When Cathy Melton was a real estate broker in Florida, one of her favorite things about the job was the staging and design of the homes. That love grew into a design services business, and after the serial entrepreneur sold the business and moved back to Michigan, it led her to repairing and refurbishing furniture, which has culminated in the opening of
Vintage Barn Boutique in downtown Chelsea.
"I really enjoy the fact that I could transform things and give them new life," she says. "When I started doing the refurbishment of furniture, I found I had a passion for it."
Vintage Barn Boutique opened last week on Main Street in Chelsea in a 1,000 square foot storefront. Melton says the high, tin ceiling and the large, picture windows in the front of the shop made it a perfect fit for her work, which she repairs after collecting from estate sales, barns, the side of the road and more.
"Nine times out of ten, if I can repair it, I'll purchase it," she says. "You can buy new furniture anywhere. This, for the most part, is all American made, and meets the high standard of quality that was normal when I was growing up."
The environmental factor is an important one for Melton. She says her work not only saves old furniture from filling up landfills, but is also gentle on the earth. She never uses any chemicals that are bad for the environment in her work.
Though only open a week, Melton says the Chelsea community has been very welcoming of her and the new store. She will also accept consignment items that fit the high standards for quality she's established for the shop.
Source: Cathy Melton, Vintage Barn Boutique
Writer: Natalie Burg
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