Home & Cottage Interiors is expanding their classroom space as well as their repetoire of creative workshops.
“For the past two Decembers our retail sales have been abysmal,” said Diane Galvin, store manager.
“The sales of our Annie Sloan Chalk Paint products remains steady, but we are finding it impossible to compete with the online stores for home decor and other seasonal gifts.”
Home & Cottage Interiors is the only Annie Sloan Chalk Paint stockist in Chatham – Kent and besides carrying all of their products, they offer workshops to teach customers the various painting techniques.
They also do a lot of custom work (painting furniture and kitchen cabinets for customers) and offer painted pieces of furniture for sale in their store.
“The future of retail is evident with the recent closure of the Sears stores and now Toys “R” Us,” Galvin said.
“In light of this we have decided to expand on the ‘service’ side of our business.”
In fact, Home & Cottage Interiors is turning the east side of their store into a dedicated classroom which will accommodate up to 40 participants.
The addition to their retail shop will be called “The Paint & Craft Studio” and they will be offering eight to 10 workshops every month.
They are also looking for other local artisans to utilize the space for their classes for workshops.
“So far, we have been very encouraged by the response from other artisans,” Galvin said.
“We have several people interested and our hope is that we have something going on here all the time.”
Home & Cottage Interiors is also planning to add children’s craft birthday parties on Saturdays.
“We are researching items for kids to make/paint during their birthday party, and hope to be able to offer age appropriate choices for the 4-7 and 8-12 age groups,” Galvin said.
In order to empty out the retail space that will become The Paint & Craft Studio, Home & Cottage Interiors is holding a liquidation sale starting Tuesday, January 30 at 10 a.m.
The sale will run for four consecutive weeks with a cascading discount.
The first week everything will be 40% off, the next week 50% off, the third week 60% off and the final week 70% off.
The longer you wait, the higher the discount, but the lower the selection.
The Home & Cottage Interiors retail shop will continue in the west half of the building.
“We will continue to carry all of the Annie Sloan products as well as a few new ones that also support furniture restoration and up-cycling,” Galvin said.
“And we will also carry unique Home Decor and gift items, but just on a smaller scale.”
Home & Cottage Interiors is located at 1964 Dufferin Ave., which is west of Wallaceburg just
passed Fairfield Park Nursing Home.
They are open Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Call 519-627-8400 or visit their Facebook page for more information about upcoming workshops and events.
Here is a sneak-peek at what is available in the store:
– This story is sponsored content
