Small Business Spotlight | Junque | East Palestine, OH
Sometimes you meet another creative person who just GETS you. Becky and I have only known each other since last summer when I took on the project of painting the kitchen cabinets at our new house. I stopped by her studio in East Palestine, OH and she gave me a tutorial on working with milk paint – warning, once you start using milk paint, you will want to paint EVERYTHING in your home. Resist!! Or don’t, it’s probably better to just give in and paint all the furniture. Anyways, we got to know each other and decided to collaborate on photography for her new website. And then we realized that we’re both Big Idea people and sometimes it’s nice to have someone in your life you can read your yearly Goals list to and instead of rolling their eyes and laughing, you find them nodding their head and hashing out the plans to make them happen. THAT’S BECKY. Gosh I just love her! So I am SUPER excited that I finally get to introduce her to all of you lovely people! So here we go!!
Becky is the owner of Junque, a studio located in the teeny little town of East Palestine, OH. Junque specializes in their very own line of custom milk paint and hosts DIY workshops, where you can learn how to make your own custom creation! In addition to custom pigments and workshops, Becky also creates hand-lettered mugs, shirts, and more. Basically, you will want everything you see when you walk into the studio. She has such an inspiring story, and she is always so willing to share it and encourage others! So without further ado, read on to hear Becky’s story and see more of her amazing studio, signs, and workshops! And don’t forget to follow along with their social media to see their latest creations and workshop updates!
Small Business Spotlight | Junque | East Palestine, OH
I never dreamed all those years ago, as a new mom and wife, creating things I made at my dining room table would ever turn into an actual business or my own store. In fact, I was afraid to dream back then. I was filled with self doubt. I was just trying to keep up with the laundry, bills, baby spit-up, diaper changes, and making sure orders went out in a timely manner. I was longing to make our house a home. I will never forget our friends that came over to our little starter home near the park. I would be so embarrassed by the ribbon and fabric scraps scattered about the floor, I didn’t want to answer the door. I definitely needed to give myself a little grace for the season of life we were in. But the truth is, if friends and family hadn’t rang the doorbell to just come over and help any way they could, my orders would have never made it out the door.
I would not be where I am today without those simple acts I hold close to my heart. I hope to ignite that dream inside of you through creating. It takes courage to step out and be brave. Junque is about inspiring you to use what you have and do what you love, to not be afraid to take a chance and go for that dream. Once I dared to dream a little, something inside of me was ignited. I started as a self-taught seamstress at my dinning room table and, like many of us, had a longing to create a home for my family. Junque combines my faith, love for my family, my need to create, and a way for me to share that all with you. It’s more than just paint, it’s the love that goes into everything we do.
My handmade sign workshops started as a creative outlet for me. My sewing business of 4 years had come to end. It was the season of life we were in, suddenly we felt God tell us it was time for me to slow down and focus on being a wife and mom. I was approached by our local coffee house for ideas to bring more people in and a light bulb went off!
I took a little break from sewing and was really working on sprucing up our home; finding free or nearly-free pieces that were once trash and giving them new life. I really found I loved refinishing furniture, making curtains, using my grandmother’s table runners as pillow covers, upcycling and repurposing. I started to realize friends and family would gravitate to our home for me to teach them. I really felt like I was finding my style and enjoyed using what I had to create a real home filled with love. It was just the outlet I needed. We had moved so many times early on I never really got the chance to make our house a home. We don’t have anything fancy or expensive. If you have tried using what you have then you know that’s where the most creativity happens.
I held my first girls craft night 3 years ago at our local coffee house. It was a great way for a group of girlfriends to have a fun night out and get to use their creative side. It was also a great way to bring in new customers to the coffee shop. Shortly after I was asked to travel all over Evansville, IN, Seville, OH, Danville, IL and my home town of Columbus, OH just to name a few. I love going on the road and meeting new people and watching their creativity unfold. I never imaged it would quickly turn into a store of my own, where we create, teach and inspire.
Many of our signs start as hand lettered art work , myself & my daughter create. We have then made them into one time use stencils for you. However, we love fonts too and will often combine them with our lettering. This allows us to share what we create with you. Each kit contains:
* 11″ x 11″ handmade sign
* a one time use stencil
* our signature “farmhouse stain” for frame , its our all natural milk paint
* two craft size milk paint colors ( one for background and one for lettering)
