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 Ann Fitch (left) and Andrea Fitzgerald (right) find success in a startup sparked by their interest for design and by offering the latest in interior decorating.
NEWPORT NEWS -- Realizing the time was right, Andrea Fitzgerald and Anne Fitch broke away from an interior design company to start their own.
Their combined 20 years' experience in the design industry gave them confidence that a startup could succeed.
With a frugal business plan and merchandise new to the market, the two launched Unusual Designs. This past April, six years after opening their doors, they needed more room and relocated to a larger showroom in Oyster Point.
Unusual Designs' sale volume now allows them to invest in top-of-the-line products, and it is the only store on the Peninsula that carries the Allustra blind collection from Hunter Douglas, featuring the latest trends in interior decorating. The designers' valences caught Sharon Spitalnik's eye, and she's been a client of Fitzgerald's for more than two years.
"She's prompt, and the work is perfect," Spitalnik, who had her kitchen and bathroom decorated by Fitzgerald, said. "She really gets a feel for her clients. She does not push her style, but she does make suggestions."
Fitch and Fitzgerald met several years ago at Printer's Alley, an interior decorating company. They had two things in common: both designers were tired of working for others, and they were both passionate about design.
After nearly a year of planing, they opened their doors in 2000.
The front of their new showroom in Newport News is full of knickknacks, lamps and other accessories that Fitch and Fitzgerald selected from various lines for their unique styles.
Faux wall finishes and Venetian plastering techniques are displayed in Fitch and Fitzgerald's offices.
Blinds, window and wall treatments line the back of the store. Fitzgerald said the displays are set up this way to allow customers to see and feel options on a realistic scale.
The designers meet with clients at their homes. The one-stop design shop includes professional installation of the wall and window treatments. And although they do sell top-of-the-line products, they'll work with any kind of budget. "We don't force trends - we incorporate clients' own styles into our designs," Fitzgerald said. "We'll work with anyone, and we'll work with what they have."
Not only that, but they'll design for commercial buildings, as well. Among their other projects are designs for salons, doctors' offices, specialty food stores, and Christopher Newport University. They've even designed for the interior of a 45-foot yacht.
Fitch and Fitzgerald have learned that by starting small they've skirted the financial troubles other startups encounter when they are too elaborate, too soon. With only one other employee, the two women are dedicated to keeping their store intimate to ensure that their work reflects the passion and natural talent they have for interior design.
Fitch said that although design does take a lot of work, the challenge of making a client smile - and succeeding - is well worth the time.
"You have to design in stages," Fitch said. "It requires investments, and if you buy for the price you'll hate it, but if you buy what you love, you'll have it for a long time." | 
