Part-time store builds full-time anticipation.

Byline: Joe Mosley The Register-Guard

CORRECTION (ran 8/4/2007): Real Deals on Home Decor, a new home accessories store at 3705 W. First Ave., in Eugene, is open on Thursdays fro m 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. A story on Friday on Page B1 listed an incorrect day of operation.

The business model is counterintuitive, to say the least.

A retail store that's open just two days a week. On Thursdays and Sundays, no less.

And a location that is purposely situated in the heart of a city's industrial low-rent district.

But Cassie and Paul Peterson are discovering the same thing at their Real Deals on Home Decor outlet in west Eugene that franchisees with the fast-growing chain are finding around the country: The company's unorthodox approach works.

"Everyone thought it would be a mistake, but people anticipate (the two weekly shopping days) and wait," Cassie Peterson says. "It's a fun environment. People keep coming back and bringing their friends. And word of mouth is huge for us right now, so it's worked out well."

The Petersons' Real Deals store at 3705 W. First Ave. - at the corner of Grimes Street, several blocks west of Seneca Road - carries a variety of home accessories, including lamps, clocks, bookcases and even bathroom sinks with granite countertops.

"The whole idea is to have the mom-and-pop feel, so that when you walk in you have the everyone-knows-your-name atmosphere," Peterson says. "It's nothing fancy, just a lot of cute stuff and real good prices."

Real Deals - which has its headquarters at what company owners call "the mother ship" store in Jefferson, Ga. - got its start four years ago in the bottom floor of an old cotton mill. The 2-acre showroom of discount designer furniture operated under the philosophy of "stack it deep and sell it cheap," according to the company's Web site (www.realdeals.net).

Owners Marisa and Jeff Humphrey persuaded Marisa's sister and brother-in-law, Carie and Nate Kelsey, to open a part-time home decor outlet in Twin Falls, Idaho, in December 2003. Then things began to snowball.

Two more of Marisa Humphrey's sisters opened limited-operation stores in Idaho and in Bend. The Humphreys began an import company in 2004, then expanded their full-line furniture store in Georgia two years later.

Finally, the Humphreys and Kelseys formed a partnership last August and began offering franchise packages for the smaller-scale decor stores. A year later, there are 31 outlets in 12 states, including in Eugene, Bend, Hillsboro and Gresham.

With the exception of the Georgia mega-store - which is open six days a week - all of the Real Deals outlets operate on a two-day-a-week model.

"We're not actively or aggressively advertising our (franchise) concept right now," Carie Kelsey says. "We're just going to let it happen. With that being said, we've not (refused a franchise proposal) anywhere yet."

Kelsey says she had two young children at home when she started her Twin Falls store 3 1/2 years ago, and was open just one day a week for almost a year before adding a second day. Not only is the workweek attractive to franchisees - many of them are also mothers looking for part-time business opportunities - but it seems to create a sense of novelty among customers.

"And we pride ourselves on having new products each week," Kelsey says. "Rather than another shopping experience, it becomes an event. It becomes more than just coming to pick out a lamp."

Cassie Peterson, the Eugene franchisee, also considers herself a stay-at-home mother. But she works two days a week at the store, taking her two children along at times, and puts in additional time at home placing orders and restocking the store with her husband before reopening each week.

She stopped in at the Bend store while visiting the area in November, then came home and started researching a franchise for Eugene.

"I just knew when I walked in, it was something I could do," Peterson says. "It's kind of directed toward someone who's a stay-at-home mom. This way I can still be home with (the children), or I can bring them in if I need to."

She declined to discuss the specific costs of getting her store up and running almost two months ago, but said it fell within the company's estimate of $40,000 to $90,000. Owners must pay initial franchise fees of $20,000 each, in addition to real estate improvements, fixtures, supplies, advertising and inventory.

The franchise package includes a computer, an inventory tracking program and explicit instructions on running the business, says Peterson, who admits to no previous retail experience.

"But people wouldn't know it," she says. "(The system) is idiot-proof; it's Cassie-proof. When I'm printing out a receipt, it even says `rip off the receipt.' '

The Petersons are happy with their location, but already are looking ahead to expanding from the current store.

"We signed a two-year lease, so not for two years," Peterson says. "But I can cram-pack it in."

Retail runs on Fridays. Joe Mosley can be reached at 338-2384 or [e-mail].