Dwell & Company began in 2014 as an old bookshelf of second hand vases and lamps, precariously leaning in founder Kristy Craig Anderson’s mildewed garage.

Used for her “side gig” of preparing homes to be sold on the real estate market, the collection grew as the gig took off and Kristy left her role as an Assistant Principal to pursue her new business full time. In three years Dwell became the fastest-growing home staging company in Tampa Bay, staging multiple homes a week with large, multi-room installations. Kristy rented large furniture for her projects from Happy’s Home Centers, Florida’s premier furniture rental chain, and worked closely with its owners, the Kale family.

While they appreciated Kristy’s business, Happy’s model simply wasn’t meant for staging endeavors, and Kristy grew tired of her profits going to rental fees. They had an inkling, however, that the Kales’ business acumen and financial prowess and Kristy’s design, strategy, and branding expertise could create a powerful partnership.

In 2017 Kristy and the Kale family joined forces, and began building an empire that neither could create on their own. Within 3 years Dwell became a multi-million dollar operation, grew to be the largest and most nationally awarded home staging company in Tampa Bay, and launched an interior design division.

In 2019, after hundreds of customer requests to buy their staging inventory, Kristy and Jeff Kale began plans for a retail store.

In 2020, mere weeks before the world was halted by Covid, they opened the retail division in a newly acquired 26,000 sf retail and warehouse location. Despite the pandemic, Dwell’s retail business soared. Soon they employed over 40 team members, acquired an additional warehouse, grew to a 5 truck fleet, and were named Tampa Bay’s Gold Winner-Furniture store by the Tampa Bay Times.

In 2023, Dwell opened their downtown Water Street boutique location, serving thousands of new clients with their on-trend products and signature 5 star service.

A decade into their journey, Dwell & Company continues to set their sights higher. Developing more exclusive, Dwell-designed furniture, shipping nationwide, and expanding into commercial design are just some of the ways Dwell is fulfilling their vision to change what consumers expect of their furniture company.