Nearly two years after the Feather Duster closed, an Oak Harbor resident is having another go at running a business.

Giovanni Strain opened The Consignment Studio on Goldie Road recently and he’s busy looking for people with furniture to sell and customers eager for a good deal.

He said he is selling “gently used furniture” out of a storefront in a strip mall near a sports bar with plenty of room to grow. His modestly filled showroom includes a selection of couches, loveseats, davenports, tables, chairs and artwork.

He sees a need for a furniture consignment business in the community. It provides a way for folks to sell used furniture rather than paying money at the dump to dispose of their items. Strain said he had hundreds of consignors trying to sell furniture when he operated the Feather Duster and he hopes to cultivate a similar clientele.

Through his consignment business he will agree to sell an owner’s furniture and split the profits 50 – 50. He will bump the split up to 60 percent if an owner agrees to store credit.

He owned and operated the Feather Duster for two years until its closing in 2009. Strain cited several factors for the loss of his former business; the economy soured and businesses selling new furniture slashed prices. That hurt his ability to turn over furniture.

In addition to selling used furniture, he will also sell art and antique jewelry.

Strain has been living in Oak Harbor for 10 years with his wife and two high-school-aged children. He discovered Whidbey Island after relatives moved to the area and he visited.

“We fell in love with the place,” Strain said.

He wasn’t able to move into his old location on Pioneer Way, because a new business, a quilt shop, opened in the Feather Duster’s former home.

The Consignment Studio has room to expand into additional rooms. He hopes to expand soon to  mattress sales.

Hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 3161 N. Goldie Rd., Suite G. For more information, go to www.con

signmentstudio.com, or call 360-682-6480.