“Don’t throw it away!” That is the mantra of Kristy and Duran Searles, owners of the new store in Peace Dale – Painted Karma. The shop was born of frustration. “We were trying to furnish our first house and couldn’t find anything to fit our style,” says Kristy, “so we started making our own.” Soon friends and neighbors were asking for pieces and voila – a business was born.
This dynamic duo handles everything from finding the inventory to adding the finishing touches. Duran does the construction and electrical work, Kristy mixes her own paints and does the fabric work. Painted Karma, appropriately repurposing an old Peace Dale schoolhouse, is an ever-changing mosaic of items simply because the Searles’ never know what they will find to work on. Each piece is one-of-a-kind. Some are freshended up with new paint and hardware, while others are totally repurposed. Thus an old door becomes a book shelf, a bureau morphs into a padded bench and a chicken coop transforms into a cocktail table.
One recurring item they love to work with is old luggage. Kristy turns the bags into storage tables while Duran takes grandpa’s old valise and kits it out into a funky portable speaker.
Sure to catch the eye and bring a smile, these can be plugged into your computer, TV or phone. Commissions are accepted, too – their latest turned an 1850s sleigh bed into a handsome standing height pub table.
Check out the new life and good Karma that the Searles bring to the old and worn. But don’t hesitate – that unique piece might disappear tomorrow, never to be seen again.
Painted Karma
22 Kersey Road, Wakefield
789-4536
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