Savvy Snoot’s Upgrade

Furniture favorite shows new polish at its expanded location
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Photograph by Julia Robbs

Consignment store Savvy Snoot was among the first businesses to turn Westside Atlanta into a destination. If there’s one thing owner Marty Mason has learned during the last ten years, it’s this: “When the economy’s bad, people want a deal, and when the economy’s good, people want a deal.” A pragmatist who understands why a homeowner might want to doctor the colors of a painting to match a room’s decor or to mix gently used chairs with a custom sofa, Mason has added two suburban locations, tripled the size of his flagship, and launched a private label—all during a recession that has shuttered many competitors.

The expanded main location, opened in April, is on Brady Avenue, just down the street from its original spot in Westside Urban Market. One side of the store is Savvy Snoot, which offers high-quality, carefully vetted consignment furnishings and accessories (like a Baker accent table for $700 or a brown velvet sofa for $1,100). The other—a high, sprawling industrial space—features new home goods, including Mason’s brand-new private label, Marty Mason Collected Home. MMCH’s upholstered pieces range from funky faux cowhide–covered club chairs to vintage-inspired sofas and nailhead-trimmed ottomans. Landscape designer Matthew Klyn has moved Garden, his retail store formerly next to Yeah! Burger, into a space in the rear of the building. 

A couple of quirky departments add whimsy to the mix. One is Kay’s Mud Hut: shelves of pottery urns and vases arranged under a retro-style, teal-and-orange sign, inspired by the logo of Mason’s grandmother’s ceramics studio in Ohio. “I used to write up sales and play there,” says Mason. “I still have some of the receipt books.”

The other unique spot is the mezzanine-level art gallery. Tucked high beneath the skylights, with floating pale blue display walls, the space felt so much like an outdoor rooftop that Mason carpeted it with artificial turf. 

At the Design Bar, interior design experts, aka “mixologists,” provide free consultations—Savvy Snoot’s version of the Apple Store’s Genius Bar. Customers can make appointments online, then bring in their swatches and photos. The work space is surrounded by a large selection of ready-made, grommeted curtain panels ($290 to $375), ranging from ikat patterns to linen edged with geometric embroidery. The Bar has been a big hit at the newest location in East Cobb, and Mason expects to add one to the Alpharetta store soon. 1080 Brady Avenue, 404-355-1399; 30 North Main Street, Alpharetta, 770-442-1315; 1311 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 540, Marietta, 770-977-1339; savvysnoot.com

This article originally appeared in our July 2012 issue.

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