Wednesday, July 24, 2013

A new sign, our first workshop, and life with dogs


 Our first week at the new store flew by! We weren't sure what to expect because we didn't have a sign yet. We still kinda looked like we were the Northside Liquor store.  There is a glass canopy above the store so we couldn't just throw a ladder up there and remove the old sign. We needed a cherry picker truck, and that is one truck my hubby doesn't happen to have. I wasn't going to rent one either, so we just had to be patient. The phone rang at the store and the sign girl said they were enroute to install our new sign! Justin, Colin and I were all in the shop and were pretty excited to get this thing up!
 The truck with our newly designed sign laying on the flatbed. 
We decided to use a stylized version of an antique upholstered 
chair in addition to the lettering that imitates the 
lettering I use on this blog header.
 We are in a brick building set back from the street and have private parking for 30 cars.
  A glass canopy overhangs the front of the building
and we like putting some furniture out front underneath.
Right next to us is a women's workout gym, and at the other end 
is an established hairstylist that has been here for a long time. 
It seems this location is going to be ideal~we are close to the highway 
and convenient in that aspect and we also have a lot of women
 coming in to see what Chalk Paint® is all about! 
 For example~Colin has been getting quite a few pieces finished
 in the shop, and this antique sideboard was done in Paris Grey.
 We like to use dark wax on Paris Grey Chalk Paint.  
Its very rich and warms up the coolness of the grey.  
Some pieces we whip out the gilding wax to 
enhance the details like this sideboard.
 Really pretty! Colin is getting masterful at his painting and waxing I think!
 Here is how we apply the gilding wax~most often we use our fingertips. 
This is King Gold Gilding wax and we offer it at our online store. 
I am still on the first container and I use it alot!! So a little goes a long way.
 We have tons of painted samples in the store, and this sample 
was the one that inspired the sideboard paint job. If you are undecided
 you can come in to our big long table and go over our sample collection
 to see what appeals to you. Bring in your pillows or wall paint swatches
 or whatever you need to help you make a color decision.
 We had our first workshop today in the new space as well. It was during the workshop that the truck pulled up and installed the sign.  Two ladies painted formal chippendale chairs in Napoleonic Blue for a modern take on this old style mahogany chair. One of the ladies is putting them in her new home in the kitchen (the chairs were her mothers) and her friend helped her by painting another one~so she only has 4 left.  One gal had a cottage table she was doing rustic finish in Arles, the golden yellow color. This was coat one~in the background is a classic chippendale style mirror getting a makeover.  
 This is the kind of stuff I do in my house...I climb up on chairs and paint stuff. 
Do you do things like this? After 3 hours all the projects were finished~
and the painters were happily on their way home with their completed projects.
 Another one of our recent additions is this vanity/desk mirror set
 in a beach glass colored combination paint job.
 Getting a chance to look around and see different styles and colors
 and feel the finishes is one of the things we offer at our shop.
Betsy Speert came by and blogged about her visit at the new shop!
 We are working on our wall of antique and vintage mirrors~
I really love old mirrors. I love them when they are cloudy
 or have some of the silvering damaged, I think they add 
so much personality to a space. 
Mirrors are almost always the right accessory for a room! 
After the class I left early to head home and do laundry and wash some dropcloths and prepare a roasted chicken dinner. The guys were on their own~I asked them to 
send me a fun photo for the blog and this was the most acceptable one I could publish!
Business has been great and we are so happy to be in our new location! 
Running a business is filled with guessing and making decisions
 that you hope will pan out in your favor and while you never know, 
we are thankful that it appears to be the right one for Maison Decor.
So while the guys are still in Reading at the store, 
I am getting this blog off while the chicken is in the oven.  
I fed and walked the dogs~did you know that Justin and his girlfriend Madison 
live in the apartment we have in our home now? 
That means Sylvia lives with us too. 
She is a little mischievous girl...likes to "play" when the older dogs 
Tobey and Dillon have no interest. she likes to chew paper, 
chew laces off shoes, rip holes in hooked rugs...all that kind 
of good puppy stuff.  I swear as I am writing this very sentence 
I look over and she is chewing on the living room hooked rug!! 
GRRRRR!
Who Me???
Tobey would rat her out in a second if he could talk...
but the piece of paper on her mouth tells all. 
That was from an hour earlier when she was in her paper shredder mode...
now I guess she wants to get the carpets. 
So with that I am signing off!



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14 comments:

  1. This new location sounds great Amy, love that wonderful buffet in the gray with gold gilt! Ahhh puppies...looks like fun!

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  2. love your new store. wish I was close enough to shop. I use your blog for inspirations with chalk paint and am now working on a piece with Paris Grey. Thanks for all the inspiration and good luck with the new store!

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  3. Wish I could come shop there. I love the cute front and your new sign. Sending best wishes for a successful business. xoxo,Susie

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  4. I love the sideboard Colin just painted! He is turning out some beautiful pieces. The new shop looks wonderful and good for you that things are off to a great start!!!

    Best,
    Mimi
    A House Romance

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  5. That last picture made me laugh out loud. Toby's expression is sooooo funny, in fact both of their expressions are funny. I think that could win a doggie photo contest! I'm dyin over the color/wax combination on the sideboard. It's luscious, I want to copy that one for sure... hmmmm, now just need something to paint, i'm lookin around here right now.... and YAY the sign is up! It's so cute. I like seeing the sweet little chairs all lined up outside too! Looking great Amy...

    Cindy

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  6. Amy, the store looks fabulous and the new sign is the frosting on the cake. As usual your guys are turning out beautiful pieces. I keep planning a visit in my head. When construction is done here, I'm making a road trip. Oh..there is a product called Bitter Apple spray. It saved many an antique chair or table leg in my house. And rug fringe too. Spray it on and they won't go near it. Sylvia looks like she needs to play ball in the yard to exhaust her! LOL.

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  7. I still can't believe how quickly you got that shop up and running, Amy! Wow! You are amazing! I'm totally in love with that buffet table. Beautiful job on it, Colin! :) I'm so excited for you and your new location and how successful you are, girlie!

    xoxo laurie

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  8. Amy
    Wow all I can say is wow absolutely beautiful and amazing my friend. Well Done

    Heres to this lovely chapter of your life

    Hugs
    Kate
    xoxo

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  9. How exciting for you its looking really good :) Love the sign!

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  10. I dunno...I think Tobey looks like he's Sylvia's wingman in the paper caper. The new shop is looking fab. I am intrigued by the wall treatment behind the vanity/mirror. Did you do a stencil? Very pretty. Best, Beth C.

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  11. A big congrats to you! Next time I am up there I want to come for a visit..sign looks fabulous and that sideboard in Paris Gray is AMAZING!

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  12. Your new store looks fantastic, Love the mirror wall! The dogs look adorable and innocent. :)

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  13. Great pics of the store! Love your new sign. I bet that has helped bring more people into the shop too. Hopefully, Sylvia won't teach your dogs any bad habits while she's there. LOL!

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  14. Oh Sylvia! Good thing she's so cute! I adore that sideboard of course. The new sign looks great! How lucky you are to have a space out front where you can showcase things too. Next to a hair salon and a woman's workout place? That is perfect...lots of foot traffic and word will spread quickly...they'll all tell their girlfriends too. Can't wait to hear all about how things continue to go there.

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