First, A Little History...
Rustic Barn Boutique was officially launched in October of 2017. After having a successful career in graphic design and owning my own design company, Graficus Design Group, for over 25 years, I decided to pursue an avenue to break away from the computer and put my creative juices to work with my bare hands…much like the designing I did back in college before computers took center stage. I’ve always had an immense love for interior decorating and unique pieces of furniture with character. Refinishing pieces of furniture and creating unique pieces of home décor seemed like a natural next step. Hence, Rustic Barn Boutique was born.
In October of 2018 I made a last minute decision to enter my first show as a vendor in Lawrenceburg, IN. The show was Ruffles and Rust. I had little time to prepare but did my best. My booth was very simplistic, however, especially compared to some of the other vendors. Despite this, I did quite well. So when I decided to return to Ruffles and Rust in Hamilton, OH in November of that same year, I really wanted to step up my game.
Having designed my logo in 2017, I really wanted to continue the theme of a rustic barn for my backdrop. I went on a mission to find authentic barn wood to meet that end. After much searching, I found Upcycled Creations in Marysville, Ohio (now located in Dublin, Ohio). The owner, Roy, had recently dismantled an old barn, and the wood was exactly what I was looking for. When Roy sent me pictures of the barn from when it was still standing, I knew I needed this wood!
The Story Behind the Smiley Barn
According to Roy, in 1910, the Smiley family built this barn on Monkey Hollow Road in Sunbury, Ohio. In 2018, the barn was dismantled and used by Upcycled Creations to make several barn doors, a farmhouse table with benches, floating shelves, a mantel and railings for use in the house on the same property. Fortunately, Roy had more of the barn wood left!
My Vision for the Backdrop
I mocked up my design idea for the backdrop in Photoshop and sent it to Roy. I asked if he could make me a frame for my logo too, so I could hang it on my backdrop. This was my vision...
The Completed Backdrop
I couldn't have been more pleased when Roy sent me pictures of the completed doors. He created a total of 3 doors, each 2" thick, measuring 6 feet high and 45 inches wide.
The next challenge was to create a checkout station for my booth. I once again went on the hunt, as I was running out of time to custom build one. Fortunately, I ran across a pseudo bar on Facebook Marketplace in Springfield, Ohio (see bottom left picture). I made the trip to Springfield first and then headed to Marysville and somehow managed to get all 3 doors, the logo frame AND the pseudo bar in the back of my Kia Sorento! I dismantled the top portion of the bar and hand-painted the bottom to match my backdrop. It turned out great and all the pieces came together beautifully in my 20' x 10' booth at the show!
