Chic Antiques specializes in using vintage pieces in a fresh, contemporary, very chic way. Each painted piece is hand done one at a time enabling you to create a look for your home that is uniquely yours.
If you are on the hunt for something special, please let me know. I am always adding to my inventory.
Do you own a vintage piece of furniture that just isn’t working with your decor? I am available to paint what you already own to give it that updated, very chic look.
Need help in achieving that chic look for your home? I can help there, too. I am available for consultations in color choices and furniture placement.
The History Behind Chic Antiques:
I had just quit my full time job as a medical insurance adjuster after 13 years. I had 3 kids, Ian 9, Kara 5, & Erin 2. I was pregnant with my 4th child, Kyle and I had a horrible case of pneumonia. I was too sick to concentrate on reading a book, so I watched a whole lot of TV. Nothing was on but game shows and soap operas though, both of which I loathed. While flipping through the channels, I caught Christopher Lowell proclaiming, “No more white walls!”, and I thought, well here’s a man after my own heart! From that moment on I was hooked on DIY TV. I watched The Christopher Lowell Show and everything on HGTV like it was a religion.
Kyle was born on the 4th of July, 1998. In September, we moved from St Clair Shores to Lake Orion. I knew no one. I put the kids in the car, packed some snacks, and gave everyone a dollar or two. Since Ian was the only one who could read at this point, I would give him a pair of binoculars and have him read the garage sale signs as we passed them. (This honor was handed down to each child as they learned to read and the older one refused to it any longer) We hit every garage sale and thrift shop within a 20 mile radius. I decorated our entire house (which is twice the size of our previous home) with my finds, after giving them a “chic” makeover, of course, with the tricks I had learned.Once the house was decorated, I was a full blown addict. I couldn’t stay away from garage sales or thrift shops, so I started renting booth spaces at craft malls and antique shops, doing art shows, and selling from Etsy and Craigslist. I even started hosting open houses at my home.
When all the kids were in school, I decided it was time to go back to work. I started working for a former employer as an insurance adjuster. That job lasted two years, and then I was laid off. As I told my friends I was looking for a job, they urged me to take my “business” to a new level and open my own shop. I thought they were insane, I didn’t know the first thing about running a business! My husband had been self-employed, and said it wasn’t that big of a deal. True…if he could do it, why couldn’t I???
I opened Chic Antiques in July of 2008 and I still have some very loyal customers from that small shop in Lake Orion. I even have customers whom I met off of Craigslist, and the different shows I did. They have followed me from my open houses to my stores.
