Main Street Business

Above photo: Natalie and Greg Randall stand proudly by one of their delivery trucks in Kent, CT. Photo by Nico Daniels courtesy of RT Facts.

Christine recently caught up with Natalie Randall to speak with her about her and her husband, Greg’s, business RT Facts that is based out of Kent, CT. Their website states, “We are collectors, designers and treasure-hunters, a source of unusual antiques and makers of modern furniture for select interior designers.” RT Facts has not only become a Kent fixture, but it continues to grow their global reach. In this interview, Natalie shares their origin story as well as how they’ve grown through the decades, and continue to evolve as a business.

Why is your company named RT Facts?

When my husband Greg and I started our company in 1991, we were in our twenties, collecting interesting household items for free on bulk trash days on New York’s Upper West and Upper East Side and then selling them at the open-air flea market on 26th Street on the weekend. We didn’t mean to start a business; it was a fun challenge and funded a trip to Portugal! Gradually we attracted a following of interior and fashion designers, were invited to exhibit at the pier shows, and actually started buying merchandise, primarily antiques for the garden. We needed a van, and since we didn’t want to spend money to paint a logo on our vehicle, we ordered a custom license plate that spelled out RTFACTS. So, like it or not, we are stuck with a seven-digit name that has puzzled people for decades. 

When did you arrive in Kent?

We often made deliveries to fashion-world customers who had homes around Litchfield County, CT. When visiting, we noticed that Kent’s old town hall was up for sale, and we decided to move up here. In 1992 I quit freelancing as a knitwear designer, we got married, and we renovated the town hall and lived above the store with our children and dog. As the business grew, we relocated our business to the Kent Barns into this considerably larger 7,000-square-foot space and still use the old town hall as our primary workshop.  

How did you start making pieces?

We started making mirrors from salvaged architectural molding and tables from iron railings and gates for the garden shop, Treillage in NYC. They were very popular. The growth was gradual as we saw a demand. We have slowly added to our offerings and continue to build on lines that sell really well.   

How would you describe your business today?

RT Facts is a favorite resource for interior designers that offers fun and interesting antiques and heirloom-quality contemporary pieces produced right here in Litchfield County. We have long-standing, trusted relationships with over 250 interior designers across the country who consider us part of their team. They know we will deliver a product they will be proud of and that it will arrive on time. And that is important. They account for about 85% of our revenues. My own background as a fashion designer combined with Greg’s knowledge of architecture and antique furniture has created RT Facts sophisticated yet approachable look – contemporary, classic pieces mixing the old with the new.  

What style is popular now?

What’s popular now are the same things we have made for decades. Timeless style.  

We don’t cater to mainstream trends. Our clients are creative people who know we are an exciting resource where they can find special, antique focal pieces and they can also custom-create tables, mirrors, and lighting that will allow them to realize their own distinct look. We sell to traditionalists like Bunny Williams and also to those who create a stir like Patrick Meile and Ken Fulk. Our client list reads like the best-of line-ups in the AD100. 

What are your top sellers?

Our bullseye mirror is one of our signature products, available in assorted glass types, sizes, shapes, and colors specified by the client. During the pandemic we were incredibly busy building dining tables that could work double duty as work-from-home desks. There is also the RT Facts lighting line of chandeliers, sconces, table lamps and floor lamps. Everything we sell we make ourselves – except of course the antiques. 

We have seven full-time employees who make our pieces and coordinate activities. We deliver on the East Coast from Philadelphia to Boston in our own trucks and private ship for the rest of the country.

Does the current tariff uncertainty affect your business?

If there’s a recession of course that would affect everyone, and we’ve been through those before, but since our products are all made here in Connecticut, tariffs should not have an effect on price or availability.   

Our found objects and antiques are sourced domestically although they may have originated in Great Britain or Europe. People regularly send us photos of items they would like to sell and sometimes we recycle things back when customers make life changes.  

How important is digital to your business?

Instagram allows us to reach out to our designer clients very creatively, and more and more people follow us. In fact, interior designers post their projects and tag us, adding to our own following.  

We’ve done major re-designs of our website four times, most recently just last year, to improve the functionality for our trade customers. You can print out tear sheets, see finish options, download CAD drawings, and request quotes on-line. 

You are open Monday-Saturday and closed Sunday, why?

Our store is open six days a week. Most of our business is conducted with interior designers over the phone and Internet Monday through Friday. Designers do come in and tell us it is one of their “must” stops. 

On Saturdays our store is filled with people who live in the Litchfield Hills and designers bringing their clients. Sometimes they bring their kids. The store has game sheets, like “How many animals can you find?”, to keep children busy while their parents shop. But the bulk of the action happens on weekdays.

How would you describe how you and Greg work together?

Our friends ask all the time “How do you work with your husband every day? We would kill each other week one!” Divide and conquer! Greg oversees the manufacturing, workshop, engineering, and quality-control. He also does most of the styling in the showroom. I am the creative director, oversee the sales team, and do our PR, including all of our Instagram, which I really enjoy. And we both buy the antiques.

If someone was considering starting an antique and custom furniture business, what would you tell them?

I would tell them to spend their money on quality, don’t settle. Stay true to your specialty but be adventurous, never middle of the road. Offer things that no one else has. Think of it as a creative art – there’s magic in the sense of discovery and the unexpected.   

What are you proudest of?

When people walk in the door, gaze around, and sigh “I can’t believe I am finally here!”, after following us on Instagram, seeing our website, and/or receiving our weekly mailings, that feels great.

RT Facts is located at 8 Old Barn Rd, Kent, CT, they are open Monday through Saturday. You can call them at (860) 927-1700 or visit them their website at www.rtfacts.com. Their Instagram handle is @rtfacts.