I Asked Stagers for the Secret Stores They Shop At — And Got 8 Surprising Answers

When a stager goes in for the final sweep of a home before it’s listed, they’re not just rearranging furniture and straightening art. They’re also looking at how they can create a vision in the home. They want potential buyers to see an aesthetic experience and imagine themselves making coffee in the kitchen while fresh flowers sit on the breakfast table. 

To do that, they have to stage the space with those little extras that bring a space to life. And, most of the time, these items need to be accessible to buy in-person on the day of showing the home. Below, stagers share where they are able to pick up last-minute finds to stage a home — and you can even use these same tricks to get your home ready ahead of hosting this holiday season. 

Elsbeth Loughrey, director of staging at The Everset, an NYC-based real estate and staging company, has a local-to-her resource she uses for flowers that won’t let her down after a day or two. “CFD (Center of Floral Design) has a huge selection of realistic, high-quality faux florals and plants. It’s a one-stop shop versus sifting through thousands of options from online sources like Amazon, only to have them arrive looking cheap and not like the photos.”

CFD is in New York, but there is likely a floral wholesaler in your area that you can visit. It may be a resource that specializes in silk florals, like CFD, but even real flowers will do when you only need them to last for a day or a weekend. Prices will be less than at the grocery store, and your selection will feel practically endless.

A home can never have enough books, and used books give a space personality and a (literal) story. Loughrey has a go-to spot in New York for picking up books for her staging projects. “The Strand is the perfect spot for decorative books, especially coffee-table books. There are often great and unique finds at reasonable prices versus online retailers.”

No matter where you live, there’s probably a used bookstore, and this is exactly where you’ll find some of the most interesting titles and striking covers. Don’t worry too much about condition — a little patina adds character.

Loughrey turns to the physical H&M Home store when she needs specific home items in a pinch. There’s no waiting for items to arrive after an online order. She can just scoot in and find textiles, like decorative pillows and bedding, as well as vases and trays. She advises, “Focus on natural fibers like linen and wool, and look for materials like marble and stone. Go for simple, classic silhouettes.” They also offer free, in-store pickup, so if you’re in a rush, you can put in an order and grab it within a few hours.

If you have time to pop into an estate sale, you never know what quirky and unusual items you might find. And, often, the more unique the better when it comes to staging. You want to grab people’s attention — and that goes whether it’s a staged home or your own home. Walk in expecting nothing and you’ll walk out with an incredible lineup of styling items. “Estate sales are my favorite place to buy ‘found’ items to mix into your inventory so it looks curated and not cookie-cutter,” says Andress Eichstadt, CEO at Staging Studio. 

Run by the grocery store if you need to add some life into your kitchen. Interior designer and home stager Cathy Hobbs will pop into her local grocery for both perishable and nonperishable items to style the kitchen. Don’t just think about a bowl of fruit or a bouquet of flowers. 

Grocery stores will often have functional kitchen items that can bring in elements of wood and metal to warm up a room. “Items such as containers filled with pasta, cutting boards, spices, cookbooks, and mugs are popular decor items for staging,” Hobbs says. Meanwhile, food can add color and texture, whether it’s adding to the story in the space or enticing visitors to take a seat at the table.

There’s rarely a room that couldn’t benefit from another layer of lighting. Pick up a simple, classic table lamp or, depending on your DIY skills, hang a bold light fixture. You don’t need to take to Amazon to find these items. You can easily pick them up at a hardware store nearby. “An affordable and readily available option is a local big-box or hardware store, Hobbs says. “You will find lots of options and be sure you will leave with the right bulbs.”

It’s always a good idea to add a little local flavor into a space, whether you’re appealing to buyers or guests. Real estate agent and stager Rylee McConnell pops into local boutiques so she can find items that bring a sense of place into her listings. “I like to stop by nearby boutiques for regionally inspired touches. Think decor pillows that resonate with the mountains, vintage snowshoes for wall decor, or locally designed coffee mugs that add just the right amount of character and authenticity for buyers,” McConnell says.

Of course, whenever you’re in a pinch and need to find items in person, HomeGoods is there for you — you just might not know what you’ll find. From kitchen items to bedding to bathroom accessories, it’s one of the most reliable places for buying decor on the day of. “They consistently offer affordable options for bedding and bedroom accents such as pillows, comforters, and throw blankets,” McConnell explains. “They tend to carry neutral-colored comforters, which I will swap out to make a bedroom look lighter.”