Today we’d like to introduce you to Ragan and Oscar Aguilera.
Ragan and Oscar, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Sally Lynn Home is a family owned business run by my husband, Oscar, and myself, Ragan. Oscar is a 3rd generation furniture store owner originally from Mexico with experience in manufacturing, as well as both wholesale and retail furniture sales. We met while studying at TCU and after graduating, lived first in Guadalajara, Mexico before moving back to Texas to start our own business. I named Sally Lynn Home after my mother, who was a collector of vintage objects and antique furniture and passed down her flair for incorporating these pieces into her home decor in a way that was not only beautiful, but also meaningful to her and her family. Our ultimate goal is to ‘Make your home your story’, no matter what your style, Sally Lynn Home is committed to furnishing and decorating your home in a way that is meaningful to you and the life you desire to live in your space.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Oscar’s first job was working as VP of production for the largest manufacturer and distributor of MDF and particle board in Mexico. This company also grew its own trees for material, as well as produced furniture with its own products. So Oscar was involved from the level of the tree farm all the way through to the finished furniture product. He traveled all over the world to negotiate purchases of production machinery as well as attended all the major furniture shows. But in the back of his mind, he still thought about opening his own business. After five years with the company, Oscar and I decided to sell everything we owned in Mexico, load up our 2 yr. old son, and move back to the US to start our own business. Once here, Oscar started as a wholesaler of economical furniture to stores in the DFW area. He initially catered to the Hispanic market, importing furniture into the US from the factory he had originally worked for in Mexico.
He visited stores, explained his product, and took orders. He even spent cold, snowy, rainy, or hot weekends at the Grand Prairie Trader’s Village peddling his product. At this time, he was renting warehouse space in Arlington for his inventory. When an opportunity to purchase a warehouse space in Fort Worth came about, he took a chance and purchased the warehouse, which also included a retail store space on the same property. He considered renting out the retail space, but then decided to try retail himself and open a furniture store in the space. Over time the growth of the store led to opening accounts with U.S. manufacturers as well. Within a few years, he opened a second store in Keller where we were in business for 7 yrs. Sally Lynn Home was his 3rd furniture store venture, and it ultimately did so well, that he decided to close the other 2 locations to focus exclusively on the high-end furniture market. While our business grew and evolved, our family grew as well. By the time we opened Sally Lynn Home, the youngest of our three children was approaching school age. People loved the decorating and displays I was doing in the store and kept asking if I would go into their homes to help them. The need was there, and the timing was right for our family, thus our in-home consultation and decorating services evolved as a complement to our retail location in Southlake.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
As a furniture store, we strive to provide high quality furniture and decor accessories in a variety of styles. We pride ourselves on always having an incredibly unique inventory with furniture and decor items you won’t find anywhere else. We buy from high end new furniture manufacturers as well as antiques dealers who travel the world to find the most original and unique items for your home. Our goal as a company is to ‘make your home your story’, no matter what your style. From sourcing the perfect unique statement piece just right for a specific spot in your home, to helping you furnish your entire house, we can help. Sally Lynn Home is committed to furnishing and decorating your home in a way that is meaningful to you and the life you desire to live in your space. Unlike your typical designer, we have over 8000 sf of furniture and decor items in stock in our retail store location and our private showroom location to choose from, in addition to millions of other options available to order from the hundreds of manufacturers we work with. We are proud of the extremely personalized service that our talented team offers in helping to make your home beautiful, functional, comfortable, and unique to you and your family.
What were you like growing up?
Oscar grew up in his family’s furniture store, which is still in business in Zamora, Michoacan, Mexico. From a young age, he helped with cleaning responsibilities, deliveries, sales, etc. He is the youngest of 5 brothers who all helped out with their family business in some capacity. He always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and dreamed of having his own business one day.
I grew up in Gladewater, a small town in East TX. I went to flea markets, estate sales, and antique stores with my mom, Sally Lynn, and learned to appreciate the story behind unique items from the past. I also learned the art of incorporating these unique objects into home decor to create a lived in, ‘homey’ feel that makes the home uniquely yours and yours alone. I’ve always loved getting to know people and where they come from, and love finding the perfect item(s) to incorporate into their home decor, often in unique ways, to represent their family, history, hobbies, etc and make their home their story.
Contact Info:
- Address: Sally Lynn Home
1465 E Southlake Blvd Suite 601 - Website: sallylynnhome.com
- Phone: 817-442-0186
- Email: sallylynnhome@gmail.com
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
