Monticello Live

It is Christmas time in Monticello, and Christmas decorations are up and out for all to enjoy. One house that captures the imagination of Monticellonians this time of year is 502 North Main. Behind the doors of  this beautiful home live James and Sue Cathey. This is their story.

Sue Moore Cathey grew up in Little Rock. Her dad was a letter carrier, and her mother was a house wife.  She worked for Southwestern Bell for 40 years. In 1984 she became area manager for external relations in Pine Bluff. She retired December 31, 1990.

James Cathey grew up in Thorton, Arkansas.  After graduating from high school he attended Henderson State University. He graduated with a Business degree in 1957. After serving for several years as a public school teacher in DeValls Bluff, James enlisted in the Army as part of the Medical Service Corps. After completing his term in the service, he worked in banking in Magnolia for eight years. He received his advanced degree in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas in 1968 and then made Monticello his home.

Most know James as Mr. Cathey since he taught at the University of Arkansas at Monticello in marketing until he retired in 1999. But retirement didn’t slow this couple down. James and Sue now own Interior Redesign Firm.

They use their creativity to help people use their existing furnishings to redesign their home. They spend much of their time during the holiday season decorating houses. In between their busy work schedules that include homes from Little Rock, Hot Springs, Pine Bluff, and Monticello, they find time to decorate their beautiful green two-story Victorian home on North Main.

The Cathey’s moved to their current home in November 1991. James said that he had "always wanted a house with stairs, basically growing up as a pauper." When the couple bought the house they were newly-weds. James and Sue actually met at the annual McGehee Chamber of Commerce meeting in December 1987. They had a friend, Sue Ellen Johnson, who felt like they needed to meet each other. She introduced them at the meeting.

James had lost his first wife, Janice, to complications of Lupus in 1984. He has two daughters, Lesa and Traci. After James and Sue decided to marry, they realized they needed a house that would hold all of their belongings. This purchase and move is what spurred the couple’s interest in redecorating.

They specialize in helping clients with color and furniture placement. Being able to help couples similar to them, who are moving from a home they have lived in for many years to a smaller home, is something they enjoy. They use their design skills to enable people to downsize and redecorate without having to purchase new furnishings.

James’ credentials include: Interior Decorating classes from Tom Chandler of Little Rock; an Interior Internship from Sandy Sutton of Hot Springs; a diploma from the National Redesign Institute in Kansas City, Missouri; and a CIRS (Certified Interior Redesign Specialist) from Interior Redesign Industry Specialists.

With credentials like these, it may seem important for their own home to be a showcase. However, making things beautiful is clearly not something they feel obligated to do but something they enjoy. It takes the couple 4-6 weeks to decorate their home for Christmas. They decorate their house in between decorating their clients’ homes. They focus on decorating their own home one room at a time. Their home is full of holiday cheer:

•  The den, otherwise known as the Santa Room, contains countless numbers of Santa figurines which stay up year round. The full size tree in the den is decorated with Santa ornaments of every kind.
• The upstairs entry hall contains a full-size Victorian tree. Its tree topper is feathered angel that belonged to Lesa, James’ daughter, which was hers as a child. It also includes Victorian fans and an assortment of musical ornaments.
• The downstairs entry hall boasts a 12-foot Christmas tree that they call their contemporary tree, and it is covered with seed balls and berry swags.
• The library displays a table-top tree full of Beany-Babies given to them by friends over the years.
• The upstairs third bedroom is lit by a table-top tree which contains personal and sentimental ornaments acquired over the years.
• In the Bear Bedroom upstairs which is normally decorated with stuffed bears, there is another table-top tree that echoes the bear theme.

The Cathey’s are very active in community life. They attend the Wood Avenue ARP Church where James not only plays the organ and piano but is also the choir director. You’ve probably seen them watching parades from the front porch of their home.

During this season, as you’re out touring the many homes of Monticello that are beautifully lit and decorated, you won’t want to miss 502 North Main. In fact, it can’t be missed. Its cheer and charm echo that of its owners, James and Sue Cathey, one Monticello life.

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