Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Dillard.
Hi Linda, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story begins back in August of 2013, when I treated myself and my adult daughter to a furniture painting class. Painting furniture was a big thing in 2013, with the “country chic” thing going on. I thought it would be a fun way to spend time with my daughter. My husband was so proud of the refurbished piece of furniture I brought home that day. It had originally been a glass top side table, you may remember those from the 1990’s, and I had made it into a bench with a padded upholstered seat. This painted black piece of furniture really looked odd sitting in our home with all my solid oak furniture! But my hubby, Shorty, was so proud of me! So I kept it. Time passes, and in early January 2014, I’m sitting at my desk at my corporate job, when Shorty starts to send me text messages with photos of his pick up truck loaded with old furniture! Then he types “Look what I got for you to fix up and paint and sell!” He was so proud of what he had gotten, as he was basically gifted 3 truck loads of furniture from a family down the road from us. The furniture had been in an old barn for over 20 years and some of it had been there for over 50 years. At first I panicked, asking myself what am I going to do with all this? But for now, we piled it in my little “She Shed” in the back yard. This gave us time to think, and talk about what we were going to do. I agreed with Shorty, I could paint what needed painting, clean up the good antique pieces, and then sell them. I wasn’t new to refinishing furniture as my Grandmummie had taught me how to strip and re-stain solid wood furniture. In fact my guest bedroom is furnished with my Great Grandmother’s furniture which I had refinished. I remember it being January 30, 2014 when I was trying to create a Facebook page that I could technically start selling this furniture on. But we needed a name, and I was throwing around some names out loud to Shorty when he suddenly said, “Why not Stored and ReStored. All this stuff has been stored and now you’re going to restore it”. I did a quick internet search and no body else had that name, so that night, “Stored and ReStored” was born on Facebook! Within the week, I filed for my dba to protect the name and obtained a sales tax id number. I started selling the furniture I restored first on my Facebook page, Marketplace and Craig’s List. We met some great people doing this. I had always wanted to have a booth at an antique store, and the only place I truly wanted to do that at was my favorite store, the Antique Company Mall in historic downtown McKinney. I had been collecting over the years with items packed away in big tubs, and I knew this was the time. I certainly had enough inventory to open a store, so why not open a booth. Shorty and I took a trip to the Antique Company Mall and picked up an application. I returned my application with photos and within the month, I had been contacted by the owners to come in and sign a contract on my first booth! I rented a little 3 foot by 6 foot space upstairs. I was scared silly, having a 6 month lease with a commitment on rent each month. Shorty reassured me that all would be okay. And he was right. My first day in my booth I sold a $10 old wooden birdhouse! It was part of the original “stored and restored” find from the neighbor’s old barn. I had actually almost tossed it but it was so cute, chippy white paint with a chippy blue roof! Within 2 months my booth grew to 3 ft by 12 foot, then I rented another 3 foot by 12 foot booth, both upstairs, before I moved downstairs to my main floor booth. My followers on Facebook have followed me all along the way. And when I retired from my Corporate Job, I was asked to start working as a cashier at the Antique Company Mall. I had not been a cashier since I was a freshman in College, back in 1974, but customer service from my corporate job rolled right into being a cashier! That was when I moved into my “Big Beautify Backroom” booth at the ACM. This was a huge space, in the back of the store which allowed me to spread out, and bring in even more items. Now my followers are reaching out to me, when they were downsizing or knew of someone who needed to sell their antiques or very vintage items. I’ve helped many families downsize, but when I am asked to do this, there are several questions I ask them. First, are they sure they want to get rid of this? Are there any kids who may want these items? Are there any other family members that might want to keep these family heirlooms in the family? I try my best to keep family pieces with the family. But if there are none, I ask for the story behind the piece, then I start working to find a good home for it. For the most part, when I sell an item, I try my best to pass on any good deals that I get to the customer. I believe this helps to get items out of being stored and then restored into a new loving home. Antiques and vintage items add so much character and charm to a home and even office spaces. I am so excited that so many young people are shopping at the ACM now to help furnish their new homes, apartments and some teenagers are adding vintage items to their bedroom