The staff at Pacific Orient Traders encourages its customers to mix and match colorful and complementary pillows from the pillow wall.

Owner and antique collector Richard Krajchir founded Pacific Orient Traders in 1997.

Since then, his business has grown to include merchandise for every room of the home. The showroom at Gentry Pacific Design Center has the space to offer a wide selection of styles to appeal to every kind of taste. “We expanded our product line,” says marketing director Carol Susani. “Before, we only did antique furniture. Now, not only are we doing antiques, but we’re doing sofas and day-to-day furniture.”

The new showroom feels like a comfortable home. “The theme of our store is to have it homey and warm," says general manager June Rees.

Sales associate Lindsay Siver does a lot of the buying for the store. “I get drawn to what’s comfortable, warm and sleek at the same time … whatever joins the modern world to traditional Island style,” she says.

That casual mix has become the store's signature look.  The store is also renowned for its impressive pillow wall, which stemmed from a customer suggestion. “A designer came in and said, ‘It’s so hard to find a good pillow on this island,’” Rees says. “Now, we’re known for having one of the best collections of pillows on the Island.”

Listening to customers has led to the company’s success. “Every customer who comes in, every opinion they express, I think about,” Rees says. “If they say they like this chair but want an ottoman that looks similar, we take those opinions seriously, and we use them to develop our product line.”    ­