After three years of hard work, Southern Willow Interiors is almost ready to open the doors.
The home decor shop in New Bloomfield is planning a grand opening May 1, and the owners can't wait to show the community the work they've done when the open the site at 9130 Old U.S. 54.
It all started when Mary Gardner's husband asked her what her dream job would be. She said she had always wanted to have a store. Gardner didn't think much more about the conversation until months later, when her husband came home and announced he had purchased a barn.
"That's not really too off the wall for him," Gardner said, laughing.
But his plans were to use the existing structure to build Gardner's dream store. (Gardner and her husband run a construction company in the area.) After that, Gardner said she quickly reached out to Sheila Owens, a former coworker and close friend who she knew would be a perfect business partner. And they instantly knew the type of shop they wanted to open, as the pair always loved decorating.
And the work on Southern Willow Interiors began.
The old former horse barn was dilapidated, and the Gardners, as well as Owens and her husband, spent a lot of time doing the painstaking work of carefully dismantling it themselves so pieces of it could live on in the new store.
The tin on the roof and the exterior wood is from the barn. Inside the finished store are several unique pieces of furniture made from the barn itself, from a rustic wood table to room dividers made from stall doors and accent pieces. Projects like that aren't easy, as they had to be very purposeful in taking apart the old structure.
"We had to create a tool to take the tin off so we didn't damage it," Gardner said.
All throughout the process, the owners were continuing to work separate full-time jobs while trying to do as much of the work themselves to help keep costs down.
"We dug out here when the bobcat quit working," Owens said, as the pair reminisced on the work they'd done and laughed as they recalled the particularly rough and muddy days of working on the site. "We have literally worked in the scorching heat and the most bitter cold."
But even then, it was still something they enjoyed. Each had their husbands supporting them every step of the way, with Monte Gardner getting the initial ball rolling and Gary Owens providing the startup capital, in addition to the hands-on construction work they all took on.
"We do love it. It's been a labor of love," Gardner said.
Gardner's husband, Monte, also helps create the unique pieces in the shop itself. Gardner said she and Owens like to try to find pieces that others are either getting rid of or throwing away and breathe new life into them. Their visions are made into reality by Monte Gardner's expertise, she said.
"We come up with these ideas and we just tell Monte," Gardner said.
Both Gardner and Owens are proud of the fact that at least 90 percent of the items in their store have been upcycled, which prevents them from occupying a landfill somewhere, Owens said. They spend a lot of time carefully working on each piece, and those that they've spent the most time on have clear personalities.
As Owens pointed out items in the store that took extra time, she identified them by name - not brand or furniture, but a name that matched its personality: "Marilyn Monroe." "Rhett Butler." "Elizabeth Taylor."
"The pieces that we've spent a lot of time with, we really feel like we've build a relationship with them," Owens said. "We've brought 'em back to their new glory and, hopefully, their new life, and they can be adopted into a new home."
Not only are the pieces unique, Owens said, but they are quality and should stand the test of time.
Southern Willow Interiors will have a grand opening from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. May 1 with live music on site. For updates on store hours and other items, follow Southern Willow Interiors on Facebook.
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