What began as a nightly hobby in March 2022 to retain a modicum of sanity working as a special education school secretary and caring for my 94 year-old Father, I didn’t expect my furniture refinishing to morph into a full-on addiction. My goal was simply to give my own exhausted furniture a facelift for my yet-to-be discovered seaside retirement house.

Well, as I often say, “Subject to Change”.  I did retire early to usher my father on his final journey just shy of 95; I have yet to move to that seaside oasis and have instead converted my garage into a full on “furniture resurrection studio”.

What seems like a lifetime ago, my house became a favorite place for family members and friends to drop off their hand-me-down and early American tag sale furniture items.  In those days, a tight budget meant I appreciated not having to buy new when I could simply refinish items that just needed a little love and elbow grease.  I stripped, sanded, stained and painted to make them my own, using harsh chemicals and oil-based paints that were particularly unforgiving and forced me to get it right the first time! Latex paint was considered like slapping lipstick on a pig by the older generation. While I’ve moved on to more forgiving (and greener!) chemicals, my attention to detail has stayed the same.

In my hometown, there is an area of the town dump that is known as “The Swap Shop”.  Townspeople can donate items that are in usable condition or take things that others have left.  For years, I’ve joked about furnishing an entire house with the incredible pieces of furniture that the townies drop off there – a joke that may actually come true at the rate I’m recycling!  I eyeball the day's treasures while driving slowly past to make my garbage run but try not to stop each time because like every town, we have hoarders and I know a few have been banned from the Swap Shop.  I don’t need to be saddled with that label – I have the 75+ refinished pieces sitting in my garage to remind me!  I created this website be the vehicle with which we find these beautiful/discarded items new homes.

With that I’m very excited to show you to my resurrected pieces! Thank you for visiting my website.