NEWS INFORMATION FROM |
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THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED |
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UNIQUE NEW FINE FURNITURE GALLERY & DESIGN STUDIO OPENS IN DOWNTOWNMayor Stephen R. Reed today conducted ribbon cutting services to officially open the unique new Choquette Gallery and Design Studio at 421 N. 2nd Street in downtown Harrisburg. Choquette’s offers fine and antique furniture restoration and design services, with specialities in leather and fabric restoration projects and interior design consulting. Reed said the intriguing new skilled artisan shop is owned and operated by Neil Choquette, a retired American Airlines employee who apprenticed under Old World Italian designers and restorationists in Rome, Italy. Choquette gained distinction in the midstate as one of the primary furniture restoration specialists involved in the State Capitol Preservation project, providing all of the leather restoration work in the Senate chambers as well as restoring 300 pieces of furniture. The Mayor said Choquette’s new gallery and design studio occupies nearly 1,000 sq. ft. of space at 421 N. 2nd Street, in the heart of downtown and conveniently located near extensive on-street parking. Choquette, who also teaches the craft at Harrisburg Area Community College, is currently providing three furniture restoration apprenticeships at the studio, and plans on adding full and part time employees in the near future. “We are delighted to welcome Neil to downtown and consider his venture to be exactly the type of unique, one-of-a-kind retailer and service provider that we want in downtown,” said the Mayor. “These kinds of specialty retailers, who you won’t find in the malls, are the types of attractions that help to distinguish down- town Harrisburg as something different, and out of the ordinary. More of these types of innovative retailers, when combined with our dining, nightlife, enter- tainment and cultural opportunities, make Harrisburg an even greater and more significant point of destination for residents and visitors alike.” Reed said Choquette is an equally unique individual and skilled artisan, bringing nearly two decades of experience to the trade, with new world tools and old world detail. He is considered one of the finest upholstery restoration specialists in the nation and is also in demand as an interior design and architectural consultant, working with many of the world’s top interior design professionals. Choquette said he has traveled extensively throughout the world, and has variously lived in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver and St. Louis. He fell in love with Harrisburg and decided to settle and establish a business here because it offers the best of all worlds and is one of the most scenic cities he has ever seen. Combined with lower costs of living and doing business, and easy access to the expanding Mid- Atlantic U.S. market for his craft, made his choice of Harrisburg simple. “I have come to love Harrisburg as my adopted home,” said Choquette. “During my career with American Airlines I had the opportunity to travel extensively, logging well over a million miles, and at one time or another have probably been in every city in the country, as well as hundreds around the globe. When it came time to retire and put down roots, Harrisburg just stood out because of all it has to offer.” Reed said Choquette’s Gallery and Design Studio is currently only open by Appointment, with regular sales hours planned for the future. The distinctive new store can be reach at (717) 319.0232, or via email at nchoquette@gmail.com. |
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