Chris Grandmontagne lost all her bartering power when she walked into the spacious building at 414 SE Second St.

“I have to have this building,” said Grandmontagne.

She and her husband had been called in to look at the building and offer some ideas about who might be interested in buying it or what could be done with the space.

She definitely had an idea.

Since she and her husband, John Grandmontagne, bought the property a little over a year and a half ago, they’ve turned it into Warehouse 414, home to modern, stylish furniture and home décor.

Several pieces in the large building are vintage; some are self-designed by the couple and others made by local artists. Every piece of furniture jumbled up together in Warehouse 414 seems to have a personality of its own.

“I look for quality and uniqueness when I’m choosing the pieces for Warehouse 414,” said Grandmontagne. “I really love everything in here, otherwise I wouldn’t have it here.”

Still, several pieces stand out to her.

“Now my husband and I are really into mid-century modern furniture so one of my favorite pieces in here are those bright orange and pink chairs,” said Grandmontagne. “They’re actually vintage and they’re new. They’ve never been used because when we bought them they were still in their boxes.”

And the chairs show their quality. The bright stripes from the mind of a 1960s designer show no sign of age, but rather it features a sunny, unexpected color combination that actually works.

One of Grandmontagne’s other favorites is a mirror she designed.

“You’re always a little partial to the items that you’ve made yourself,” she said. “I mean you’ve put into it what you like.”

And the use of materials is innovative in a lot of their furniture. One table stands on an old part of a building.

“I like taking everyday materials and using them in a different way to make something else,” said Grandmontagne.

Although the couple hasn’t been running Warehouse 414 very long, they have been in business for a while.

Grandmontagne Designs is their decorating business.

“We’re always very busy and we’ve kept almost every single client we’ve ever had,” said Grandmontagne.

Aside from keeping up their design business and new store, the couple wants to expand the usage of Warehouse 414.

In another twist of using something unexpected for a different thing, like much of their merchandise, the Grandmontagnes want to rent out their space for wedding receptions, meetings and almost anything else.

“We’ve done some stuff before and people are free to put food around on the tables and they use the furniture,” said Grandmontagne. “It’s turned out really well.”

Warehouse 414 is open Monday and Thursday from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. and on Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. It’s also open by appointment.