Jennifer McDougald opened Legacy Home Staging and Furniture Painting because she wanted the freedom of owning her own business.

“I didn’t want to wake up one day and my kids be adults, and I’ve lost all time when they are little because I was always working,” McDougald said.

McDougald began the business out of her house in August 2013. As the business began to thrive, she quit her day job and opened a storefront at 1631 N. Main Street, Pearland, in April 2015. Now, Legacy Home Staging focuses primarily on selling home decor but also offers custom-painted furniture.

Many of McDougald’s vendors have also been with her since the beginning and are local, and she has helped many of them grow by using her sales and marketing experience, she said.

“Most of these shops don’t sell enough for these people to stay home full time, so it ends up being just like an extra side. We sell so much of their stuff, it’s a full-time income,” McDougald said. “Being able to do that for other people is very rewarding.”

Although she is based in Pearland, McDougald sees clients from Lake Houston to Lake Jackson. There are boutique furniture shops in between, but McDougald attributes her success to customer service.

“We offer excellent customer service, and it’s super important to me,” McDougald said. “We will jump hoops to help you out.”

McDougald and her mother, Jill Schmidt, will hold a piece as long as the customer needs, since it may be inconvenient for many customers to come pick up the item the next day. They will even drive out to the city and do a drop off for a batch of customers.

“Basically, I sell to people just like me. They’re busy, they’re moms, they want affordable home decor, they want to do their house cute without spending a fortune, and they’re on the go all the time. I know my customer because I am my customer,” McDougald said.