By Mike Pound

Globe columnist

This may come as a shock to some people, but I don’t know much about interior decorating.

Many years ago, when our friend Don and I were turning the screened-in porch at our house into a three-season porch, we wanted to (and this is true) use something that we called the “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model” motif.

My wife, who does know much about interior decorating, had other ideas. And a “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model” motif was not one of those ideas.

So having established my lack of interior-decorating skills, I can honestly tell you that I wasn’t sure why I agreed to drive up to Nevada and stop by a store called Interior Motives. I guess part of the reason was because Jill, the woman who called to tell me about Interior Motives, was so persuasive. Jill is what you would call a talker — in a good way. Some people are talkers in a bad way — I’m thinking Bill O’Reilly here — but not Jill. I found out later from Bobbi Ogle, the owner of Interior Motives, that when she travels to other cities with Jill and other friends, they make Jill sit in the front seat of taxicabs to talk to the driver.

Jill’s not bashful, is what I’m saying.

So Jill, who works part time at Interior Motives, started telling me about the place and how neat it is. Then she told me that the store is sort of hard find — well, as hard to find as a store in Nevada can be — and that sort of interested me. See, I like the idea of neat, unique places tucked away in small towns. So, pretty much solely on the basis of Jill’s sales pitch, I motored on up to Nevada.

Interior Motives is at 611 E. Cherry St. in an area known as the Historic East End. Situated pretty much right off Business Highway 54, the store pulls in a surprising amount of traffic from U.S. Highway 71.

“We have people from Kansas City who shop here, and there are people in Nevada who can’t find us,” Bobbi told me with a chuckle.

The Historic East End is about a block long. In addition to Interior Motives, the area has a tattoo parlor (really), a gun shop and a neat secondhand store called Loretta’s Attic that serves as a fund-raising arm of a local shelter for abused women.

Because of the, shall we say, unusual variety in the Historic East End, it was even more surprising to open the door and walk into to Bobbi’s store. It’s a classy place, is what it is. I’m not implying that the tattoo parlor across the street isn’t classy. I’m just saying Bobbi’s place is classy in a different way. Classy in a way my wife would like.

The store, which is deceptively large, is tastefully laid out. Prints and wall hangings are casually displayed among accent furniture, lamps, mirrors, candles, bookshelves, clocks, drapes, window treatments and a bunch of other stuff I didn’t recognize but I know my wife would love.

It’s a place that’s sort of hard to describe because it’s so unique, and it’s uniqueness can be traced to Bobbi herself.

Bobbi, who has been working in the retail business for more than 25 years, started Interior Motives in her home in the late 1980s. As the business grew, she relocated to a building on West Austin Street, then moved to her current location in 1996.

Bobbi, who travels occasionally and stops at other home stores, said she hates to walk into shops that remind her of other shops. She’s not a big fan of large chain stores and prefers the freedom of selling products that appeal to her.

“You have to trust your instincts,” she said. “But at the same time, you have to listen to your customers. You can’t just order what you like.”

As I think I mentioned, I don’t know much about interior decorating, but I really liked Bobbi’s place. I also liked Bobbi and her staff. Sometimes you can just tell when you’re dealing with a group of people who love what they’re doing. But mainly, I think I like Interior Motives because it’s off the beaten path. I like it because it gives folks buzzing up and down Highway 71 a reason to slow down and remember that sometimes the neatest things are right around the corner.

For a peak at Interior Motives, you can dial up Bobbi’s Web site at www.bobbiogle.com.