By Alex Vaughn

Robert Geary MacKilligan is a successful Realtor® and the owner of Florida Stage Hands, a home staging company based in Wilton Manors. His showroom-come-retail store is a veritable Aladdin’s cave of treasure. Striking lamps, tables and armoires are just the tip of the furniture iceberg available at the perfect price.

When and how did you come up with the concept of staging homes?

Just over 3-1/2 years ago I decided to create “Florida Stage Hands”. This was in response to the sluggish real estate market. I have been a Realtor® for 12 years with Galleria International Realty on Las Olas. The venture of staging a home gave an “Edge” to all of the other listed homes that were empty. The facts state that staged homes sell 46-50% faster than vacant homes.

How was your first job?

The first staging job involved a luxury condo building on Fort Lauderdale Beach called “Las Olas Beach Club”. The excitement built inside of me as I viewed the empty space; the condo had been vacant and on the market for almost two months, without any offers. Now it was time to shop for the best product at the best value. My partner is an artist, so I knew that his art would enhance the condo. My resources for the furniture were completed and the magic for staging was done! Within 26 days, the condo was sold!

Wow, so how quickly do you sell a property as a result of staging?

Florida Stage Hands’ average time to sell is currently 37 days.

Tell our readers more about the concept.

Well, Florida Stage Hands caters to the seller as well as the buyer. People live in their homes for years at a time and do not realize how a presentation of a home is extremely important to the buyer.
Therefore, the larger spaces become cluttered and smaller spaces become difficult to understand. By taking a fresh look, we optimize the homes’ potential. Highlighting the important features, but cleverly eliminating undesirable aspects of the home.

What prompted you to create a retail store and why did you choose Wilton Manors?

Initially, the reason for the retail store was because of issues with warehousing of the furniture. As the company grew, so did our warehouse space. Due to the fact that furniture styles change within the industry, I made the decision to start warehouse sales out of our Oakland Park location. Why wouldn’t the consumer want new and high quality current styles of furniture at a fraction of the price? As the lease of our warehouse in Oakland Park was coming to an end, it seemed like the perfect time to take the next step and create a highly viable and visible retail showroom for the staging company. My search ended when I found our present location in Wilton Manors in the Seafood Restaurant Plaza, where most of the shops had been for over 20 years. It was perfect! I chose Wilton Manors because of the atmosphere!

What are the advantages of being within the gay community?

The atmosphere within the gay community lends itself to the retail showroom. Our community has the gift of style and completely understands space and, of course, value.

What do you feel is lacking within the gay community?

One of my wishes is that our community could be more united in business. Networking is so important and the gay community is very powerful in that respect. If we worked closer together, it could only be a good thing. The area of Wilton Manors would only benefit from a tighter network.

How do you contribute to bettering the community?

Our plan to help jump start the idea of bringing unity back to the gay community is to have quarterly fundraisers at our retail location for many of the local charities and some of the national not-for-profit organizations.

What other services do you offer at the store?

We invite people to come in and enjoy the store. In addition to offering accessories for you home at a fraction of the retail price and creating perfect homes to sell, we also offer a collectible consignment service.

Florida Stage Hands
1438 NE 26th Street
(At the Old Florida Seafood
House restaurant plaza)
(954) 530-6155 • Open 7 days a week