KENSINGTON, Md. — Maybe you inherited it.
Maybe it鈥檚 lost its appeal or shows wear and tear.
So, will you toss that aging piece of furniture or keep it?
There鈥檚 a third alternative 鈥� you can refresh it, said聽Bahia Akerele, the owner of , in Kensington, Maryland.
On a recent Saturday, Akerele, stylish with her聽string of pearls, black pants decorated with paint spatter and glittery sandals, urged visitors to her shop to pick up a brush and take a stab at painting, then waxing sample frames with chalk paint.
Shes鈥� a big fan of the Annie Sloan paint line, declaring, 鈥淲e can show you how to revamp your furniture without stripping, priming or sanding!鈥� Refurbishing your furniture too big a job? Her shop can transform that table or set of chairs for you.
Akerele said聽her shop is more than a place to redo your furniture, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a place to create鈥�. That in fact, is the rest of the name of the shop: 鈥淥n the Purple Couch, A Place to Create.鈥�
Akerele said聽the name came to her because when she thought about opening a shop, the image of a comfy purple couch just kept popping up in her head. She wanted a place that would inspire people to make their own spaces new and fresh, while making use of what they already have.
She gets a lot of young customers looking to spruce up a rental space on a budget. But she said baby boomers are very much into the do-it-yourself approach to decorating. 鈥溾�橶e鈥檙e in D.C.! We have a lot of powerhouses here 鈥� and people need to decompress, people need to chill out.鈥�
Akerele said聽during the workshops 鈥� she offers everything from flower arranging to jewelry making 鈥� there鈥檚 a lot of decompressing. 鈥淲e sit around the table and talk 鈥� there鈥檚 no topic that does not get discussed here!鈥� she said.
At the recent grand opening on Metropolitan Avenue in Kensington, as customers streamed in to browse, William Moore, president of the Wheaton-Kensington Chamber of Commerce, visited the store.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very huge when you see the passion of somebody like Bahia,鈥� Moore聽said, explaining that small businesses like hers are helping Wheaton-Kensington carve out an identity as a shopping destination.
Moore said new businesses face a number of challenges, from initial financing to understanding the ins and outs of their lease agreements. He encourages聽all would-be business owners to take some courses and make sure they can cover themselves financially during the early stages of their enterprise 鈥淏ecause you have to have a little bit more than just a passion for what you鈥檙e doing to make it.鈥�
Akerele echoes Moore鈥檚 sentiments, explaining she had originally set up shop in the more industrial Howard Avenue location 鈥� a part of Kensington that, for retail purposes, had parking challenges. The new shop has easier access and 鈥渞eal positive energy,鈥� Akerele said.
At her grand reopening, there was a lot of energy, with activities for children, walk-in workshops and even a wine tasting. Akerele had opened her shop to Dani Johnson Bryan, owner of Special Gathering, an event production company that has expanded to include a line of wines. 鈥淲e are in the process of going mainstream with retailing in Maryland.鈥�
Akerele鈥檚 energy is contagious, and her ability to fuel the aspirations of others is clear. Kwame Som-PimPong, a consultant, was at the shop with his wife and daughter and was admiring one of the finished cabinets.
鈥淚 love the distressed look of it, and the subtle tones of it,鈥� he said. Som-PimPong聽explained he sort of day dreams of getting into interior design, so when he heard about the shop he wanted to visit. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really cool to check it out鈥� he said, smiling.
As customers looked over small decorative items on sale or took up a frame to test out the paints with names like 鈥淔rench Linen鈥� and 鈥淧aris Grey,鈥� Akerele smiled broadly and said, 鈥淭he community is very supportive … There鈥檚 so much positive energy!鈥�
