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For Cheri Bull and Justin Linga felt, owning a business – Accent Prone in Kernersville, NC – comes after a lifetime of learning their business and building connections within the home accessories and furnishings market. “By buying entire showrooms after market, we can offer brand new merchandise at great prices and pass those deals along to our customers with everything at wholesale cost or below,” stated Justin.

A Partnership of Knowledge and Experience

With a friendship that began in middle school, Cheri and Justin have spent much of their lives together.  “We’ve been best friends for over 10 years and are now engaged. We were a likely partnership, talking about opening our own store for many years, after spending time working side by side at several furniture markets across the country,” commented Cheri.

Growing up with a father who owned a business, Cheri knew early on the retail side of business. “My dad, Terry Bull, owned C. Elliott & Co., a jewelry store in Winston- Salem, for over 20 years, so I saw firsthand the time and commitment it took to make a business successful. I think I always knew I wanted my own business and while I was in college at UNC-W, I actually wrote a business plan for what would become Accent Prone. After being accepted into a selective business mentorship, I was placed with Judy Girard, former President of HGTV. She  helped me critique my plan and  through her years of experience, got me thinking about what a consumer would want out of our business. Along with the support and motivation from Judy, I interned for  local furniture store in Wilmington, NC, where I got great experience in management, store display, merchandising and interior design, and graduated with honors from UNC-W with a degree in Business Administration focusing on entrepreneurship,” recalled Cheri.

Read more on page 39 in the November 2012 Issue of FW