IF THE EDUCATION FITS ... FOR THESE FIT ALUMNI, DOORS HAVE BEEN OPENED AND SOLID CAREER OPPORTUNITIES HAVE PRESENTED THEMSELVES, THANKS IN LARGE PART TO THE SKILLS AND TRAINING THEY ACQUIRED IN SCHOOL.(Fashion Institute of Technology)

HFN: The Weekly Newspaper for the Home Furnishing Network, September, 2004 by Leizens, Leticia; Meyer, Nancy; O'Mara, Sheila Long; Webb, Carla

Byline: Sheila Long O'Mara, Leticia Leizens, Carla Webb, Nancy Meyer

Opening His Own Store Has Been a Dream Half-a-Lifetime in the Making

David Miles' goal for almost as long as he can remember has been to open his own home furnishings store.

His career path, which started when he was a 16-year-old high school student working in the men's apparel department at a Kmart in Michigan, is inching him closer to meeting that goal. Miles, 32, is currently looking for the perfect storefront in New York's Harlem to open his Sensual Living store in April.

"My whole growth path in life has been preparing me for this store," he said, adding that the store will initially sell bedding, bath, tabletop and personal care items. As the venture...