Beachcomber Magazine

Sandcastle Designs: Completely Furnished Since 1981

By Bruce Collier June 28, 2007 Issue

Business buildup is common enough on the Emerald Coast. Less common is staying power. Sandcastle Designs, located in Destin and Panama City Beach, can claim a quarter-century of continuous existence. Kaycee Barrington is the owner/president of the company, which has been furnishing large and small rooms and dwellings since 1981.

Barrington runs both stores, assisted by her husband Chuck. She comes into the Destin store, having just left the Panama City Beach branch. Another Barrington business, Treasure Chest, is just down the road. The Sandcastle Design stores sell strictly new stuff, while Treasure Chest offers clearance items, discontinued lines, closeouts and slightly damaged bargains.

Barrington picks out a table and chair set on the showroom floor for the interview. “I’d invite you to my office, but you might get hurt,” she says. Inventory is considerable — about $2 million worth at present. At the Destin store, the stock covers nearly every inch of its 20,000 square feet. The Panama City Beach store is a more modest 9,000 square feet.

Walking is possible through the showroom, with paths leading into area after area of furniture for dining rooms, bedrooms, living rooms, and children’s rooms. Near the service desk at the rear of the store is a cabinet filled with kids’ books, and a table for toys. “So their parents can shop,” says Barrington.

Sandcastle first came to Destin in 1981. Barrington’s parents, Jack and Marilyn Hanna relocated from Atlanta, where they had a furniture business. “They started here out of a van, selling to motels,” says Barrington. Next came projects furnishing condominiums. In time, they opened a store on Old Highway 98, then built the large structure the business now occupies. The Panama City Beach store followed.

Barrington, who has a sales background, learned the business on the job. She began running operations two years ago. Sandcastle Designs has grown from a literal mom-and-pop business into one with an estimated 75 employees at all the stores. Barrington notes that some have been with the company as long as 15 years.

“They’re like family,” she says, adding that she and Chuck have “an excellent support staff.” In addition to receptionists and sales clerks, Sandcastle has onsite design consultants. The trick is in knowing “how much or how little assistance” to offer customers. A look around the store finds browsers wandering solo, or in pairs. In the back, near a forest of hanging fabric samples, two men confer intently, poring over designs and swatches on a table. Customers range from someone dashing in to buy a vase to families needing a fully furnished home.

Inventory varies widely. Bright and beach-themed colors are placed next to dark woods, some natural, some painted. There are beds covered with overstuffed cushions and pillows, dining tables set for company, and coffee tables loaded with decorative objects. On the walls are framed posters and prints, and lamps stand on bedside tables, the floor, or hang from the ceiling. “I wish we had an upstairs,” says Barrington.

Barrington spends a good portion of her time conferring with suppliers and making buys. In addition to working through manufacturers’ representatives, she makes three buying trips a year, twice to High Point, N.C. and once to Atlanta. From selling to motels, the business had widened its customer base to condos, primary and secondary residences, and investment property.

In addition to selling furniture and decorative items, Sandcastle Design sells casual and outdoor furniture, and does custom window treatments. The customer base has grown over the years to include professional decorators as well as do-it-yourself designers. “We rely on referrals,” says Barrington. “People come back because we took care of them.” She continues her parents’ policy, “We stand behind what we sell.”

Business at present is “getting better and better,” says Barrington. “We sort of reflect the real estate market.” Despite occasional travel and business slowdowns, “people still want to go to the beach.” The current taste, she says, is still contemporary, having moved past the “jungle” look prevalent in decorating for some years. However, one design element remains constant, she says.

“Palm trees. They never go out of style.”

Sandcastle Designs of Destin is at 10745 Emerald Coast Parkway, and the telephone number is 654-4259. The Panama City Beach store is at 17756 Back Beach Road (PCB Parkway), Panama City Beach, and the telephone number is 233-5555.

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