SouthPark has a new resident: a Black-owned furniture store called AFD.
The furniture store – which rebranded from Amodernary Furniture Design – is now open at 4425 Sharon Road, Unit M100, in Apex, a shopping area in SouthPark.
Carlos Fuller, owner and CEO, told QCity Metro he hopes the store will become the city’s premier choice for modern furniture and home interior design.
Focused on design
Fuller, 43, left working in the finance department of automobile sales in 2017 to follow his passion: interior design.
When he began searching for options furniture, he said he found “very minimal” options in Charlotte. This inspired him to open a furniture store.
He launched his company in December 2017 and opened its initial physical space in Charlotte’s South End at 201 Worthington Avenue the following year.
Over the last six years, Fuller and his team have become popular for home staging, redesign and finding staple modern pieces for people’s homes.
Modern furniture style, he said, “is trendy, but not.” He noted that while many of the styles are considered popular and trending today, the modern style is long-lasting regarding appeal. Something that might be selling well now will likely still be relevant in five years, he said.
In March, Fuller closed the Worthington Avenue space to relocate to SouthPark, where Amodernary Furniture Design rebranded to AFD SouthPark, and moved into a larger, custom-built space.
AFD, he said, carries more than 60 brands, many of whom are international designers and experts in modern furniture styles. Fuller said the majority of his store’s inventory hails from Italy and Spain, with a few U.S.-based designers from places like Colorado.
“I’m constantly looking for some of the nicest and the hottest modern furniture brands…we don’t really have that [in Charlotte],” Fuller said when asked what makes the store unique. “For the furniture industry, Amodernary has changed that, and we’re bringing some of the nicest furniture brands and styles in the world to Charlotte.”
Designing for longevity
When describing his vision for AFD SouthPark, he said he wanted it to feel similar to the atmosphere of a staple fashion retailer, where people are attracted to the inventory partly because of its name and quality.
“We heavily focus on the best brands in the world,” he told QCity Metro.
He said the new showroom brings something different to Charlotte and was designed with ambiance in mind.
From the space itself to the customer experience, Fuller said, guests can expect a high-end, tailored-for-them journey.
The AFD team is made up of several people, many of whom have an interior design background and can guide customers to pieces that he said will “add value” to their homes.
“Most of the people on my team, they come in first as a sales consultant…and learn how to sell the product and then move into specific roles like personal shopping consultant.”
The team, who Fuller said receive constant training on industry standards and trends, can also Zoom with clients or visit their homes to see the space and personally consult for which pieces would fit the space and design needs of the customer.
“When I walk into your home…if I had to use a number, if it a $500,000 home, we want it to look like a million dollar home when we leave,” he said of what it means to add value through furniture design.
Price-wise, Fuller said AFD falls into the “mid to high range.”
He told QCity Metro it’s hard to share a specific dollar range because people have different needs, and he hopes to meet them all.
“For example, one of the most popular pieces in our showroom is a sectional that’s $21,000…it’s super comfortable, quality leather and [was] handmade. It’s from an Italian brand we work with,” he said. He added that the brand designed the piece based on the “American sit” – a higher seating position not as low as typical European designs.
Fuller also added that for clients who want significantly high-end options, AFD can provide that, too. He said the shopping experience is centered around the client and their personal needs.
“Every piece we have in that showroom, we sat on it, we studied it, and we chose what makes the most sense for us and our client base.”
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