Hello, I’m Wendy. The proud owner of Regained Relics. I started this business in May of 2017. It grew out of my love of old things and my new found passion for upcycling and painting furniture. When I’m in the shop, I’m definitely in my Happy Place. I started painting furniture for fun in my two bedroom apartment and caught the furniture flipping bug pretty quickly. After all, I couldn’t keep them all!
I decided it was time to follow my new found passion for upcycling old things and found this amazing house for sale. The space was perfect! It had a deli on the main level and a charming upstairs living area. So I could open a small business and live upstairs! It really never gets old. I love just being able to pop downstairs to open the store, especially in the winter!
My partner and I started going to auctions and I realized, I like cleaning up old antiques to be displayed in the store for sale. Making old furniture look beautiful again is enjoyable and rewarding to me. There is no matching the quality of the furniture from the earlier centuries. So solid and unique with beautiful craftsmanship. If furniture is scuffed and marred, I love to refinish and paint it to bring a new look and appreciation to the piece. Maybe it can be loved for another hundred years!
When I opened…
When I first opened Regained Relics in 2017, I was still working full time. The store could only be open a few evenings through the week and on Saturday and Sunday. I didn’t have quite the inventory I have now. I started out with newly obtained treasures from some auctions and a small display of Fusion Mineral Paint.
I have enjoyed using these products since I happened upon a display in a quaint store when I was starting to paint furniture. Fusion immediately had me hooked! So I applied to be a vendor and started with a few bottles of their top sellers.
Modest Beginnings…
My first display was very small, but I was proud of it. It fit on a 3′ x 5′ bookshelf. It didn’t take me long to realize that Fusion Mineral Paint was going to be very popular. When I could, I added extra colors to my display until I had to move the display to a bigger area. I kept expanding until I decided to be an online retailer for Fusion as well. So in order to do that, I agreed to carry all of their products. Now I am proud to offer the full line of Fusion Mineral Paint and Products both in store and on my website shop.
Then Other Products Caught My Interest…
As my passion for furniture upcycling grew, I learned as much as I could about everything I could. I practiced and experimented with products. That’s when I decided to start carrying Redesign with Prima Products. I really love to decorate my painting furniture pieces with decor transfers.
Then, about a year later, I found WoodUbend and Posh Chalk Products. Omg! Love at first sight. These products took my furniture and decor item painting to the next level. The WoodUbend Mouldings and Trim decorate furniture like you wouldn’t believe. And the Posh Chalk Products are premium quality. They are made and distributed from Great Britain. I’m pleased to be the retailer for these products in East Hants. There are a variety of premium coatings, stencils and decoupage papers. I quickly decided to start carrying these products in the store as well. I incorporate them in every piece I do now.
Besides all of the mentioned upcycling products, I carry a variety of antiques and vintage items as well and painted furniture upstairs in the store area. And then there is the basement. I have an old house so if you’re into searching through old basements for treasures, you’ll love it. There is unfinished project furniture as well as some old tools, furniture legs, odds and ends and sale items.
You will need to take your time and go around the store a few times to take it all in. There are things tucked everywhere. You can enjoy a walk down memory lane while listening to 50’s and 60’s music. If you’re lucky, you may even get a greeting from Holly, my cat who live upstairs with me. She likes to come downstairs and greet people on a whim.
