Meet Leighton Allen of Barrington Interiors in North Hollywood

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My childhood bedroom in Nashville Tennessee will quickly tell you a few things about me; Batman is my dude, Michael Jordan is the GOAT and California is the greatest place on earth. I mean the movies, Hollywood, palm trees, sun, the ocean…California was and still is a dream land. I knew it would be my home one day. Fast forward to the top of 2011. I am an intelligent college dropout, a waiter at wild Ginger sushi restaurant who was very ready to shake the boots off Nashville and head west. I declared to myself then to my family “I’M MOVING TO LA!” So I did. I packed my bags, said my goodbyes, and hopped on a one-way flight westbound. At last, I was following my boyhood dream. California became home.Part of the reason for moving to LA was for show biz. That sneaky acting bug bit me hard. So I committed to the grind. Thankfully, it didn’t take long before I signed with the highly esteemed talent agency CESD. I started working as an actor and model right away. Over the course of several years, I worked as a principle actor in national commercials, the lead in multiple independent films, and later became an executive producer and host of STUDIO 1, a media platform producing various networking events.“Rent is due”. That phrase has caused many stressful moments for me. That phrase has also cause me to wonder if being homeless in LA is really that bad. Anyone who has worked in show biz knows money isn’t always there when you need it. Thankfully, to make up for the financial ebb and flow, I was able to work a few odd jobs. One of which was working with a moving company that my buddy Luke owned. It gave me flexibility to audition and do shoots— the prefect side hustle.Luke and I worked for several years together when a new and unique client came looking to hire us. That client turned out to be a home staging company. I had never worked in the home staging industry and I was intrigued by it. This particular company was unexpectedly relying on us to not only deliver furniture but manage the overall design of various projects. It all kinda fell in my lap. The staging industry picked me. I loved it immediately. After a couple years my friend, Luke started his own staging company. At this point I continued working as an actor and would assist him on several staging jobs. Then, on my 30th year of life came an unexpected call…a business proposition. “Hey man, you wanna buy my business?”. My immediate response was a profound sense that this deal was not only going to happen but that it was supposed to happen. God had written it in my story. This is God’s plan! All I had to do was trust that. Naturally the proposition came with a price. The only thing in my way was capital. My family came through for me in a big way. Because of their financial support, which was a major sacrifice, the lack of capital swiftly became a non factor. Barrington Interiors was born.

Barrington Interiors is a California based home staging company that stages multi-million dollar properties all over Los Angeles and now looking at an expansion to the Nashville market. My life has come with difficulty, twists, turns, ups and downs. Without it all, I would not be the man and entrepreneur I am today. God’s plan is dope!

Has it been a smooth road?
No it has not. Keeping it real, owning a business isn’t a walk in the park. I haven’t worked this much in my entire life. I put in long hours every day and when I’m not on a job there is still work to do…all the tedious expense reports invoices, tax stuff, and not to mention marketing and social media, which is not my strong suit. Owning a business isn’t all fun and games! I learned very quickly that in order to survive in entrepreneurship I have to push past my feelings and DO THE HARD THING, which often means saying “NO!” to hanging with the homey‘s and “NO!” to sleeping in. Having said that, even though it hasn’t been easy entrepreneurship is the most rewarding work I’ve done. I wake up every morning with the weight of a company on my shoulders with multiple people working with me that rely on my business succeeding To care for their families. I welcome the challenge and I welcome the presser!

Tell us more about the business.
My company is hired by realtors, real estate investors, or homeowners looking to sell a property. Home staging helps potential buyers see what is possible with design. If my job is done right potential buyers can get inspired and excited about owning what could become their new home. After assessing the property and gaining the green light from our client, my team and I hone in on a design style. Barrington Interiors prides itself in our business integrity and forward thinking designs. Once we find the style and gather all the furniture and pieces it’s go time!

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Staging has emerged as an integral part of the process of selling residential properties. Not only does great staging give imagination to buyers but also increases the property’s market value. Owners can get away with asking for more money when staging furniture is brought in. Because of that fact alone home staging ain’t going anywhere. I’m fact I believe it will become an even bigger industry in the next decade.