As the owners of The Sofa Guy, Paul and Holly Trent have made it their mission to provide a long-lasting, extraordinary experience for clients in a warm, friendly and knowledgeable environment.
“We started the family owned business with custom sofas and have evolved into a local interior design team helping our clients furnish their entire home—or homes, in some cases,” says Paul, whose business has been established for 2 decades in Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village.
“TSG Interior Design has taken off for us,” he emphasizes. “Why? People need somewhere to go for help, and one thing I hear over and over again is how very comfortable and relaxed clients feel the moment they walk into our showroom.”
Located at 2520 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., “our space is filled with beautiful pieces from all our vendors, as well as our own custom upholstery.” In this space, “we are passionate about serving, helping and solving problems. We have been doing it for 20 years with upholstery, so why not do it with all aspects of the home?”
Paul notes that “everybody uses the internet—it’s a great tool.”
Nevertheless, “we wanted to create an environment where people can go to actually touch the furniture…or have someone take the time to explain the ins and outs of all the options available. And have fun doing it.”
Take rugs for example.
“You may see the image online, but can’t you touch and feel it,” he says. “At our showroom we have over 500 samples of rugs for our clients to actually see and feel—and even borrow and bring in your home.”
One of the most popular services Paul offers is the old-fashioned house call.
“This service guarantees that any piece we make will actually fit the space,” Paul explains. “It also helps coordinate colors, gives us an understanding of our clients’ personal style and often leads to helping our clients complete the design of their space with rugs, coffee or end tables, lamps, artwork…which we offer through our TSG Interior Design program.”
Flashback to 1996 when the Trents opened their first furniture store with a business partner in Venice Beach called Philip Paul Designs. From the original store in Venice Beach, they changed their name to Welcome Home Interiors.
“When we described what we do, people would say, ‘Oh the Sofa Guy!’” Holly recalls. “Paul got that so often we finally gave in. We figured it’s simple, memorable and a little goofy; but then again, so is Paul. We embraced the moniker and today we are The Sofa Guy Inc.”
The couple moved their business to Thousand Oaks in 2003.
“I actually started out of my garage,” Paul remembers. “I would go to clients’ homes with fabrics and pictures, have my guys build the pieces and then personally delivered them in my pick-up truck.”
Throughout Paul’s business career, he has been inspired to elevate the purchasing experience of his clients.
“It has never been enough to design, build and create great home furnishings—I want to make sure the whole experience is blissfull,” he says.
Above all, “I passionately believe in grace.”
“I believe, in these times, especially in the retail world, we crave authentic opportunities or moments to relate kindly with each other, to be considerate, thoughtful and helpful. To be human. I don’t want to be sold to, or to have to fill out a form, become a member, join some club or click on this to get to that—only to have to return it because of some glitch.”
The Sofa Guy is located at 2520 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd in Thousand Oaks. For more information, call 805.497.5217, email info@thesofaguy.com or visit TheSofaGuy.com.