Two furniture stores are opening near each other on N. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach
After 13 years of selling furniture for another company, Sam Vitharana has opened his own furniture store in Myrtle Beach focused on options, affordability, local manufacturers and customer satisfaction.
SV Bedding Furniture & Hospitality is in the Northwood Plaza Shopping Center off North Kings Highway at 77th Ave. North.
And he’s not the only furniture store moving into the plaza, which includes Food Lion and Fresh Market grocery stores.
While Vitharana is on one side of Fresh Market, Sago House Furniture is moving to the other side after being nearby at the Shoppes at 70th off Kings Highway since the business opened in July 2017.
Sago will close its current location either Dec. 18 or Dec. 22 and owner Stephanie Hardwick expects to move into the new location between mid-January and late January.
SV Bedding Furniture is open
Vitharana and his wife Franciska, who handles business administration and bookkeeping, have moved into the space previously occupied by Knotting Hill Interiors. That business moved to an office in Rainbow Harbor off 50th Ave. North and still works with clients but no longer sells retail products.
Vitharana was a salesman at Seaboard Bedding and Furniture before taking a short break and opening his own store.
“I wanted to get on my own for many, many years and the opportunity came. I talked to my wife and said, ‘Let’s go do it,’ and here we are,” Vitharana said. “My biggest thing is the pricing and keeping all of my business local, as much of it as possible. If anyone [local] is manufacturing a bedroom set, if they can manufacture what I want I’ll buy it from them and forego corporate manufacturers. And the pricing has to be low enough for everybody that can afford it.”
The business sells to both residential and commercial customers and furnishes for some hotels, including those operated by Vacasa vacation rentals and management, and other rental properties such as those available on Airbnb.
He offers custom-made furniture from India that is created out of reclaimed wood from destroyed buildings following natural disasters.
“We do everything from designing the rooms to assembling the furniture, installation, everything,” Vitharana said.
Vitharana said he attempts to sell products manufactured and serviced locally as much as possible, including using B & B Upholstery in Conway. His hotel furniture is made by Lang of Wisconsin, however.
SV sells several brands of mattresses as well as bedroom sets, sheets, mattress protectors, pillows, sofas, sleeper-sofas, loveseats, sectionals, dining room sets, TV stands, consoles, tables and end tables, designer lamps, and chandeliers.
Several brands are available, including Southern Lady hand-made mattresses out of Charleston.
“Customers can order whatever they need,” Vitharana said. “Most of the furniture in here, if they want it or something different they can order it.”
He can furnish hotel rooms from top to bottom including all furniture, flooring, carpeting and drapery.
Vitharana said he has queen mattress sets as low as $300 and custom-made mattresses up to $1,700.
The name SV represents his initials. “A lot of people in this town know me and trust me, so I might as well go with my name on it because I want to please everybody, and this is not a very pricey place,” Vitharana said. “I want to keep this a medium-priced business so everybody can afford this furniture.”
Sago furniture on the move
Sago offers a variety of furniture and accessories, including paintings and other framed decorations.
“It’s really an eclectic mix,” said Sago general manager Michael Dermatas. “We try to bring in unique pieces that you don’t see everywhere. We just have a good variety of everything.”
Sago features some products made from teak root from South Asia, which features winding roots that create unique pieces, including bases for table tops. “You can have four coffee tables the same size and every one of them is going to be completely different, so if you buy one of those it’s almost like buying a work of art,” Dermatas said.
The new location takes up three business units and will be about 12,000 square feet. The benefits include an additional 5,000 square feet of space and a large roll-up garage door at the back entrance that will ease the delivery of furniture into and out of the business, which has to be done through the front door at the existing location.
“It’s going to make life a lot easier. We’re running out of room quickly,” Dermatas said.
Sago’s floor displays are all available for purchase to avoid supply chain delays. “We’re trying to keep inventory in so we can sell off the floor,” Dermatas said.
This story was originally published December 9, 2021 at 8:01 AM.
