U-Fab owner branches out with new furniture store concept on Patterson

Curated Furnishings is currently renovating the former Chadwick Heirlooms building on Patterson Ave. Photo courtesy Travis Hamilton.

Travis Hamilton’s second act, a furniture store called Curated Furnishings, will open this fall in Goochland County.

The owner of U-Fab Interiors, a locally based fabric and furniture store with locations in Henrico and Charlottesville, is launching the new concept in a 18,000-square-foot space at 12501 Patterson Ave., just west of the Henrico County line. 

Curated Furnishings will have more in-stock furniture compared to U-Fab’s custom furniture model. It’ll carry the basics, such as couches, chairs, tables and cabinets, but will hone in on home accessories, such as pillows and pottery. The store will center around what Hamilton called a “transitional” style, somewhere between traditional and contemporary. He also hopes to sell one-of-a-kind pieces, using rustic and reclaimed wood and touching up older items.

“We’ve been around almost 15 years now. We have a good reputation and we’ve learned a lot about furniture and about what people in this market are looking for, so we’re pretty confident that … what we’re doing is going to resonate with customers,” Hamilton said of the new concept.

Travis Hamilton

While most of Curated Furnishings will have items designed exclusively for that store and will operate independently from U-Fab, the two will have some crossover in where they source parts of their inventories.

Hamilton said Curated Furnishings would compete with stores such as RH (formerly Restoration Hardware) and Arhaus but will have more approachable prices. Sofas will start from $1,799, coffee tables from $499 and pillows from $59.

Located about 20 minutes from U-Fab near Patterson Avenue’s interchange with Route 288, the new store is conveniently placed, Hamilton said, while at the same time “close to nothing but very close to everybody.”

The store is taking over the former Chadwick Heirlooms building. When Hamilton noticed that location was closing for the store to downsize down the street at 10615 Patterson Ave., he said he persuaded the landlord to abandon plans for a storage facility.

“We convinced him that [it was] much better utilized as a really nice furniture store,” Hamilton said.

Renovations have been underway since Hamilton leased the building in March and will wrap up in a few weeks. Hamilton said renovations and inventory will total about $800,000, financed by Chase Bank.

U-Fab’s building at 7921 W. Broad St. (BizSense file)

Although Hamilton is the sole owner of Curated Furnishings, he said it’s the brainchild of his and other folks’ at U-Fab, who have helped bring the idea to fruition. The idea came about a year and a half ago, Hamilton said, as he’d always wanted to embark on something a bit different.

A Canadian native, Hamilton launched U-Fab in 2008 with a storefront in the Fan. It expanded into its current home at 7921 W. Broad St. in 2016 and opened its Charlottesville store in 2010.

He declined to share revenue and wouldn’t say how many sales U-Fab makes in a year but said the pandemic has boosted the business. He’ll hire six to eight people to get Curated Furnishings up and running. U-Fab employs 26 people at its two locations.

Once Curated Furnishings opens early this fall, Hamilton will split his time between U-Fab and the new store. 

Next year, Hamilton hopes to find time once again to return to his hobby of curling, which he used to play with a local club. While COVID was good for the home decor business, he said, it stalled the sport. Nowadays the club is back and running its first league since the pandemic, but he’s been too busy to play.

“Maybe I’ll find the time in 2024,” he said.