By Bonnie Caprara
BerkleyLive Editor
Maureen Popkin had a problem. She loves mid-century modern furniture, but had a hard time finding it.
“I looked at the marketplace and thought, ‘What’s missing?’” Popkin says. “You have big box stores that combine traditional and contemporary, and that’s it.”
Even with having an inside track in commercial furniture sales specializing in health care, the pickings were expensive.
“I like nicer things but I always can’t afford them,” Popkin says.
So when Popkin considered a career transition, she set out to offer the best selection in affordably-priced mid-century modern reproductions in her own store, June Moon Furniture Store, which opens on Saturday, Nov. 5. The 1,000-square-foot showroom carries everything from special order upholstered sofas and chairs to occasional chairs and tables – reproductions that hark back to the looks of Harry Bertoia diamond chairs and curvaceous Eames side tables. June Moon Furniture Store will also carry accent pieces such as pillows, rugs, pottery, tablecloths and napkins to complete the look.
“It’s classic, good design that’s stood the test of time,” Popkin says.
Among Popkin’s favorites are the clear acrylic ghost chairs and black leather upholstered chaise lounge.
The collection also includes Popkin’s own work, which includes a square-footed dining table made with a metal base topped with reclaimed wood from a 100-year-old Michigan barn.
“In the seventh grade, I was thrown into a shop class,” Popkin says. “I loved it. I made a pair of candlesticks and I still have them. My shop teacher hated me; he didn’t want girls in his class, but he came to like me. He pushed me because he knew I could do well.”
Popkin also plans on sharing her skills with customers in the future.
“As some point in time, I’d like to do different events like how to use tools,” Popkin says. “I’d like to have women be more comfortable with tools.”
What June Moon Furniture Store lacks in size, it more than makes up for it in service.
“It’s an active showroom,” Popkin says. “I want people pick things up and move them around to see how they’ll look in their home.”
June Moon Furniture Store, 2745 Coolidge Hwy.; 248-470-9513
