I have a story to tell you — about a dream of mine called Curated Finds Inspired For You.
When we are little, most of us have dreams of how we want to live, what we want to do and who we want to be.
As we move through life, sometimes those dreams are set aside for the realities we live with. The dream lingers in our mind, soul and consciousness, waiting for the moment to come to life.
My own dream, of owning my own store, has been with me my entire life. Over the years, I’d dream about how it would look and how happy my customers (and I) would be.
Finally, that dream is coming true — I can’t believe it; pinch me! The universe has spoken in its wonderful way and created a fabulous, unexpected opportunity for me and my two friends.
Let me explain.
I received a phone call in July from my friend Myrna Beattie, who had a question for me: Would I be interested in partnering with her and another friend, Arlene Cochrane, to open a store in downtown Smiths Falls?
I couldn’t get the words out fast enough — absolutely I would!
Myrna and I met six years ago through the Habitat for Humanity ReStores, where Myrna worked (and continues to work). We became fast friends through our love of thrifting, design and retail.
Arlene has extensive retail and design experience through her own floral shop and working in the furniture industry for years.
The three of us are the perfect combination of experience, passion for design and customer service.
After the initial shock of Myrna’s question, I thanked the universe and then we sat down and did some brainstorming about the kind of store we wanted, what our customer experience would be and what type of inventory we would like to showcase.
Our vision was clear: a welcoming, fun, inspiring place where we curate pre-loved home decor and showcase female artisan creations in the community from those who, like us, are passionate about offering unique, well-priced pieces for our customers, to bring out their personality.
We were offered a fantastic opportunity to have a store in downtown Smiths Falls and we jumped at the chance. I had never been to Smiths Falls before, so I was anxious to check it out. What I found was a quaint, welcoming small town, where the residents are proud of their beautiful and historic downtown. It was the perfect synergy for us.
We gave ourselves just a couple of months to get the store ready and stocked, develop a logo and social media, and reach out to the community to let them know we were here. We started from nothing and through sheer will, determination and our shared dream, made the store a fabulous reality.
I won’t lie, it was chaotic for a few weeks — but it was magical, too.
Getting ready
Bringing a store to life is a huge undertaking! We relied on each other’s strengths and contacts. Each of us is always on the lookout for special pieces for the store. Where do we find them? Anywhere! Thrift stores, yard and estate sales — we’re always searching.
We did some brainstorming about our “brand” and we very quickly decided on the name Curated Finds Inspired For You. From that we created our logo in house. Truthfully, we didn’t think that creating a brand would be our strength but, honestly, our passion for our dream took over.
When it comes to social media, we had a vision of how we wanted to reach out and come across to our customers and followers. We love posting every day — everything from behind-the-scenes photos and stories to daily captures of our happy customers with their treasures. And it was a great way to create a buzz.
After consulting local businesses in the area, we decided to open our doors from Thursday to Saturday, reserving Sundays for our workshops and private shopping for workshop attendees.
Our artisans
Our local artisans are thrilled to be a part of this unique, special place. They are each starting out in their creative craft and never would have thought they would be featured in a bricks-and-mortar store. As an added bonus, they will offer workshops in the store so that others can learn, be inspired and be creative.
Our artisans include:
- Rebecca Parke, Oatcake Supply Company: handcrafted lampshades
- Gayle Oudeh, It’s Pouring Art: pour painting
- Lana Doss, The Fine Gardener: unique terrariums, succulents and moss creations
- Louise Sauve, Rock to Driftwood Art
- Pat Durant, Artfully, Pat: multimedia art/journals
“My art caters mostly to women, so I think this will be a great spot to start showing my work in public,” says Louise in sharing her reason for joining us. “I love working with women and so far, what I’ve seen and heard looks like it’s gonna be a great partnership with beautiful creative women with great stories.”
Pat is excited to showcase her pieces at Curated Finds because she thinks it will be a good fit for her artwork. “The store’s style is a natural backdrop to showcase what I create, and vice versa,” she says. “Together, we will enhance one another’s creative vision. The energy is entirely positive and that I wish to be associated with.”
The grand opening
Our doors opened in late August to an incredible response from the community. It gives us great joy when customers come in and fall in love with the treasures they find, often sharing their amazing stories with us.
“Curated Finds is a vision made reality by three friends who shared a hope for a place where women can come together as a creative collective, inspiring other women to create their own amazing space that reflects who they are,” Smiths Falls mayor Shawn Pankow said at our grand opening on Sept 23. “We are so delighted that this treasure hunter’s dream has found its home in downtown Smiths Falls and into the hearts of the community.”
The time has flown by and our hearts are full. Our dream has come true.
We hope you’ll come and visit us soon!
Curated Finds Inspired For You
Where: 13 William St. E., Smiths Falls
Hours: Thursday, Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Info: Join us on Facebook, where you can get updates about our workshops
