Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Alexander.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I painted my first piece of furniture 15 years ago, using a pink can of spray paint. I taught myself how to decorate on a budget–using flea market and garage sale finds, as well as hand-me-down furniture to fill our first home.
I learned to the love the look of “collected decorating,” where you find special pieces over time and use them to tell a story in your home. I decided in 2012 to take this love and turn it into a business, and that’s when Lost & Found was born. I began selling found vintage decor out of an antique mall, as well as furniture pieces I had brought back to life with paint.
Over the past six years, my business expanded to now selling furniture and decor out of 2 locations, along with becoming the Dallas area merchant for 2 lines of furniture paint. I also now have a blog and website that teaches how to paint furniture in online workshops, as well as an online shop fully stocked with both of my paint lines.
Has it been a smooth road?
On the whole, it has been a smooth road! When I started, it was mostly a hobby. As my business grew, probably the biggest challenge was learning how to treat it actually like a business, rather than a hobby. I have had to hire some help at times, both for my local business and for helping to run my website. I also had to learn how to balance my growing business with being a mom to my 3 boys.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Lost & Found story. Tell us more about the business.
There are many different sides to Lost & Found! I still like to head to the flea markets to find great antiques and vintage decor to sell out of my 2 retail locations, as well as furniture pieces I paint myself to sell. The other side of my business focuses on providing furniture paint for customers to use on their own projects–Fusion Mineral Paint & Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint.
I teach local workshops and offer free demos, as well as stock both lines at each of my local retail shops. Then lastly, my website runs behind all of these local parts of my business. Customers throughout the US can shop for paint online, as well as purchase Online Video Paint Workshops to watch in the comfort of their own home.
My blog is also filled with painting and DIY how to’s, as well as vintage decorating inspiration. I believe I am most known for my painted furniture, as that is the craft I have worked most to refine over the years. I do my best to paint elegant, classic, but unique pieces that will be beautiful accents to customers’ homes.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think there is still plenty of room to grow! As people become more and more concerned about how their shopping habits impact the environment, buying vintage and used items for your home becomes more and more popular. I always tell people that painting your furniture is one way to help save the planet!
There is plenty of good quality, solid wood furniture that is already been made–why cut down trees to make more of it when we can work with what we already have? Popular shows like Fixer Upper have also helped make decorating with vintage and salvaged items more mainstream.
Pricing:
- Fusion Mineral Paint, $5-$22
- Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint, $7-$23
Contact Info:
- Address: 1024 E. 15th Street (Lost & Found at Lyla’s in Plano)
213 E. Virginia St. (Lost & Found at Antique Company Mall in McKinney) - Website: LostandFoundDecor.com
- Email: Melanie@LostandFoundDecor.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lostandfounddecor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/losetheordinary/
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
