Blue Stone Press, September 15, 2006
Bare Furniture Flourishes in Accord
Second Generation Takes Business Forward
by Jane Brown
Fresh wood fragrances greet you at the door when you enter the new Bare Furniture store on Route 209 in Accord. Sarah Kambouris, the store's manager, will give you a friendly wave from the back of the store, answer your questions, or just let you browse. The spacious 3,000 square-foot showroom contains hundreds of pieces of carefully-crafted unfinished wood furniture ranging from little children's play furniture to gigantic wall units. There arc chairs, tables, beds, dressers, hutches, desks, bookcases, cabinets and much, much more. Most of the items are ready-made styles and sizes, but customized pieces can also be ordered.
Bare Furniture opened its doors in May 2006 and has already become a popular destination for people who need a new look to dress up their homes and offices. Customers often remark that they want to faux-finish, distress, French polish, or hand-decorate something themselves, or get a piece that goes with whatever they have.
Alex Kambouris, Sarah's father, started the original A&G Custom Furniture business in 1985. He had been a sailor on a Greek ship that landed him in New York City in 1975, where he decided to stay. At that time, he asked his cousins for a job in their furniture business, Manhattan Cabinetry. It was there that he fell in love with Dru (his wife), whose family owned a weekend home in Accord. He soon fell in love with the Catskills, moved here, opened a business, raised a family and is now involving the next generation in his thriving furniture enterprise.
A&G,the parent business, has specialized in built-in laminate furniture that is custom-made for homes and businesses such as schools, stores, restaurants, offices and banks. They recently completed Green County Bank offices in Hudson and Freeport. They serve and deliver to New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
The Business
Alex Kambouris and daughter Sara who manages Bare Furniture.
employs eight local residents. The addition of the Bare Furniture store makes it possible to also purchase readymade and hand-crafted items from workshops throughout the USA. Long-time customers have wanted this option and it is now a reality.
Styles have come and gone over the decades," reflects Kambouris. His face lights up when he exclaims, "European contemporary is making a strong comeback–very strong–but in a completely new way." He further explains that the clean lines and unadorned fronts that were popular in the 1970s and 1980s are being re-worked into fresh new designs.
that everyone wants to see now. "It's very comfortable and livable and fits in with everyone's taste," he explained. Water-based adhesives and make today's products more environmentally friendly, too. The ready-made collection features furniture for the bedroom, dining room, kitchen, office and deck, as well as wall units and entertainment centers for any room. The pieces come in pine, oak, poplar, birch, alder, cedar, maple, and cherry.
"Sarah's in charge now, boasts Kambouris. His son George, who recently graduated with a degree in business, and his nephew John are also involved in the to-day to day operations. His wife picked the store's paint colors and selected the lovely accesories and decorative display items.
Bare Furniture is located on Route 209, just 2.3 miles north of Main Street in Accord and 3.5 miles south of the intersection of Route 213. You can't miss it.. Kambouris designed and built the building appropriately in a rustic wood motif. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Sunday hours are from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit barefurnitureny.com to see more, or better yet, stop by the store for a visit, during your leaf-peeping adventures.
