When A&B Home Inc. offered Tony Venetucci the chance to design his own home-decor collection about seven years ago, he didn’t hesitate.
Getting back to design meant a welcome break from the retail world for Venetucci, who’d owned a home-accessories store in Connecticut for 15 years and one in Newport for about three.
“He made me the offer to design a collection with my own name, and he wanted a high-end look but wanted it to be affordable,” Venetucci said of the owner of A&B Home, a manufacturer that sells to trade professionals.
Eventually, Venetucci found his way back to retail, opening AV Home Collection on Broadway in Newport in June.
He runs the store with his sister, Lisa Abadie, a high-end designer for a custom-home developer in Arizona before a recent move to Rhode Island.
The pair are building an online presence beyond their 1,000-square-foot store, where accessory furniture, lighting and decorative items sell for wholesale prices.
“We have incredible accessories – we have contemporary, traditional, rustic and industrial,” Venetucci said.
Elizabeth Graham is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Graham@PBN.com.
