Faith in Action: From Kicker to Picker (Part 1 of 2)
This blog tells the story of how my husband and I built a new business together...completely outside of our wheelhouse, simply by putting our faith in action! [Part 1 of 2]
Handyman Handycap
During the first 6 years of our marriage, my husband Craig was in the last 6 years of his career as a professional athlete. During that time, we had a running joke when it came to household tasks. I would affectionately tease him with comments like, “Honey, you’re a man of many talents….but handyman is not one of them!”
My own D.I.Y. toolbox was mostly M.I.A., a/k/a N.M.T. – “Not My Thing”. And back then, my home decorating skills also registered zero on the talents scale. I thought it was like musical aptitude...you’re either born with ‘the decorating gene’, or you’re not. But in the years since Craig's NFL retirement, we've both learned new life lessons about old mindsets.
New Attitude – New Aptitude
When it comes to what we’re capable of, both as individuals and together, our perspective has become more prospective. The impossible has become achievable, as we’ve learned firsthand what a little elbow grease and F.I.A. (faith in action) can do do. Together, we turned clueless into a business!
It’s one of my Accidental Entrepreneur stories, and it begins with, "Once upon a time, we had a new home under construction..."
Thinking outside the Budget Box
Anyone who has built a new home from scratch knows the budget sheet juggling game. By the time you’re nearing the end of the project, you’re asking questions like, “Which is more important…pouring a sidewalk outside to walk on, or having furniture inside to sit on?”
While Craig and I were in the process of building our new home, furniture and decorating became just a few of our budget busters that required out-of-the-box thinking. So, I decided the most economical way to keep costs low would be to repurpose as many old pieces as possible. That’s when a new designer, Melissa Lewis (Found Designs)* entered our world. In Melissa, we also ‘FOUND’ a new friend and a new purpose…or rather, a new repurpose.
A Pinterest Pupil & A Pawn Shop Pioneer
Melissa and I began frequenting flea markets and antique malls for thrifty finds. We got ideas from Pinterest and brainstormed together about how to make them “next level”. For a total cost of $400, a set of old gym lockers got a powerwash and a fresh coat of paint, and became a desk for our son’s room with a tabletop attached to its side suspended by rope. For under $200, a set of garage sale grandma chairs were dressed with new fabric coverings for a sitting nook. A set of old shutters were hung on a wall with framed photos hanging from decorative drawer knobs, making a unique wall gallery display for under $100. Below are some photos of some of our unique and budget-friendly decor creations.
As Melissa showed me the ropes of repurposing with the hired help of handymen she knew, Craig decided one day he wanted to learn the art of repurposing, too. He went to a pawn shop, returning home with a box of miscellaneous tools. He began tinkering in the garage with old and new wood scraps, teaching himself by trial and error (with some help from You Tube videos) how to build not only new furniture pieces, but also “upcycled” items (i.e., an old truck tailgate becomes a bar top for a man cave room).
While Craig was learning the craft of building and upcycling in the garage with his pawn shop tools, I was learning a new craft of my own in the yard: How to create the perfect rust on metal with spray bottles of vinegar and muraitic acid (don’t try this at home folks… except carefully, and with gloved hands!), and how to turn them into creative wall and mantle décor pieces.
Mr. and Mrs. Kicker Picker
As we pioneered this new creative territory together, Melissa encouraged us both with helpful advice, design tips, and “You can do this!” cheerleading. Before long, she was buying our pieces for her clients, and at her suggestion we decided to put some of our pieces in a rented booth space at an antique mall. We called our booth Hen House Co-Op, and during our first two years of booth-ing, Craig and I added more new skills to our learn-as-we-go repertoire:
How to “style” (a/k/a “stage”) a booth to be welcoming and homey (Beginner Tip: Start by Googling “Styling ideas for décor”).
How to create eye-catching “vignettes” (Beginner Tip: Search that word on Pinterest).
The process of going “junking” (a/k/a pickin’ trippin') for old relics and materials at estate sales, flea markets, and properties of “extreme collectors”. (It's like "American Pickers" TV show episodes, only it’s your neighbor’s uncle or your buddy's friend who's the “extreme collector” ready to sell some stuff).
The process of creating a vendor booth at a Pop Up Fair (Visit the website of our friends at CityFarmhouseFranklin.com to learn what a Pop Up Fair is).
Shown below are some photos of the early days of our new business coming to life...and a TV news piece featured about Craig's new pickin' habit!
In Part 2 of this blog, learn how our new "booth baby" grew up... into a store. :-)
