Grand Rapids’ LightHouse Furnishings shifts direction with new focus, new name

LightHouse Furnishings, a longtime go-to source for many West Michigan antiques collectors, has closed its doors and reopened as Always, Betti, a cozy boutique specializing in vintage and costume jewelry, sterling silver, and fine crystal.

Shop proprietor Betti Allen and her husband, Bob, redesigned the interior of the former LightHouse Furnishings space (1141 E. Fulton, next to the Fulton Street Farmers Market) to create a 200-square-foot boutique for Always, Betti. The remainder of the building is now home to UserEasy Computer Systems, Inc., owned by their son, Paolo Ladomato (see related article here).

“I’ve wanted to focus on selling smaller items for a while, and with the renovation and reopening of the farmers market, it was an opportune time to restructure our business,” Allen says. “We have the best spot in town because of being next to the farmers market. We get a lot of foot traffic from there.”

The shop offers an intriguing mix of fine, vintage and costume jewelry, sterling silver flatware, bowls and candlesticks, and high-end crystal and porcelain. The Allens have collected pieces from their travels in India, Hawaii and other U.S. states.

Allen says some of her best sellers are vintage furs, which she’ll continue to have on hand. She will also still offer the occasional furniture piece, such as the circa 19th Century handpainted tall case clock by Scottish clock maker George Lumsden.

Store hours: 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Weds. through Sat.

Source: Betti Allen, Always, Betti
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor
Photographs: Deborah Johnson Wood