When I first started my business all I wanted to do was paint furniture! It has always given me great pleasure to paint an item and see how it could be transformed into something beautiful. And even more satisfying is doing that for an actual customer! But I tell you I read a lot of blogs and have seen some real nightmare stories about unhappy customers and honestly this scares me more than a little:(
So I decided early on that I wanted to treat my customer the way I wanted to be treated. I would be honest and upfront, attentive and easy to reach. So far so good. Being great with customer service is a lot easier when it is modeled for you by others that you work with. I have found this to be the case with Websters Chalk Paint Powder. These guys set the bar pretty high when it comes to customer service and I have truly benefitted from that many times. ( I know they must cringe sometimes when I call or email - I am pretty high maintenance!)
So when Websters decided to feature some of my work on their blog I was thrilled. Now mind you, they do this for ALL Websters retailers but I felt pretty special when I saw one of my projects on their site. And in one of their videos! If you are into painting you really should check them out on youtube for tons of tutorials and inspiration.
They asked me to share 'my favorite piece' and I knew exactly what piece it would be. I bought this dresser from a friend who was making room for new stuff, lucky me. This dresser had seen better days! The legs were all gone, trim work was hanging by a thread, and the top had been abused beyond repair.
I had seen lots of examples on Pinterest of painting only a portion of a piece and leaving the natural wood in others so that was the plan because the drawers of this dresser were beautiful.
It is hard to believe it has been a year since I dove headfirst into my painting/picking business when I opened my first booth in an antique mall. My spot was way in the back of the mall which suited me just fine. I figured nobody would see what a novice I was if I hid in the back!
Six months in and I needed to make a decision - leave or stay. You see, I wasn't selling an awful lot and my rent was beating me up. I had become a retailer for Websters Chalk Paint Powder (check it out here) but couldn't sell it in this mall because they have an exclusive with another chalk paint retailer. Sales in my Lewisville booth were going well, mainly because of the Websters. But our new manager had a solution: move my booth closer to the center of the mall, and start working the desk in exchange for rent. Perfect!
So here I am, six more months and still sales aren't good. I've learned a lot from the staff here and I enjoy working and getting to know the other dealers. I've made friends here. My booth has never looked better, thanks to Cathy Lee! But that hasn't changed my sales.
I have always heard that when one door shuts another one opens. And that door swung wide open for exactly what I was looking for, a boutique. More on that later!
So today I will sadly say goodbye to my first booth ever and adios to all my new friends. But I will be back, because The Antique Gallery in Denton is one of my favorite places to shop! You should check them out sometime soon!
