opened the doors of Staged Envy, LLC two years ago, when she received her accreditation as an Accredited Staging Professional from Staged Homes. The following year she completed coursework at Northern Virginia Community College to become a Certified Interior Decorator.
She was offered employment at two larger staging firms in the area. She declined those because she wanted the opportunity to work for herself.
“I love being able to give my personal touch to every single aspect of my projects – from helping people ready their house for sale, to helping them make their homes more beautiful,” Buckley said. “I’m proud not only to live in Loudoun, but also to start my small business here.
“The more people that I met and the more familiar I became with Loudoun County, the more I thought that if I was ever going to start doing something on my own, this is where I would want to do it, as opposed to literally any other place we’ve lived.”
A 2016 survey of Loudoun residents revealed that 13 percent of respondents had at least one self-employed member of the workforce, with six percent running a home-based business. Buckley enjoys the flexibility offered by working for herself in her own space.
“There’s no excuse not to do it in Loudoun County. There’s really not,” she said. “I can think of excuses for a lot of other places, but this is so welcoming and supportive, especially of Loudoun-based businesses.”
Buckley is one of hundreds of Loudoun County entrepreneurs planning to attend networking events, seminars, panels and more during Loudoun Small Business Week (May 15-21). Check out the list of events and other free resources on LoudounSmallBiz.com.
