Darci Gaff wasn’t sure she wanted to reopen another furniture store after her first, unsuccessful attempt as a business owner. But two years later, she opened Modern Revival in downtown Hillsdale.
Modern Revival sells custom Amish-made furniture, as well as refurbished antique furniture.
“We have upcycled and repurposed furniture that we’ve revamped, rejunked, or refunked,” Gaff said. “We have some antiques, but the big thing we do is we build custom furniture.”
Gaff opened a pop-up shop in Coldwater in 2015, but it closed three months later because it just “wasn’t in the right location.”
After visiting Hillsdale last fall, Gaff decided to open Modern Revival because the small town feel “talked her into opening another store.”
Gaff said customers can bring pictures from outlet stores like the Pottery Barn or websites like Pinterest to Modern Revival and have it built for a fraction of the cost as Amish builders. A piece takes between four to six weeks to build.
Gaff said she works with an old-order Amish family in the area that cuts and builds wood and glass for the furniture pieces.
“That means they have no power tools,” Gaff said. “The tools they use are powered by these two horses that walk in a circle that power their machinery.”
Director of Economic Development Mary Wolfram said that Gaff was an ideal candidate for a grant from TIFA, which she was awarded last spring.
“She had a good business plan,” Wolfram said. “Her business is exactly the kind of business we want to have in our downtown storefronts.”
Mike Harner, Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn’s Chief of Staff, recently bought a piece of furniture from Modern Revival, and said he is happy Gaff chose to settle in Hillsdale.
“The furniture and decorating pieces she sells are unique and reflect very much our preference for shabby, chic interior design. Even better, she’s a joy to deal with and has great ideas, many of which we have incorporated into our home,” he said.
