Historic Downtown McKinney is known for its culture and creativity. Ricky Phillips, owner of Home?ol?o?gy, is a great example of that talent. While his shop is full of beautiful, high-quality home furnishings, the reason he started his store is his passion and innate creativity for interior design.
Ricky spent 20 years in finance, specifically in the mortgage department where he loved seeing the joy of a young couple’s face when approved for their first mortgage. However, his love for interior design and furnishings initially spilled over in 2013 into the week-ends when the shops current location was the Home and Garden Trading Company, which housed booths for everything from auto products to what Ricky started out with, candles and knickknacks. Their booth ended up provided $15-20,000 a month in sales, which proved to Ricky that his efforts of traveling around to local areas to pick up great products, which he stored in his garage, was time well spent.
That venture lasted about a year and after encouragement from the owner of building, Ricky decided to take the leap and opened a shop at 201 W Louisiana St. It took a lot of courage to move from the booth, which was costing him $600/month to his new space that cost $4500/month, and, of course, requiring a much more extensive inventory to fill the 1800 sq/ft. So, he put $10,000 of his own money into and simply went for it. This location offered growth, where he managed to average about $22,000 in revenue, but after two years, he decided to take an even larger leap and moved to the current location at 101 W. Louisiana Street.
That move turned out to be the best he could have made. This prime spot, offering 4000 sq/ft, was taken over in 2016. That May, Home?ol?o?gy did $150,000 in revenue. When you walk into the store you will see the talent of Ricky and his staff as you not only see great products, but arranged in a beautiful setting, reflective of Ricky’s talents in interior design.
Ricky has earned a reputation as someone who doesn’t want to make a sale but truly wants to turn your home into the showcase it should be. He only sells products that he knows provide the ultimate in beauty and endurance, often providing heirloom pieces. He has to personally love the piece and chooses products at various furniture markets such as here and in Atlanta. Ricky says, “When buying for the shop, I know it when I see it. I focus not just on the quality but the ability to customize each piece is important as well.”
Home?ol?o?gy’s furniture pieces are made in the USA, typically in North Carolina. Home?ol?o?gy also offers custom draperies, rugs, lighting, and artwork. Rest assured, all are chosen by Ricky through his OCD compulsion to excel.
Ricky has adopted two young boys, Anderson, 11, and Cash, 4. He and his partner, Christopher, who owns a few competitive cheer programs, such as Express Cheer & dance of Dallas, have found that, despite the two boys having different parents, they have the same traits of siblings of the same parents— that of being totally different. Anderson is quieter and loves the piano and art, while Cash is very outspoken for his age!
So, if you are seeking some high-quality furniture, don’t look further than here in McKinney. And if you really want someone who will be blatantly honest in order to get your home looking the way it should, then go see Ricky. Learn more at www.homeologyinteriors.com.
