How these 2 New Yorkers turned their interior business in Hong Kong into a flourishing e-commerce and retail store

Permanent Resident is the brainchild of Lucia Tait Tolani and Cinda McClelland Reynolds. It started as an e-commerce platform for artisan-made furniture, artful objects and eclectic home decorations, before the duo opened their store in 2024, a feat they managed in six weeks.

Located on the second floor of Tai Kwun, the store is beautifully styled with artisanal rugs, rattan bar carts, colourful homewares, and mother-of-pearl serving bowls as well as vintage ceramics from Hong Kong and antique tableware sourced from across Europe.  At the heart of the store is a beautiful handmade rattan mahjong table along with matching foldable chairs with cushions in vibrant ikat prints. The cosy space also gathers the community – my first visit to Permanent Resident was a mahjong workshop.

“The name Permanent Resident is a play on our right of abode in Hong Kong, but we hope that pieces from our catalogue  become forever fixtures in our clients’ homes. We are a small company with a high-touch approach that sets us apart,” Tolani explained.

FROM FASHION TO INTERIOR STYLING

Gifted with immaculate taste and good eyes for details, both Tolani and Reynolds worked in the fashion industry and Tolani made a foray into interiors first, setting up a home decoration business a couple of years prior. Both their homes, each filled with storied artful objects and furniture (second-hand and new) have been featured in Vogue Hong Kong magazine. With a mission to design exceptional quality furniture that enriches lives while minimising their ecological footprint, they also upcycle pieces for second-hand retail.

Friends for 15 years, from New York to Hong Kong, it was Reynolds who referred Tolani to her first client. “Working with interiors feels like it has more permanence and longevity. It is less ephemeral and fickle than event dressing and fashion trends. The decisions clients make for their home affect more people – their spouse, children, pets, and how they entertain extended family and friends at home. Being a part of that home styling process is very rewarding,” said Tolani.

There was a need to be filled in the market – a shopping experience they personally sought and had to have. The founders capitalised on their unique skillsets – Reynolds’ expertise in luxury fashion retail in different parts of the global business and Tolani’s experience with personal styling and interior decoration; they created a unique shopping experience they always wanted, combining equal parts beauty, form, community and connection.

ENTREPRENEURS AND CREATIVES AT HEART

It's not the creative duo’s first rodeo with starting a business. They had previously worked for startups and were involved in entrepreneurial endeavours, either as founders or investors, therefore launching the business was not daunting. They credit having a business partner to share the load, and how that takes the immense pressure off. They delayed the launch because of the pandemic and Hong Kong was entirely closed; this additional time allowed them to strengthen their brand positioning and curate a smaller assortment for a quicker launch to market. As very private people who are not online much, their pain point is the social media aspect of the business. Running the channels themselves, they are however, adamant about figuring this out, and possibly outsourcing it at some point, so that their thoughtfully curated stock and creations translate beyond word of mouth, as they grow their business footprint in Hong Kong and beyond, accelerating the business’s e-commerce momentum.

“We aspire to set new standards of excellence in design, craftsmanship, and sustainability. Our vision is to design impeccable furniture and home decor, whether pre-owned or new, that transcends mere functionality, becoming cherished pieces that evoke emotion and foster connections. We want clients to think of their experience shopping with us fondly whilst setting the dinner table or showing their friends around their home,” said Reynolds.

UPCYCLING AND VINTAGE FINDS

There are not many places that upcycle second-hand furniture and Permanent Resident is one of the few in Hong Kong that does this. Globally, the second-hand and upcycling movement is visibly at the forefront of climate change. Tolani and Renolds share that many people are seeing the benefits of good design are not limited to new, and often new items are inferior in materials. “Rather than offering all newly manufactured items, what we do that is a bit different. We mix upcycled (upholstering a piece with new fabrics etc), pre-owned, and vintage pieces, as well as offer new items, all in the same context because we believe this is how consumers like us shop,” they said.

MADE IN ASIA AND BEYOND

They launched with new items made in Asia, celebrating artisanal craftmanship: The cotton dhurrie rugs are handmade in India while their rattan line is handmade in the Philippines – both countries are known for their artisans and abundance of natural, organic materials. Other items are made in Portugal and China, with an emphasis on items made in Hong Kong and the Canton region, mainly difficult-to-source vintage ceramics. While retail is a competitive landscape, the creative talent in Hong Kong is collaborative and thriving. Permanent Resident is big on partnerships with a focus on selling locally designed products in the store.

“We want to be known as a destination for people to come and collect locally made items either personally or as a special gift. Gifting is a big part of our business, and we try to stock and source options that will surprise and delight our client bases, such as colourful caviar dishes and whimsical cutlery rests,” said Reynolds.

Their favourite part of the business is concept and design, along with the sourcing. They see it as a form of retail therapy where they only make and buy things they are personally drawn to. They trademarked in 2021 to protect their creative licence yet also find that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!”

With a goal to move beyond the Hong Kong market, they will be focusing on wholesale business in 2026, partnering with retailers and department stores as well as growing the e-commerce business to reach a wider audience, and someday bring their loving sourced and made in Asia designs to the US.