CAZENOVIA — Last week, John David Hunter announced his plans to close his home furnishing retail showroom, J.D. Hunter/home, in Cazenovia at 55 Albany St.
Hunter co-owned the store, along with the architectural and interior design firm J.D. Hunter/home, with his life- and business-partner, Bob Winston, who passed away last June.
For nearly a decade, the “decorating driven” store has offered furniture, lighting, flooring, window treatments, fabric and more. The business has also provided personalized assistance and an award-winning decorating service at no extra charge.
In addition to its in-store offerings, J.D. Hunter/home offers a variety of nationwide services relating to interior design, restoration and renovation, kitchen design, and upholstery and sewing.
“Without my partner of many years, doing both [the store and the design services] is very difficult,” said Hunter. “I just don’t feel like doing it anymore. I will still do interior design, but having the retail business is a little much right now. And I’ve got some back [issues] that makes it really difficult for me to move around. I tried and then I thought, ‘This isn’t working and I’d rather just focus on the interior design aspect and not have to be at the store everyday.’ I have wonderful people helping me — like Sarah [Dennis], who is a godsend to me — but it’s still not the same.”
Hunter added that he expects to close his doors around the end of October or early November.
Storewide sale events are scheduled for Sept. 24 and 25, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Oct. 1 and 2, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Hunter said his goal is to sell at least 90 percent of his inventory, including the items currently in the store and those in storage.
Hunter and Winston were a design team for over 30 years.
“We complemented each other in what we did,” Hunter said. “He was great at selling and motivating people, and I was sort of the creative person. It just worked . . . He encouraged me to do different [things] and I, in reverse, did the same thing. But I guess everything has to come to an end. And now I want to move on to doing other things alone, which I have to do, because I have no choice.”
According to the J.D. Hunter/home website, Hunter has built a reputation as one of the most innovative and accomplished architectural and interior designers in the country.
After attending Ecole des Beaux Arts in Montreal, he became a staff interior designer in New York City’s Bloomingdale’s.
He went on to design for clients around the world before founding the Connecticut-based business Tulip Tree Collection with Winston.
His portfolio ranges from full redesigns of existing homes such as interior redesign, structural changes and additions, to landscaping and pool design.
Hunter and Winston’s J.D. Hunter/home designs are featured in several leading interior design and home furnishing publications, including “Country Living,” “Country Home,” “Better Homes and Gardens,” and “New England Home.”
According to Hunter, the couple was grateful to have been part of the Cazenovia business community for so many years.
“We spent seven or eight years in Cazenovia, and it has been wonderful,” Hunter said. ”It’s a really special small place and the people are friendly. It’s totally different from Connecticut, where we were before, but in a nice way . . . I will miss being in the store, but I’ve got to move on, that’s all.”
J.D. Hunter/home will continue to offer one-on-one, in-home design services by appointment only.
For more information, visit jdhunterhome.com.
