As a youth competitor Annelise Kimmel made a name for herself both in and out of the show pen for her chic and sophisticated style. It was this attention to detail and passion for art and design that first drew the 24-year-old from Covington, Ohio, to the idea of designing furniture.

While on a trip to Oklahoma, her parents, Randy and Jane Kimmel, met some people looking for a way to promote their furniture in the Northeast. The Kimmels called their children, Dustin and Annelise, to see if they were interested in such an amazing opportunity. The brother and sister duo jumped at the chance and started selling products purchased from Mexico wholesale as the Northeast branch of the business. The Kimmels quickly realized that items from that region did not have the quality they wanted to uphold so 2007 they opened their own business, Wild West Furniture. They now primarily carry furniture made by manufacturers in the United States.

“The manufacturers we work with now are amazing, and we focus on keeping the majority of our products made in the United States,” Annelise Kimmel said. “We stand behind the products we sell, and our main goal is for every customer to leave happy.”

Following her graduation from Covington High School in Covington, Ohio, Annelise opted to forgo her plans to attend the Art Institute of Tennessee in Nashville, like she had originally planned, and stay home so she could continue to show horses and run Wild West Furniture. There she attended Urbana University and in 2011 earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business.

Then in 2012, Annelise and her family had the opportunity to purchase Carolina Moon Home Furnishings from Mike Clagg of Gastonia, North Carolina. Kimmel plans to merge the companies that the two companies will compliment each other. Clagg and Kimmel have a lot in common when it comes to their taste in design and Kimmel says she gets a lot of her inspiration from him.

Even though she has a degree in business, Annelise says her favorite part of the process is the design aspect.

“Every April I fly to North Carolina and design my own furniture pieces for the year for Carolina Moon and Wild West Furniture,” Annelise said. “I am grateful for the relationships I have created in the furniture industry and being able to see my designs being made and making a customer say ‘wow’ is phenomenal to me.”

The young artist said a big trend now is to mix and match designs and colors.

“You don’t just buy a full living room set that exactly matches anymore,” she said. “The idea of mixing different leathers, fabrics and tooling is gorgeous.”

Another trend that is very popular right now is to use a neutral color base and add an accent pop of color. For example, adding a turquoise print pillow to a neutral sofa, or chair. Kimmel’s one-of-a-kind pieces are a great accent or unique touch to any room.

Annelise gets a lot of her inspiration from her mother while her determination and business savvy comes from her father. She hopes to open a storefront in Arkansas and is working on her online business, promoting the online store in many areas, as well as social media, and marketing online. She has also begun pursuing other horse show circuits as well.

“My biggest accomplishment has been being able to run this business and being successful at it with the crazy horse show lifestyle that we live,” Annelise explained. “All of our hard work and dedication to horses has paid off. We are now able to breed our show mares and I really enjoy showing their babies.”

And showing her mare’s babies is exactly what she’s doing. This year Annelise will be showing Sudden Rumors, a 2010 bay mare by RL Best of Sudden and out of Radical Rumors in 3-Year-Old Western Pleasure events and Lil Black Dress, a 2011 black mare by Invitation Only and out of I Like Itin The Dark in Amateur Western Pleasure events. In the past she has shown such great horses as Radical Rumors, I Like Itin The Dark, Best In The Dark, Inviting Rumors and Love Itin The Dark.

“I am thankful for the people in my life that have helped me and supported me in this career: my parents, my brother, and my fiancé, John Woodard. Also, my driver Ron Hixson for taking me to and from all of my locations and my friends for helping me load and unload trailers,” she said. “I can’t thank you guys enough.”

You can see the unique designs of Wild West Furniture and Carolina Moon Home Furnishings atwww.WildWestFurnitureOnline.com and www.CarolinaMoonInc.com.