About

Tom and Tarey Gerardy are the founders and owners of Craftsman Revival Home Furnishings. They are on-site owners who have personally gone through the process of remodeling, refurnishing and accessorizing their new home with the things that they love. Here’s a little history from Tom about how Craftsman Revival came to be:

It was November 1998 and I was unemployed for the first time in my adult life. I had just completed a one-year employment contract with the new owner of our former company which he purchased a year earlier. After having run that business for nearly 25 years I was all of a sudden set adrift and wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do with myself. At that point, I had no idea what I was going to do next. But I did know that I wasn’t ready to retire and sail off into the sunset.

Earlier in 1998, my wife Tarey and I began an extensive remodel of our 1972 ranch style house. It began with a desire to simply enlarge our entry foyer. It morphed into tearing the house down to the studs, removing walls, adding walls, new electrical, new plumbing, adding skylights, etc., etc. We very quickly realized that we wouldn’t be able to stay in our house during construction so we rented a place close by and that became our home for the next year.

We bought our house in 1986. We almost didn’t buy it because we hated it. But we ended up pulling the trigger on it because we loved the lot and location. Shortly after moving in we had an architect friend take a look at it and asked him for some ideas on how we could turn it into something we loved. I’ll never forget what he said after seeing the house…”It’s kind of ugly and dated but It has some good Craftsman bones.” I had no idea what he was talking about so he had a person in his office do a rendering of the East elevation for us, turning it into a Pasadena style Craftsman. Tarey and I were instantly hooked. It was “love at first sight” and became our dream.

During this time Tarey and I spent many hours learning about the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 1900s…its key players, the philosophy behind it, the design esthetic and everything else associated with it. We read books, magazines and attended shows whenever possible. Our vision for how we wanted to finish our dream home gradually came into focus.

Halfway through the remodel we began to shop for lighting, furniture, rugs, and accessories. It quickly became apparent to us that there was no one store in the San Diego area that specialized in the Craftsman style and had what we were looking for. We ended up having to drive up to the Pasadena area often in order to see the things we wanted in order to complete our project. It was during this time that I finally knew what I was going to do next…Tarey and I would open a store in the San Diego area that specialized in the Arts and Crafts style.

It was on our way home from one of our Pasadena trips that we came up with the name for our store, “Craftsman Revival.” There was a high level of interest at the time in the Arts and Crafts period as well as an ever-growing number of skilled craftsmen and artists engaged in producing furniture, lighting, artwork, pottery, and tiles in the Craftsman style. In other words, we were in the midst of a “revival” of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

One of the things that we came to realize was that there was something very special and transformative that happens to a space when it is furnished and accessorized in the Craftsman style. Blurring the lines between the inside and out, bringing the colors and materials of nature inside creates an environment that is warm and inviting. The home becomes a refuge of sorts, that soothes and nurtures after long stress filled days which have become so common in today’s world.

We opened Craftsman Revival on October 14, 2000.

Our Promise to Our Customers

QUALITY: We stand behind what we sell. We only carry products that are made to the highest standards of quality and craftsmanship. Many of our vendors offer their own warranties but even after those expire we will do whatever we can to correct any problem that may pop up.

CUSTOMER SERVICE: In addition to providing beautiful, high-quality products, we take really good care of our customers. We believe that our customers should be treated in the same way that we would want to be treated. Pretty basic, but in our minds, it’s not only the right thing to do but the only way to build and maintain long-term relationships with our customers and ensure the success of our store.