A locally owned furniture business is offering Northern Virginia residents an alternative to the sticker shock of traditional home design, with an inventory that includes luxury furniture at lower prices.
Merrifield-based GoodbyHello, founded by longtime friends Michelle Baldwin and Mollie Skopil, works with manufacturers to sell their overstock, canceled orders, and returns in like-new condition. It also sells lightly used items right from its customers. With these methods, it’s able to offer furniture and other home goods for lower prices.
“This business is just so much fun – it’s constantly growing, and it’s a great area for it,” Baldwin says. “We help people’s homes become really beautiful and affordable.”
The idea for GoodbyHello began with a side hustle: The pair sold an assortment of items on eBay for others, occasionally receiving requests to list furniture. That demand evolved into a more focused effort. They started selling used pieces for clients, then started partnering directly with manufacturers to handle surplus and open-box inventory.
“We just really fell in love with the idea of selling furniture,” Baldwin says. “That idea kind of morphed into working with manufacturers and handling their open boxes.”
The company now carries name-brand pieces from popular manufacturers, including Denver Modern, Lulu and Georgia, Castlery, Inside Weather, Hoft Home, Sabai, Joybird, Homebody, Benchmade Modern, and Burrow. Prices typically start at 50 percent below retail, with deeper discounts available the longer an item stays in inventory.
“You can get a fabulous $7,500 sofa and, if we’ve had it long enough, we could sell it for $800,” Baldwin says.
How It Works
GoodbyHello operates primarily online, where it showcases its current inventory. The company also works out of a warehouse in Merrifield, which is open by appointment for customers to pick up their orders or to check out the inventory.
The business also offers personalized recommendations to help customers find pieces that would work with their existing furniture.
“People send us photos of their space and ask, ‘What do you have that might go with this?’” says Baldwin. “We’re not interior designers, but we care a lot about our customers and want to help them find the right fit.”
Inventory changes constantly, with some items sold within hours of being posted. Others may sit for months. “It just depends,” Baldwin says. “We’ve had items come in, and the minute it goes online, it’s sold.”
The company also offers free delivery within 10 miles on purchases over $750. GoodbyHello partners with a local company, Get Rid of It, to handle logistics.
Customers can also hire the company to sell their furniture. It handles everything from photography and listing to pick up and payment processing. The service includes a $125 in-home consultation fee but is otherwise commission-based.
For Baldwin and Skopil, running the business is more than moving furniture. “It means more than just a business; it’s a social connection,” Baldwin says. “We’re closer than sisters. There’s no competition, just a lot of laughter and a shared mission.”
As new apartment complexes and condos rise around Merrifield, the founders see the location as a strategic advantage and hope more locals will discover their inventory.
“This is an opportunity for people to get really good quality furniture for a reasonable price,” says Baldwin.
Feature image by Jamie Gholson