decorations. I remember being the 10 year old kid who would ask my Grandmummie if I could polish her silver, because it was so pretty when it was all shined up! I loved all her “pretties” in her house, and now I have so many of her items in my home. I can honestly say I practice what I preach, as my home consist of over 50% antique items. As I said, my guest bedroom is furniture my Great Grandmother had, my kitchen table is a solid oak claw foot table, that belonged to my babysitter Mrs. Tanner, and it was old when she had it back in the late 1950’s. I ate a many tuna noodle casserole at that table as a kid and now my family eats almost every meal at it. I am especially excited because now I have two grandson’s who love their Nana’s old stuff! And they always enjoy a trip to the ACM to shop! I enjoy posting on Facebook and letting my customers see my everyday life, my trips “picking”, time with my family and my followers have been their for me during the journey of cancer with my husband. He was diagnosed with cancer in September 2018, with many ups and downs over the next 4 1/2 years. He lost his battle with cancer on April 30, 2023, when he was totally and completely healed. Everyone loved Shorty! If he was in my booth and there were customers shopping, he always had fun talking with them. He was the king of Dad Jokes! And he was a real witness for Jesus too! I miss him every day. And because I don’t have my Mr. Fixit any longer, I try not to buy any more project pieces. Plus I am 14 years older now than when I started this, so I try to get pieces of furniture I can handle without any extra help. And it’s been probably 4 or 5 years since I have painted any furniture, because I have always liked the natural wood furniture and I am thankful it’s making it’s come back! I truly love antiques, I love the old furniture that has the nicks and worn places. They tell a story, they were made with such craftsmanship, it has lived a life, with a lot of life still left and you can’t help but wonder what that piece of furniture has seen. If only it could talk…..of course, I don’t just sell furniture, I also have glassware, lots of glassware, lots of old books, vintage jewelry and a lot of artwork and mirrors! And I still like to polish silver and silverplate. If I get a full set of dishware, I try my best to sell the full set vs splitting it up. I can’t help but wonder who’s wedding dishes those were, and what joy they must have had when they were making their china selection! Everything to me has a story, if only in my imagination. Along with working my business, I volunteer with a few non-profits. I have served as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for Friends of Wilson Chapel Cemetery. This is a designated Texas Historic Cemetery in rural Collin County, where my husband first served on the board, as he has 3 generations before him buried there. When Shorty got ill with cancer, I was asked to serve and have since 2018. Shorty is buried at Wilson Chapel Cemetery. I am also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution also known as the DAR. I’ve been a member since 2008 and serve locally with my chapter, at the state level and the national level. It’s probably no surprise but historic preservation is my passion, which being a dealer of antiques and serving on the board of a historic cemetery, and being a DAR member all fits right in for me. I also volunteer as the Location Coordinator for Wreaths Across America which has been held annually at Wilson Chapel Cemetery since December 2018. Plus I’m a really good Mom to my daughter and son and a great Nana to my two grandsons, and the best mother-in-law. (Just ask them) I’m always attending football games, basketball and baseball games for my two grandsons. And the two boys and I have taken trips together without their parents. Of course they know Nana is going to be doing some shopping for my booth on those trips, but they enjoy that part too, because they normally find treasures as well! My life is full and my life is busy and I am very blessed!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The retail business can have it’s ups and downs with the economy. But my biggest struggle was when my husband was battling cancer. My focus was on him. He had been told he was in remission in March of 2020, just as covid shut everything down, and my booth also shut down for 6 weeks. During the covid shut down, my husband’s cancer went to his bones and he sank fast. In July 2020 the doctors actually wanted to put him on hospice care, but when I was told they would stop all his treatment, I refused hospice. I told them to put him in the hospital and give him more blood and platelets. They did and that was the last time he went to the hospital till his final trip in April 2023. He was in the hospital for 18 days prior to passing away. He was his normal happy self, but the cancer had gone to his spinal fluid. He was told upon admittance to the hospital, he had 2 weeks to 2 months to live depending on treatment. He never got angry or mad. He just told everyone about Jesus! That was Shorty, he loved the Lord! I was there every day and night with him till he drew his last breath. The dealers at the Antique Company Mall carried my business for me during those 18 days. I even had friends and family shopping for my booth! They would text me photos of things they were buying, I would drive the 45 minutes home, take a shower, get boxes of pre-tagged merchandise, drop it off at the store, meet my friends and family to get what they had bought for me, and leave it at the Antique Company Mall. Then I would head back to the hospital in Dallas and my antique dealer friends would pack my booth for me. They were the best!