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About Us
We're Building Something Special
An Invitation to Be a Customer Again
We built Emerald Fern Finishes because we wanted to create a place where you could be a customer again—not a consumer.
There's a difference.
Customers get served. Consumers get studied.
Customers get respected. Consumers get optimized.
Customers can walk away and it matters. Consumers are just data points in a quarterly report.
If you've felt that shift; f you've noticed that shopping for your home doesn't feel the way it used to; you're not imagining it. It's real. And it's by design.
This is our attempt to build something different. Here's why, and here's how.
The Problem We're Solving
The American home improvement industry is dominated by a handful of massive corporations. They control access, set pricing, shape vendor relationships, and spend billions lobbying for laws that protect their market share.
For most homeowners, the options are:
- Big-box stores with inflated pricing and transactional service
- Online marketplaces that treat you like an algorithm
- Local contractors who may or may not have access to professional-grade materials
If you're renovating a kitchen, bathroom, or any part of your home, you've probably felt the squeeze: materials cost more than they should, quality isn't what it used to be, and customer service has been replaced with chatbots and 1-800 numbers that lead nowhere.
We felt that too. And we decided to build an alternative.
Us vs Them
The Same Products. Different Values.
Who We Are
Emerald Fern Finishes is a Black- and woman-owned national distributor of professional-grade cabinets, flooring, tile, lighting, plumbing fixtures, and hardware.
We didn't start here. We spent over a decade working inside the construction and building supply industry; first as contractors, then as distributors—navigating every barrier, earning every certification, and building the vendor relationships necessary to qualify as a legitimate national supplier.
That process taught us a few things:
- The barriers to entry in this industry are intentional. They keep out the people who need access most.
- Representation in ownership matters—not as theater, but as infrastructure.
- The system rewards political connections and capital more than it rewards service or values.
We are one of the only Black- and woman-owned distributors for many of the product lines we carry in the entire United States. That's not because others haven't tried. It's because the system is designed to exhaust people into quitting.
So we built our own path. And now we're inviting you to walk it with us.
Emerald Fern Finishes is part of a larger ecosystem:
What We're Building
Emerald Fern Finishes
The marketplace. Professional-grade materials at transparent pricing, shipped nationwide.
Home Hack Academy
The education platform. Learn how to be your own general contractor, understand pricing, vet trades, and manage projects without DIY labor.
Rose Hill Cabinets
Our own affordable, professional-grade cabinet line. Proof that quality doesn't have to be inaccessible.
(Substack)
I Am The Emerald Fern
The stories behind the work. Personal essays, industry truth-telling, and cultural commentary.
Together, these create a path from homeowner to empowered project manager—and for some, from project manager to designer, flipper, or contractor with real industry literacy.
This isn't just about selling products. It's about redistributing knowledge, access, and ownership in an industry that has historically gatekept all three.
How We're Different
Here's what makes Emerald Fern Finishes different:
✓ We don't lobby. We don't donate to political campaigns. We don't participate in the political-corporate loop that shapes most major retailers.
✓ We price transparently. Our margins are clear. We're not hiding fees, inflating MSRPs, or playing games with "sales" that aren't really sales.
✓ We source ethically. We work directly with manufacturers and vendors who meet quality standards. We don't participate in exploitative labor models.
✓ We educate, not just sell. Through Home Hack Academy and our content, we teach homeowners how the industry actually works—so you can make informed decisions, whether you buy from us or not.
✓ We're accountable to you. We don't have shareholders. We don't have private equity backing. Our only job is to serve customers well enough that they come back and tell others. If we fail at that, we don't survive. It's that simple.
This isn't marketing language. It's how the business is structured.
Led with intention.
Our successful journey.
Built by people who know what it costs to be first.
- MILESTONE 1 — THE AWAKENING (Early 2000s)
Seeing the Industry From the Inside
- MILESTONE 2 — THE BREAKING POINT (2015)
When Silence Stopped Being an Option
- MILESTONE 3 — THE LEAP (2017)
Building Something Different
- MILESTONE 4 — CERTIFIED & PROVEN (2020)
From Vision to Verification
- MILESTONE 5 — ACCESS FOR HOMEOWNERS (2023)
Luxury Look. Real-World Pricing.
- MILESTONE 6 — THE SUPPLY SHIFT (2024)
When the Industry Started Cracking
- TODAY & TOMORROW — THE MOVEMENT
Education + Access = Power
We Chose the Name for a Reason
Ferns are ancient survivors. They grow in conditions that would stop most plants—through muck, mud, low light, and neglect. And when they grow, their leaves unfurl—a slow, patient opening toward light.
That's what we're building here. Not just a marketplace, but a space that unfurls—opening access, opening knowledge, opening possibilities for people who've been told the doors are closed.
Emerald Fern Finishes is the business. But the Emerald Fern is bigger than that. It's an invitation—to anyone who's had to grow through difficult conditions, to anyone who's been fragmented by systems that weren't built for them, to anyone ready to unfurl into something new.
You are Emerald Fern too.
How You Know We're Real
We know what you're thinking: "This sounds too good to be true. What's the catch?"
There isn't one. But we understand the skepticism.
In a world where every "ethical brand" is secretly backed by private equity, every "mission-driven company" is theater for acquisition, and every "independent business" turns out to be a subsidiary of something massive—people have learned not to believe anything.
Here's what sets us apart:
We're MBE certified. Minority Business Enterprise certification isn't something you can buy or fake. It requires years of documentation, financial audits, site visits, and proof of ownership. Most small businesses never make it through the process—not because they're not qualified, but because the barriers are intentionally exhausting.
We did it anyway.
Our pricing reflects our structure. We're not inflating MSRPs or playing pricing games. Compare our prices to any major distributor—Home Depot, Lowe's, Floor & Decor—and you'll see we're competitive or better. That's not marketing. That's math.
We publish what we know. Through our blog and Home Hack Academy, we teach homeowners how the industry actually works—including how to evaluate any distributor, not just us. If we were hiding something, we wouldn't be teaching you how to spot it.
Our names are on this. We're not hiding behind shell companies or anonymous LLCs. Camille and Marcus Johnson. That's us. Our reputations are on the line, and we're building this to last.
We get one shot at this. So we're building it right.
Welcome. We're glad you're here.
An Invitation
If you're renovating a kitchen, updating a bathroom, or just trying to make your home feel like yours again, we'd be honored to be part of that process.
You can browse our collections, request a quote, or just explore and learn. We don't gate content. We don't pressure. We're here when you're ready.
And if you decide to shop elsewhere—truly, that's fine. What matters most is that you have a choice. A real one.
Because the goal isn't just to build Emerald Fern Finishes. It's to prove that businesses like this can exist—and thrive—when customers decide they're worth supporting.
— Camille & Marcus Johnson
Founders, Emerald Fern Finishes
Emerald Fern Finishes
Transparent access to quality products without the markup, political machinery, or corporate gatekeeping.
Transparent access to quality products without the markup, political machinery, or corporate gatekeeping.