‘Luxury’ gallery opens in Homewood
Vintage chairs, original photography and high-end rugs. That’s just some of the many luxury home goods that Christopher Collection has to offer.
Christopher Collection, a “luxury high-end firm specializing in custom residential and boutique commercial designs,” opened in Homewood to offer people pieces that they won’t find anywhere else in Birmingham.
Sherri Johnstone, creative director for Christopher Collection, prefers to call Christopher Collection a gallery instead of a retail store.
“We sold some chairs this week that were cowhide, so unusual, and they were from 1950,” Johnstone said. “And that’s why I say gallery instead of retail store because we have such unique pieces that you won’t find anywhere else in Birmingham.”
Some pieces are found, some are bought from a vendor and some are made by Christopher Architecture and Interiors, but all of the pieces are unique. “We have product lines that no one else in Birmingham carries,” said Christopher Reebals, owner and founder of Christopher Collection and Christopher Architecture and Interiors.
“We are a full-service architecture and interior business,” Reebals said. “Clients ask us about sourcing products for them, and over the years we have built an extended list of partners that we source from. We also designed a significant amount of products that we design for houses and commercial spaces. Putting together a brick and mortar store to house those products just seemed logical.”
Reebals met Johnstone through a mutual friend and quickly recognized her passion, knowledge of the industry and ability to talk to people. Johnstone has worked in the furniture industry for many years, and Reebals needed someone to manage Christopher Collection.
“She’s very good with people, very service oriented, [has] great experience, and she’s from Homewood,” Reebals said.
Reebals said that all Christopher Collection employees and designers are well-versed in the products that they sell, but customers can also request interior design services in the store.
“If they come in and they say, ‘We really love this piece of furniture, and we want to design our room around this furniture,’ then [Christopher Collection] could either recommend one of our designers from Christopher Architecture and Interiors or they can recommend another local interior designer,” Reebals said.
Christopher Collection is not exclusively connected to Christopher Architecture and Interiors. The store partners itself with some of the most critically-acclaimed companies and artists in the world. Some of them are local, including Christen Colvert, Janus et Cie and Officine Gullo.
“We have artists that are internationally acclaimed,” Reebals said. “David Yarrow is the foremost nature photographer in the world, who sold a piece to Leonardo Dicaprio worth over $11 million dollars at auction. Simon Bull is an internationally acclaimed oil and canvas painter that has art in all major metropolitan areas.”
Reebals decided that Homewood would be the best location for Christopher Collection. He liked the architecture of Homewood and the boutique feel of the shops, and it’s near areas like downtown Birmingham and Mountain Brook.
“We love Homewood,” Reebals said. “We like the walkability of it and the fact that it’s kind of in the center of Birmingham.”
Christopher Collection is located on 2913 Linden Ave. and is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.