During early October 2005 Kevin and Sharon Daroca opened
DesignMart Silicon Valley, a new wholesale furnishings showroom
serving the needs of interior designers, architects and other
retailers who specify and purchase furnishings for their retail
clients. As initial seed capital for the new business, Kevin
and Sharon were approved for an SBA guaranteed loan in the
amount of $375,000. During these first four months of
operation, Kevin and Sharon have met or exceeded all of the
revenue and profitability metrics set forth in their original
business plan.
Both Sharon and Kevin bring over 25 years of experience to the
establishment of this new business. Sharon is an award winning
interior designer with experience in both wholesale and retail
residential interior design. She has received national exposure
through various articles published for trade magazines, and she
has also appeared as the featured designer on HGTV. By way of
experience, she has operated for 12 years (with a partner)
Design2 Interiors, a successful San Jose based retail design
business. Likewise, Kevin brings over 25 years of experience to
the business in a variety of senior marketing and sales roles
with particular emphasis in building start-up companies and
guiding them to a sales success.
DesignMart will be operating out of their recently leased 7200
square foot location in San Jose conveniently located near the
intersection of Highway 101 and Highway 85. At present, the
closest competing business of this kind is located in the San
Francisco Design Center some 60 miles to the north. This ideal
geographic location coupled with
DesignMart’s focused business plan, strong working capital
position and deep management experience provide all the elements
for a business success story.
SCORE volunteer, Dick Wolden and other SCORE volunteers have
worked closely with DesignMart in the development of a business
plan leading to the recent $375,000 SBA loan secured by
DesignMart during early August 2005. The Santa Clara Valley
SCORE organization has continued to support DesignMart during
these early and exciting stages of this business.
