If you live in Topeka, you’ve probably shopped at, or at least heard of, Home at Last. It’s a local furniture store specializing in custom upholstered pieces and trending home decor. One of the best things about Home at Last is that they offer a large volume of furniture, rugs, and home decor items with plenty on display to see, touch, and experience. All of the furniture is customizable with an extensive selection of upholstery fabrics to choose from.
The showroom is full of great pieces, hand-selected and ready for fast delivery. The store even features a unique section of giftables like baby clothes, candles, witty greeting cards, and more. It’s the perfect place to find that special heartfelt hostess or shower gift. What you may not know is that Home at Last almost closed its doors last fall. But fate, and another local Topeka business owner, had other plans.
Tammy Thiessen was a loyal customer at Home at Last. She launched her local company, Thiessen Design + Construction, in March of 2018. The innovative business model combines her skills in interior design with the construction skills of her brother, Daniel Carlson, the general contractor. By joining forces, they offer a turnkey solution so homeowners can build a home from concept to completion.
Having sourced a lot of her home furnishings from Home at Last, Tammy was extremely disappointed to hear that the owner would no longer be able to operate the store. “It was such a great store, unlike any other in Topeka. I hated to think of Topeka without it,” Tammy said. But her entrepreneurial spirit got the best of her. “The more I thought about it, the more it made sense,” Tammy explained. “Home at Last was the perfect fit for our company.” After talking with her husband and brother, they hatched a plan to purchase the store.
Enter, Tammy’s husband, Brett Thiessen. Brett had been working in the corporate world. “I had a team scattered across the country. But seeing what Tammy was building over the past few years, watching her interact with this team of people and making those local connections on a daily basis…I really craved that kind of connection,” he admitted. So when the opportunity arose to buy the Home at Last store, it was an easy decision. “It just seemed like a natural and obvious expansion of the business,” Brett added. So Brett stepped up to manage the operations side of Home at Last. “We were so happy we could keep it here and offer this unique space to Topeka residents,” Brett shared. “Reconnecting to the local community, working with family, and keeping a company like Home at Last a part of the business landscape…it’s been a home run!”
Tammy shares his enthusiasm. “Topeka has so much momentum!” Tammy exclaimed. “We moved here 12 years ago and it’s been amazing to see the transformation just in that short amount of time. We are excited to be part of this town, part of creating a city that welcomes new people and offers these kinds of services. It’s fun to live in a city and community that we can be proud of.” Visit Home at Last on Facebook or Instagram: @homeatlastco
