For Kandace Lawrence, rebirth and renewal are a way of life and a way to make a living.
“I just love recreating and repurposing, bringing back to life anything with staging and décor,” said Lawrence, who along with her mother Phyllis Dutton, own K’s Koncepts Custom Furniture in Martinez. “I try to create something new. I’m all about the details, so if it’s a piece that doesn’t look like any other piece, that’s what I like.”
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K’s Koncepts wasn’t born overnight. Rather, it evolved. When Lawrence and her father, Jim Dutton, decided to refinish furniture pieces to sell online after her parents downsized their home, the pieces all sold within a day.
That led them to become vendors at The Savvy Shopper. After six years there, Lawrence and her family applied the retail store experience toward going into business for themselves, fulfilling a dream of she and her father’s.
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“We always talked about having our own store,” said Lawrence. “The opportunity just fell into our laps.”
Since the first day of opening K’s Koncepts, the community has responded with plenty of support and an enthusiastic customer base.
“We had a family come in to buy a king-sized bedroom set for their two-year-old,” said Lawrence. “We range from literally 2 year olds to people all the way into their 70s and 80s buying from us.”
Lawrence went to school for interior design and applies that knowledge and her own creative inclinations toward uniqueness in refinishing. While they do not build furniture at the store, Lawrence enjoys applying her own style to revitalizing the wood furniture that the store buys. She specializes in a French country design style.
Lawrence finds a meaningful connection between what her personal story and her business’ specialty in offering custom furniture. In 2017, she and her family lost their home and possessions in a house fire. She saw the generosity of the community including stores such as Havertys offering to refurnish her entire home.
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Tragedy also struck when six months after the store opened, Lawrence’s father, and Dutton’s husband, died from COVID-19. Lawrence and Phyllis Dutton made the difficult decision to persevere and continue the business.
Lawrence notes her faith and her sincere rapport with her customers and community as hallmarks of the store’s success. They play Christian music in our store. Customers are given personal attention. According to Lawrence, people regularly say they leave here feeling joy and peace.
“It’s about the positive influence and impact,” said Lawrence. “Not just about selling the furniture.”
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K’s Koncepts celebrated its first anniversary on July 3. Through what she has endured and enjoyed, Lawrence acknowledges that rebirth and renewal are concepts that have more than paid off.
“We’re still here, we’ll still doing it,” said Lawrence.
K’s Koncepts is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Wednesday through Saturday at 500 Furys Ferry Rd.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter with The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
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