A recently renovated commercial strip in North Naples is a real estate success story.

Although it’s off the beaten path, the unnamed center at 5400 Taylor Road no longer looks as if it’s offbeat. A recent facelift modernized its facade and has given it a welcomed boost.

“It probably went from being one of the ugliest centers in town to being the nicest in town,” said Trinity Commercial Group’s Doug Olson, who co-owns, leases and manages the 16,737-square-foot center.

The new contemporary exterior sports a fresh paint job, a new roof and new windows. The center’s newfound durability and appearance are night and day from where it started.

“It was the worst plaza you could possibly imagine. It was gosh awful,” said co-owner Jim Langeloh, who with his wife, Tina, operates the center’s anchor store, Home & Salvage. “It was a long process trying to get the appearance to look better and the parking lot. We’re still going to do landscaping.”

Before and after photos of retail center.

The acquisition and comprehensive renovation of the industrial flex property was led by commercial real estate professionals Olson and John Paulich of TCG, who secured it with an assertive offering strategy.

“The property, now a revitalized design-focused center, reinforces TCG’s commitment to delivering investment strategies that maximize client returns and asset stability,” said Olson, who was the catalyst behind the center’s acquisition and renovation. “Within the first 90 days, TCG’s analytical approach positioned the asset at competitive market returns.”

The center’s nine units are predominately home to Home & Salvage’s retail and warehouse space. A few units host stores such as North Naples Upholstery and Fabric ‘N Trim and the center formerly was home to a gun shop and stores for painting supplies, floral design, window treatments and men’s suits. One of the best-known tenants in that Collier County industrial park area north of Pine Ridge Road is in the plaza’s center square: Goldies Restaurant, which has been a popular breakfast-lunch spot there for nearly 30 years.

“We have really secure, good people in place,” Langeloh said.

The center’s success lies at its heart. After growing their Home & Salvage business there for the last decade, the Langelohs partnered with Olson to purchase the retail strip and made $1 million in capital improvements, including upgrades to the façade and roof and the installation of hurricane-resistant doors and windows.

“These enhancements have substantially bolstered the property’s resilience, aligning with TCG’s focus on long-term value creation and dependable investment performance,” Olson said.

Home & Salvage

What began 12 years ago as Home & Salvage’s 2,000-square-foot showroom in the plaza has expanded to 10,000 square feet to showcase the Langeloh’s one-of-a-kind collection of curated pieces of furniture, art, home decor accessories and gifts.

“The name is confusing to a lot of people. They come in and expect it to be very different than the name, and then we explain the story of how we started and we never changed the name,” Tina Langeloh said.

Home & Salvage started as a consignment store in 2013. It launched in an endcap unit that used to sell men’s suits and tuxedos. When future units became available, the couple rented them, too.

“We changed. We evolved,” Tina Langeloh said. “Every season we do new things and we try new things. I never expected to have this amazing gift shop and I never expected to open the front doors to our store and go into the gift shop. But, to our surprise, that gift shop has a huge following now. A lot of people come from all over just for the gift shop.”

After its first eight years, the local business grew and introduced an expanded inventory and additional services.

“Interior designers found us and started asking us to order things for them. So, we started ordering for designers and then we would order one for the floor and kind of grew with ordering and going to High Point [North Carolina] and shopping in Atlanta,” Tina Langeloh said. “We still like to take consignment if it’s unique.”

The store sells furniture and other items off the floor from new inventory that is delivered daily.

“That is the key. A lot of people don’t know that. We sell right off the floor, so you don’t have to order it. You just take it and go,” Tina Langeloh said. “But then when they do, we have to replace it, and I have to have a constant stream of things coming in that are unique and different and interesting.”

Because their retail venture is off the beaten path, though, the Langelohs initially were concerned about the financial risk and weren’t sure if their investment was going to pay off.

“That’s why we didn’t quit our jobs right away,” Jim Langeloh joked.

When the Langelohs relocated from Michigan nearly 20 years ago, they both were in the corporate world. He ran a dental company; she was a human resources manager. The consignment shop was initially a weekend business that grew to engulf more of their time and lives.

“Now we’re kind of married to it,” Jim Langeloh said.

Their focus on customer service and building relationships in town has paid off. It surprises them how loyal their customers have become.

“We still make phone calls; we answer the phone. We still have a small business mindset,” Tina Langeloh said. “We know people’s names. They appreciate that.”

Home & Salvage’s 16 employees also have been loyal. The store has had minimal staff turnover. Five designers incorporated into the business within the last couple of years work directly with clients in the store.

“Customers come in all the time and say, ‘I want my condo to look like this. How can you help me?,’” she said. “They might have a few things already, but then our designers will help them make it better.”

This story was published in The Naples Press on Jan. 10.