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My professional career began in 1978 upon graduation from the University of Texas at Arlington with a BBA. I entered the Insurance field while working part time my last year of college. From 1978 till 1998 I worked as an auto underwriter, before going to work for a major insurance company as an auto claims adjuster in 1998. When I retired in November 2016 I had been an injury litigation auto claims adjuster for eight years. It was a pretty stressful job, many nights my laptop came home with me so I could work from home to get everything done. During that 8 years I made recommendations regarding work flow between the claims department and underwriting department, for which I received an award from the company for this initiative. I taught training classes and traveled just a little. There is one common denominator with what I do now in my retired life, and what I did in the corporate world, and that’s customer service. Stored and Restored was born almost 3 years before I retired. It started out as a hobby, but was turning into a business by the time I retired. I want to believe that my personality is my best asset in both my professional 38 year career and also in the retail industry of Stored and Restored. I’m who you see, I’m me, I’m not a put on, my followers/customers see all sides of me, and I am very honest with them. They see my happy self and they have seen me when I have been at my lowest, with the death of my husband. I am not afraid to share my faith in Jesus Christ, as it’s because of Him, that I am still functioning as a widow, and I have my Joy! I am very proud of my small business that was built out of a few truck loads of furniture, and my customers know, if I am selling something that has an imperfection, they will know about it, because I am honest.
But what I am most proud of that I have accomplished, is what I did as a member of the DAR, while serving as the Regent for my local Chapter. There are four Memorial Monuments, that were placed at the Constitution Wall Plaza at the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building, also known as the Collin County Courthouse. These four memorial monuments “Honor All Who Served” during World War I, World War II, Korean War and the Vietnam War. There was a dedication ceremony for each, but the most memorable and meaningful was the dedication ceremony for the Vietnam War. So many Vietnam War Veterans from all over the North Texas area attended, with tears in their eyes for finally feeling that they had been recognized and appreciated for their service. These four monuments will be there when I am long gone from this earth, and I am proud to know that generations after me will know that a generation in 2018, 2019 and 2022 cared enough to honor all who served. This is what I am most proud of.
How do you think about happiness?
My Grandson’s make me happy! My daughter’s son, Trevor is 17 and my son’s son, Rookie is almost 10. Both are big football players and I attend as many games as possible. Rookie is also a basketball and baseball player. He’s good at all three and I can’t help but wonder what he’ll do when he gets into High School. Trevor will be a high school senior in the Fall and has been a starter on the varsity team the last two years. Colleges are reaching out to him, so it’s an exciting time in his life. I love to take the boys on mini vacations and to C. A. R. Conferences (Children of the American Revolution) We have so much fun together, plus they know that Nana will be doing shopping for her business, Stored and Restored on each of those trips. They love to go thrifting with me, and of course they often find something that they “just have to have!”. Both boys love coming to my home and just hanging out with me. It makes my heart so happy that boys would want to hang with their Nana. But I am a pretty cool Nana! Most people think the boys are brothers, because they are so close, it’s fun explaining they are first cousins, not brothers. Of course, they have an “account” with Stored and Restored…….I will have items that I sell, with an inventory of TR on it. This means, when the item sells, the profit from that item goes into an account for the Boys. When we take trips, I give them money from this account for their souvenir spending. Family definitely makes me happy!
Pricing:
- Vintage Glassware $3 & up
- Vintage Home Decor and Books $5 & up
- Vintage Artwork and Mirrors $12 – $250
- Vintage Jewelry, Silver, Silverplate $5 to $1200
- Antique, Vintage Furniture $40 – $800
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storedandrestored/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storedandrestored/
- Email: storedandrestored@yahoo.com
Image Credits
Linda Dillard, Melissa Wilkinson
