Millerton furniture store to close after 11 years

MILLERTON — After 11 years in Millerton, North Elm Home Furnishings is preparing to close its doors.

Co-owners John Scutieri and Cindy Dunleavy announced a “retirement sale” last week as they plan to close the store when the building’s lease ends in August.

“It was either retire now or sign another commercial lease,” Scutieri said. “And neither one of us wanted to work another five or 10 years.”

North Elm has been the town’s interior design hub for the last decade. After a long tenure at Riley’s Furniture, Dunleavy and Scutieri left the store in 2015 to start North Elm Home on Route 22.

The building, a rustic wooden barn erected in 1979, had previously housed Johnson’s Antiques. The couple rehabbed the space and expanded the offerings to include new and refurbished home goods.

With retirement on the horizon, Scutieri and Dunleavy are looking forward to spending time with their grandkids, golfing, and traveling.

“We’ve made a lot of good friends, and it’s a bittersweet feeling for us,” Scutieri said. “But ultimately, all businesses either come to an end or get handed off, and in this case, it’s time to retire.”