Based in Kennett Square, Riverwards General is a full-service interior design studio providing boutique, tailor-made interiors for hospitality and residential clients. Recently, Kennett Square Life spoke with owner and principal designer Megan Helmuth and her husband, Brian about an early influence, a large project they are helping to create in the Borough and what they love about living and working in Kennett Square.

Kennett Square Life: Megan, you are a graduate of Unionville High School, and in a previous interview, you said that your pursuit of a career in interior design was influenced by a teacher you had at Unionville. Talk about that teacher and how he influenced you.

Megan: Michael Berkeihiser was my drafting and architecture teacher at Unionville, and as I came into high school, I was already interested in interior design and architecture, but it wasn’t until Mr. Berk’s class that I had someone to teach me skills in that regard, and a real-world application to try it out in. By nature, I am a planner and not a risk-taker, and in school I sort of had a “heads-down” mentality, keeping my focus on grades and my future career trajectory, but Mr. Berk had a way of bringing joy and fun to the class and brought me out of my shell. 

He cared about who we were as people, and I felt like he really saw me for who I was. I was very serious, and a bit of an introvert, but he sort of egged on the humorous side of me in a way that few teachers could. 

Mr. Berk helped me design a course for my senior year that combined architecture and interior design with a class of one – just me. I designed a hospital in that class, and he helped me through that process. Most importantly, he was always reminding me to slow down and enjoy what I was doing and to look sideways in life, not just keep my head down. 

After graduating from Thomas Jefferson University with a degree in Interior Design, you became a project coordinator and lead designer at a large architectural firm, and then moved to a smaller, woman-owned firm. What led you to start your own business?

Megan: Brian and I were living in the East Kensington section of Philadelphia, and at the time, I had a full time interior design career, and on the side I had my own line of candles, I repurposed vintage furniture, I would show up at pop-up markets, so I think a part of me always knew that I wanted to do my own thing. There are many entrepreneurs in my family, but it took life circumstances to make me do it. 

In February of 2020, we had our daughter. In March of 2020, the pandemic began and in April of 2020, I was laid off while still on maternity leave. After helping friends of ours restore their Philadelphia home due to a major fire, I decided that I was going to take every project I could get. Friends and family started hiring me and referring me, and then one day I had a past client call me and ask me what I was doing with my life, and I said, ‘I think I just started my own business.’

Why did you choose to start your business in Kennett Square? 

Megan:  When Brian and I were starting the business, we were in Philadelphia, and he was working for a non-profit organization while I was building my business; finances were tight. We sold our house, moved in with my parents in Kennett Square, and our original plan to stay with them for three or four months turned into 18 months, and slowly, we became taken with Kennett Square. 

We found a tight-knit community, we found friends, we found a new church and we loved that we could walk to places like we did in Philadelphia. It was a “coming home” for me, but it was also a new discovery. Operating Riverwards General in Kennett Square, has allowed me to bring the knowledge and all of what I have learned over the last 15 years, home.

Brian, talk about your role at Riverwards General.

Brian: The standard tasks I do for the company are administrative and financial work, but Megan is the heartbeat of Riverwards General – her design, her vision and her passion is what makes the company run, so the other part of my job is to free her to do all of that – from answering the e-mails to transporting the various elements of her designs, such as furniture. 

When Riverwards General first walks into a space – be it commercial or residential – what do you look for in terms of how you will begin to recreate that space?

Megan: I look for the stories; my job is to be a storyteller. My approach is to meet my client, get to know them, their wants and needs, understand the story of the architecture and the history of it, to listen, observe and feel. If it’s a commercial project, we incorporate the brand goals too. My job is to find those stories, draw them out, and use them to inspire, influence and intertwine a design narrative and aesthetic. Residentially, we want to leave our clients with a space that feels like a refuge to them, whatever that might mean for them personally. In commercial projects, my goal is to intertwine the company’s goal, its mission and the reach of its brand. 

When I walk into a space, I am taking a lot of photographs, I am doing a lot of sketching and I am doing a lot of listening. 

There is the remaking of a well-known historical building going on in Kennett Square right now that has Riverwards General’s name on it, in partnership with 120 Marshall LLC. Talk about The George on Marshall and how you first came upon the former borough hall building on Marshall Street.

Megan: Last spring, the Borough put out an RFP for three properties in town, asking for ideas on how to utilize them. I saw the 120 Marshall property, and it was love at first sight. The architecture and the method and means of construction of a building from that era are things you don’t see today. Today’s construction doesn’t have the same soul that a building of this kind offers. 

I met with [former Kennett Collaborative Director] Bo Wright as a new business owner, and in the conversation, I mentioned the 120 Marshall Street building, and he encouraged me to submit my idea. Bo became my cheerleader, of sorts, and he helped Brian and I walk through the process and what we needed to be planning for. I submitted a proposal, and Borough Council accepted our offer. Bo was integral in the whole process and though he originally offered to be a consultant for the project, we wanted him to be our business partner, and now he is. We reached an agreement of sale with the Borough in February of this year, and we closed in May.

What are your plans for the building, and when can Kennett Square expect a grand opening?

Megan: The building is four stories, and the top floor will become a long-term apartment rental. The first and second stories will become a boutique hotel, and in the basement, we are planning on converting it into a speakeasy wine and cocktail bar. The renovations are underway, and the opening date is scheduled for the Spring of 2024.

Brian: We’re excited about it becoming a great space, not just for visitors coming to the heart of Kennett Square, but we really want the local community to feel welcome here. It’s about inviting them to experience the space and be a part of this process with us. 

What is your favorite spot in Kennett Square?

Brian: I get into these grooves from time to time and right now I am really enjoying the breakfast sandwiches at Mary Pat’s at the Marketplace. I love to support businesses who are engaged in their community, and Mary Pat’s is very involved.

Megan: We asked our three-year-old daughter this question, she said the playground at Anson B. Nixon Par. She also loves the “pizza truck” aka Mezzaluna that comes to town on Third Thursdays. Every morning, I walk to Talula’s for an oat milk chai latte. I love making small talk with their baristas; at this point they all know what I order. It’s how I start every day and it clears my mind for the day ahead. I love seeing people in town and hearing the town bells ring on my way back to the office.

Brian and Megan throw a dinner party and can invite anyone they wish – famous or not, living or not. Who do you wish to see around that table?

Brian: We landed on inviting our eight grandparents: Edna and George, Doris and George, Kay and Delbert and Betty and Frank. Unfortunately, they are no longer with us, but each individually molded us into who we are today by prioritizing family. They were never in the same room at the same time, so Megan and I were thinking how amazing it would be to have them all together and hear their stories as the evening unfolds. 

We would also invite a third George – George Barber – who was the original architect of the building, that will soon become The George.

What item can always be found in the Helmuth refrigerator?

Brian: Real pure maple syrup. There is currently a one-gallon jug of it in our refrigerator. Before I met Megan, I didn’t realize how great it was. I love making pancakes on Sunday morning before church, and our daughter is a pure maple syrup connoisseur.

To learn more about Riverwards General, visit www.riverwardsgeneral.com.