Bungalow 47 History
Back in 2011, I was 6 months into being an empty nester, and I was not into it. One day on a whim, I messaged an acquaintance on Facebook about some pictures she was posting and inquired if she wanted to chat and discuss possibly doing something together. She immediately responded, and an hour later we were meeting at our local Mexican restaurant over chips and queso where Bungalow 47 was ultimately born. We chose the name ‘Bungalow’ because it is a synonym for home, and 4/7 was the day we made our business plan. Before we knew it, we had a storefront with a warehouse in the back, and I headed to the Atlanta Mart to fill the store with goodies. We always knew the shop would be focused on repurposing vintage furniture that we were repainting, along with other home decor, vintage finds, and fabulous gifts.
We were hitting flea markets (from California to Texas to New York and more) and curating a look everyone referred to as our B47 style! We sold a mix of new and vintage home decor, offered design services, and were distributing paint to other small retailers around the country. When another storefront across the street became available in our small town, we expanded our offerings to include clothing and fashion items. We had lines around the block for our warehouse sales (we’d hoard furniture and goodies to paint and repurpose, then need to thin our piles out) and life was good and busy, just the way I like it.
In 2015, we developed our own line of chalk and clay paint, which was private labeled with a few major designers, along with our own house brand. The paint kept us pretty busy, so we decided to close our little shop, expand into a larger warehouse location, and focus on paint distribution. Even though our daily efforts were focused on the paint, I continued to side hustle with my vintage and design consultations. After many family changes over the years, when 2020 came we did a little soul searching, and decided it was best for my business partner to leave B47 to focus on her family business.
As we’ve come full circle with the brand, I am back to focusing on design (having done 3 major house renovations in the last 7 years), working with clients to make their spaces personal for their current lives, collecting and selling vintage, offering paint to retailers around the country, and enjoying life the best I can. Nothing is as constant as change, and it is always important to reevaluate and update your focus as you move along. As I travel (literally) through life, finding inspiration wherever I go, watching and learning (my now 92+ year old father taught me early to “always continue to learn” and he has led that example), I am content, happy and willing to share the things I have learned along the way. I look forward to meeting new friends and sharing our stories and love for what makes your home really YOU!