Business Spotlight: Beach Furniture Outfitters

When Sam Morrow started Beach Furniture Outfitters 30 years ago, he had a vision. Not only did he want to outfit every beach home with the perfect furnishings, but he also wanted to offer a turnkey experience, including everything down to the pots and pans. Sam found himself working with Nathan King, a local developer, to fill a need that was growing at a quick pace once everyone wanted a beach home on Topsail Island.

 Often visiting Nathan King’s office, Sam met Diana Tippett, who came to the area with a degree in horticulture but soon found herself working at a real estate office. Shortly thereafter he offered Diana a job working with him at Beach Furniture Outfitters. Decades later, she is still proudly sitting behind the counter, helping customers that have been coming back for years.

 “We pride ourselves on keeping good records. A person can come in and see the purchases they made in 2003.” Dianna states as she proudly shows me some of the handwritten detailed receipts from over the decades. She and her husband, Larry purchased the business a decade ago after Sam passed away. Beach Furniture Outfitters is not just a furniture store but also a haven for local art and gifts. Jewelry, paintings, sculptures, ornaments, windsocks, puzzles, toys, plush and a DVD selection. What you can see walking through this marketplace is a history of Topsail Island. “Whenever a local business would shut down, I would buy up some of their goods and we have them for sale here.”

 After spending 25 years on the beach, Diana decided to move to her current location at 13997 Hwy 50 in Surf City five years ago. “The thing I remember most about that move was it was exactly when the Covid shutdowns started. I was in a panic, but the most amazing thing happened, young men from the community showed up with their pick-up trucks and helped us move all this stuff from the beach to the shop. That was no easy feat.

Oddly enough, that first April during Covid was the best month she had in business. “We had more people buying things, remodeling, redecorating. It was amazing, and exhausting. But we all got through it.”

“My family really stepped up when I was in need. My brothers, sister and my niece, all came down to help me set up the entire store, and in fact, my brothers stayed on to help deliver furniture. To this day one of my brother’s drives down from Fayetteville to help me 3 days a week. I don’t think I could have done this without the help of both my family and the community.”

Beach Furniture Outfitters is open Tuesday through Saturday. Stop by and say hello to Diana and look around, you never know what treasures you will find.