Dec. 10, 2020 11:53 am ET
EMMA Grueskin, a 25-year-old project manager for a furniture dealer, recently moved into her first apartment, a Brooklyn walk-up. Decorating indecision plagued her, but she couldn’t afford an interior designer. Then she stumbled on an unexpected source of personalized décor advice: Instagram.
As the app has become a thriving marketplace, the account owners behind some design “boutiques” have started serving as personal shoppers and on-demand decorators. They’ll happily scour estate and garage sales for clients in hopes of forming fruitful bonds, as Ms. Grueskin discovered.
In the accounts recommended to her by Instagram’s algorithm, she came across a shop called Frost Road House that fellow Brooklynite Gina Reese had launched in June, eager to turn her thrifting hobby into a lockdown side hustle. Ms. Grueskin eyed a photo of tempered glass bottles and trays, then realized it had been sold. She direct messaged Ms. Reese, who offered to c