As Kellie Scott, a well-known small business owner, settled into her sprawling new home in Hinsdale earlier this year, so did many of her most treasured items.

One of those items was an antique Buddhist prayer cabinet.

“I still remember the day that one came into our store,” the founder and CEO of Divine Consign Inc. says. “The cabinet opened up to three different levels with three separate doors, and inside there was an altar with lights. It was one of the coolest things I had ever seen—like peeling back the layers of an onion. It was absolutely gorgeous. I took it home and it’s been with me ever since.”

She laughs for a moment.

“Every single thing in my house is from the store.”

Of course, this is completely understandable. As the owner of one of the most treasured retail consignment furniture boutiques in the area, Scott knows that when you see something at her store, it’s best to take it home quickly.

“We have customers who come in two or three times a week,” remarks Scott, whose high-end store offers a wide range of furniture and home decor gathered from area showrooms, furniture stores, local designers, and model homes. “I would say we bring in 50 to 100 items every day. The store is never the same place twice because you truly never know what’s going to come through the door. You have to make up your mind quickly, or it won’t be around.”

A lover of design from a young age, the Wisconsin native and Marquette University alumna originally planned a life practicing law. Yet, after working her way up to Managing Partner of the Law Firm of Scott, Halsted & Babetch, P.C., Scott made the crucial decision to go a different direction professionally.

“It was a daily argument, either with other lawyers or with your own client,” Scott remembers. “I wanted to pursue something a little less combative, so I chose retail, she laughs. “It’s been a labor of love for me for the past 12 years.”

In 2018, as the business continued to grow and Divine Consign was beginning to burst at the seams with inventory, Scott made the decision to move from Oak Park to North Riverside, where they were able to take advantage of 20,000 square feet of space.

Her customers followed.

“We have the greatest customers and consigners,” gushes Scott, who recently donated a number of pieces to help furnish the apartments of refugees from Syria. “The community and I have a symbiotic relationship, as they bring in the items we sell. The community is who made us, and I never forget that.”

And it is this community that continues to support Divine Consign, especially as pandemic-weary shoppers look to inject new life into their homes.

“We have so many people consigning items and then purchasing other items,” concludes Scott. “There are also several shortages in the furniture industry due to the pandemic. For example, if you order furniture right now, you are in for a long wait. That’s what makes our store special. We have what you need, in stock, ready to touch and feel and take home today.”

Divine Consign Furniture is located at 1800 S. Harlem Avenue in North Riverside. For more information visit divineconsign.com.