By Janice Floyd Durante
De Ja Vu, perched at the corner of 1803 Delaware Avenue, just marked its third year in business, having taken over the space once occupied by Bloomsberry Flowers. Deborrah Setting, majority owner of the Trolley Square shop, finds and juxtaposes the old and the new, resulting in an ever-changing experience for shoppers.
Scouring the Eastern Seaboard for finds, Setting locates furnishings that might evoke plenty of history but offer fresh appeal. “I didn’t want an antiques shop,” she points out. Instead, she looks for items that lend themselves to a variety of settings and tastes, a decision, she says, that has led her to a more profitable and more enjoyable niche. “You can walk out of here and have a good feeling,” she says, “knowing you’re being green by reclaiming things.”
Neighbors and, increasingly, those from farther afield, have responded by coming to De Ja Vu again and again, she says. “We have a tremendous amount of repeat business, and they’ll bring people with them. That’s when I know I’ve done a good job.”
Her shop in Wilmington, open Tuesday through Saturday (and Sundays by chance), offers a relaxed setting. “I will not follow someone around,” says Setting. “If I do not pressure someone, they’ll usually come back.” Sometimes she’ll offer a customer a glass of wine. “I believe in treating people well,” she says with a smile.
That includes offering free delivery and even a wish book, where people can describe items they are hoping to find. Setting even allows customers to take home a furnishing before committing to buying it, a practice unheard-of in big-box stores. For some people, though, one of the biggest advantages of De Ja Vu might well be gaining access to the owner herself, as people often ask her advice. “Buying furniture is a very emotional event for people, more so than when they buy a new piece of furniture.”
Her business acumen comes not from a background in interior design, but in banking. The seed for her creative venture sprouted during the decade in which she exited the workforce to spend time with her children. After she decorated her home on a tight budget, others started asking her for advice. Then, fortuitously, she met Dee Biscardi, who became her business partner.
In addition to her retail business, Setting designs interiors for residential and corporate clients. “If you want it plain and boring, don’t hire me,” she adds.
