designshop

What designshop does

designshop is a Memphis, Tennessee-based architecture firm founded in 2013 that provides custom architectural design, construction documentation, and project management services across commercial, residential, educational, religious, hospitality, and civic projects. The firm has completed over 300 projects since inception, with a client roster that includes municipal governments (City of Millington, City of Dyersburg, Shelby County Government), enterprise and institutional clients (Memphis Grizzlies, Glaxo Smith Kline, Children's Museum of Memphis), and K-12 and higher-education institutions (Whitehaven High School, Mid-South Christian College, Millington Central High School). The firm's differentiation centers on a listening-first, custom one-off design philosophy rather than reuse of prior plans, with additional emphasis on sustainable design beyond LEED certification and collaborative integration of architectural and engineering disciplines.

The firm operates with a 12-person team (six listed on the website including two principals, two project managers, a controller, and an architectural designer) and uses industry-standard tools including AutoCAD, Revit, and Adobe Creative Suite. Revenue is generated through professional services fees quoted per project based on scope, complexity, and duration, with multi-year contract cadences typical for larger institutional and government engagements. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, primarily within the Memphis metropolitan area, with project acquisition driven by referrals, portfolio visibility, and direct client engagement. The firm's marketing footprint includes a Substack newsletter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook presence, supplemented by editorial coverage in Archdaily, Dezeen, and Curbed.

designshop is privately held with no external funding rounds, parent company, or M&A activity disclosed. It is operated under its founding principals Scott Guidry (RA) and Tim Michael (AIA), with project-based collaborators including GCD Interiors, Nelson Architectural Group, and Balaity Property Enhancement. The firm is currently hiring a Project Architect, signaling organic headcount expansion. Operating geography is concentrated in the Memphis region with no stated global footprint, though national press coverage suggests modest brand extension beyond the local market.

Name

designshop

Legal name

designshop

Website

https://designshoparc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

designshop is a Memphis-based architecture firm founded in 2013 that provides custom architectural design, construction documents, and project management across government, education, commercial, residential, and hospitality sectors in the Mid-South region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Commercial architecture
• Residential architecture
• Construction documents
• Sustainable building design

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Professional architectural services including design, construction documents, and project management for diverse project types. Revenue generated through fees for architectural services on new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

designshop is a Memphis-based architecture firm that provides custom architectural design services including design, construction documents, and project management for new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse projects. The firm serves commercial, residential, educational, hospitality, government, religious, and community clients with a listening-first, one-off custom design approach tailored to each client's vision.

Product overview

designshop is an architectural firm offering architectural design services. The company creates memorable, functional spaces across diverse project types including commercial, residential, educational, religious, hospitality, and civic facilities. Their portfolio of completed projects serves as case studies demonstrating their design capabilities rather than being separate product offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services Full architectural design services for new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse projects across commercial, residential, educational, hospitality, government, and religious sectors. Each project is a custom one-off design tailored to the client's vision.
• Construction Documents Preparation of detailed construction documents for building projects, supporting contractors and ensuring on-time, on-budget execution.
• Project Management Project management oversight for architectural projects, ensuring budget and schedule adherence through a collaborative, multi-discipline approach.

Quantifiable outcome

• Completed over 300 projects on time and within budget since 2013

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Balaity Property EnhancementminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerServed as atmospheric designer for Sissy's Log Cabin project in Memphis. Project-based collaboration on retail jewelry store design.
• Nelson Architectural GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerServed as owner's representative for Sissy's Log Cabin project. Project-based collaboration supporting designshop's architect-of-record role.
• GCD InteriorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with designshop on Soul Fish Cafe restaurant interiors. Design partnership combining architecture and interior design expertise.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hnedak Bobo Group: Established Memphis architecture and planning firm with broader service breadth and similar exposure to civic, educational, and commercial clients in the Mid-South region.
• archimania: Memphis-based architecture firm of similar size and design-led ethos, working across education, civic, and commercial projects in the Mid-South. Closest comparable on regional scale, custom-design philosophy, and project-type mix.
• Askew Nixon Ferguson Architects: Memphis-headquartered architecture firm with a comparable mix of education, civic, and commercial projects, competing for similar institutional RFPs in the Memphis market.
• brg3s architects: Memphis-based architecture firm of similar vintage and scale, pursuing custom commercial, residential, and adaptive reuse work — directly comparable on practice size and design philosophy.
• Self+Tucker Architects: Memphis architecture firm with comparable size and a portfolio spanning civic, educational, and community-focused projects in the Mid-South — directly competing for similar municipal and nonprofit clients.
• Trojnar Associates Architects: Memphis-rooted architecture firm with a comparable mix of civic, educational, and commercial clients across the Mid-South, competing head-to-head for similar public and private commissions.
• Bounds & Gillespie Architects: Memphis-based architecture practice with comparable scale, competing for similar commercial, institutional, and residential commissions in the Memphis metro.

Broad incumbents

• HOK: Large global architecture practice whose sports, healthcare, education, and civic portfolios directly overlap with the kinds of clients (sports franchises, healthcare/pharma, schools, government) that form designshop's strongest relationships.
• Gensler: Global design and architecture firm whose commercial, hospitality, sports, and workplace practices cover the same end-client segments designshop serves (e.g., Memphis Grizzlies–type venues, corporate campuses, retail) but at vastly greater scale.

Regional players

• Looney Ricks Kiss (LRK): Long-established Memphis-headquartered architecture firm with a broader multi-city footprint and a similarly diversified practice in commercial, residential, hospitality, and civic work — a natural benchmark for designshop's regional and vertical reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/designshop.arc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/designshop-arc
• Instagraminstagram.com/designshoparc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about designshop