Bungalow 47 – The Next Chapter

Have you ever felt when reading a book that you can’t put down, that it’s just so exciting you can’t wait to get to the next chapter? That is exactly how we have felt for the last six months! At Bungalow 47, we’ve had many changes happening and we wanted to share with you the inside scoop. We have many who have called and inquired, sent emails and messages, just wondering what the deal is! Here is the next chapter for Bungalow 47.

How We Started

Just to wander down memory lane a bit, Bungalow 47 started out as a unique retail store over 5 years ago! Located in the cute downtown of Williamston, Michigan. We offer vintage finds, fabulous gifts, home decor, and painted furniture upcycled with a chalk type paint.

We began selling paint and before long, we were distributing paint products to other retailers around the country. As the market grew and companies were having growing pains, we dove deeper into the paint world. We learned as much as we could and soon developed a chalk and clay paint to our specifications. We wanted one that was made in America, and would be easy and safe for the masses to use.

A Private Label Paint Offering

We began offering Junk Gypsy™ Paint in collaboration with The Junk Gypsy Company, with a signature color palette. Soon after, Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic® Paint colors were added to supply the marketplace with the soft pastels everyone was craving.

Our business was growing and we needed more space. We moved the retail store across the street to a slightly larger location and changed our old store into office space. Paint distribution was in the warehouse in the back. The last 18 months have been devoted to the manufacturing and marketing of both of these designer paint brands.

Growing Pains

As the spring rolled around, we had been slowly growing out of our warehouse space. Our lease was coming due on the store location across the street, along with a studio next door where we held classes. We tried desperately to find a building where we could all be under one roof. When we were unable to locate the right spot, and we were wondering what to do, something interesting happened.

The sales numbers came in for our paint and we noticed, out of all the 250+ retailers we sell paint to around the country, Bungalow 47 was the number one selling boutique of the chalk and clay paint. In our quaint town, with the help of our amazingly well-trained staff, consumers came from far and wide to buy the paint!

Helping Our Retailers Sell Paint

We realized it was time to share our knowledge and help our retailers purchasing paint from us find success in their businesses too. As we made the decision to focus on this side of what we do, we decided to close our shop., and move to a warehouse location. We will now have the freedom to grow our paint business and to use all of our creative juices in that direction. 

To begin the next chapter, we moved to a bigger warehouse that was in a neighboring town which provided space to grow and a dock for our constant shipping needs. We now have private office space, a prop closet, studio space, conference room, and a small amount of hoarding space for vintage. Marketing and planning areas, storage for boxes and supplies, and a large warehouse to grow in are a great bonus.  We are grateful to have the creative space to spread out and run our business.

Bungalow 47 Furniture Paint

Another page turning in this chapter is bringing our Bungalow 47 Furniture Paint to the boutique market as well. We saw a need for another color pallet to be added to our offerings, and we are excited to take that next step to providing more colors in our amazing paint. We attended a trade show in Atlanta this summer and shared our paint with the masses.

Women in Business

One of the things that has always been exciting for us is working with women in business. Most of the stores we sell to are women based businesses, living their creative dream through owning a shop that offers unique items and good products. It is so important for us to be able to provide a consistent, quality product they can count on. We are proud to offer personal and exemplary customer service, and share ideas for ways they can grow their paint business. Understanding the struggle and needs in a boutique business is easier when we were that style shop and know what challenges are faced.

We relaxed briefly after the move to the new place by heading up north with a group of paint retailers that flew into northern Michigan for a retreat. Sharing successes and ideas about growing their businesses with the paint was on the agenda.  It was the perfect intimate format to connect. We look forward to hitting the road and planning more meetings around the country where our retailers can learn, share, and dream big for their own futures. Facilitating growth, daring to stretch to new heights and learning each new day is our plan.

Our Support Team

We have been so blessed with good families. Our amazing support team in our personal lives allows us to work hard. Connecting with creative people everywhere living their dreams is so amazing. We are grateful for the good companies we have to work with. From our manufacturer, suppliers, to our logistics companies and local businesses who make our lives easier.

The next chapter is here, we are living it and loving it, and can’t wait for the next turn of events. It’s always exciting and never a dull moment, and we have to say whatever comes next, we love our story!

If you have any thoughts or comments, we’d love to hear from you! We have so many great memories of the store and the people we have met. There is much more ahead for us to experience. Thank you for following us!

If you are a retailer and would like to carry Bungalow 47™ Furniture Paint in your shop, apply here.

Best, Jill and Chantelle