Meet The Owner – Modern Home Furniture

Editor’s note: MyEverettNews.com is working to introduce our readers to more independent business owners here in Everett, Washington. We want to highlight their businesses, tell their stories and invite you to shop locally and help move Everett forward. If you know of a business we should feature, send us a suggestion via email: news@myeverettnews.com. Leland Dart – Publisher
 

Founded by a single Latina mom from Miami whose staff consisted of a teenage son, Modern Home Furniture grew from a suburban garage into a two-story showroom and warehouse that today employs more than a dozen people in Everett.

Meet Isabelle Diaz: “So I’m an unemployed single mom who bought a living room set that just didn’t work in my house. I decided to sell it online and was able to make a good profit and find another set that looked great. So, I started buying and selling furniture online and found I had a real knack.”

“Then I got a job at Microsoft, but I didn’t want to give up this side business of buying and selling furniture as not only was I making money but was able to keep prices low so families could afford real furniture in spite of the recession were we in at the time.”

“One day at church I heard a message that seemed directed right at my heart. We are all given a gift and you have to follow your gift. With that, I took a huge leap of faith, left my job at Microsoft and opened Modern Used Furniture in a little business park on the Bothell-Everett Highway.”

At about that same time Isabelle Diaz met Steve Sayler at a church event. They became partners in life and in business. From 2010 to 2015 they worked together on growing the business moving from Bothell to Lynnwood, then Bellevue and finally finding the right spot in Everett in 2015.

“I encouraged her to believe in herself,” said Steve. “When we first started going to trade shows and buying events people underestimated her and they quickly learned she is the decision maker, a great negotiator and ahead of the curve in so many ways in transforming this business, especially as the pandemic has caused us to change and adapt.”

One area in which Isabelle has driven Modern Home Furniture is in the online and virtual space. They have a “Meta Showroom” where you can virtually visit the store and walk through both floors from the comfort of your own home. If you have a virtual reality headset you can put that on and literally walk through their store or if not, you are still able to click their entire layout from your phone, tablet or computer.

As far as the term “Modern Home” that doesn’t refer to a particular style but instead the makeup of the families coming to Everett and the Pacific northwest. “We see families coming from Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Russia, Venezuela, Peru and from all over the United States,” says Isabelle. “Modern is everything now, contemporary, mid-century, etc.; what goes right and feels right for these families is modern, so we provide a variety and make sure our prices are fair, honest and affordable.”

The couple stays positive, has adapted and learned to work smarter and not harder. They feel their competition is not other furniture dealers, but themselves. They quietly serve the community and support special events and causes and welcome everyone to visit online or in person. Isabelle likes to say that she is a business owner who happens to be a woman and a Latina, she cites her success as a simple formula: “Pursue your dreams and passion, if you do that you will be a success.”

You can learn more and shop virtually at their website here or visit the store at 716 SE Everett Mall Way in Everett, Washington 98208. They are closed Monday and Tuesday and open Wednesday – Sunday. You can call them at (206) 859-8448 or send email inquiries to: info@modernhomefurniture.com.