August 16, 2017

A New Beginning

August 16, 2017/ Mary Tidholm

Doing what you love:

We all have these dreams of things we would love to do but can’t because real life intrudes. Supporting and taking care of your family comes first so your dreams are on hold. Then one day life-altering events occur that are terrifying and change the way you view life. It is those events that encouraged me to move forward with my dreams. One was to open a retail furniture store in Rockport. Still fearful of going it alone, I called my friend Linda. If I am going into business with anyone it had to be her. She did not hesitate. So with His grace, my husband’s encouragement (and desire to have an upstairs office space) and an extremely talented business partner and friend, we set out to create a unique and one of a kind furniture showroom with private office space in Rockport, Texas. Hope you enjoy the journey and visit us when we open in the spring of 2018!

Finding the perfect location:

We found a charming little house built in 1939 with lots of character and spectacular views of Little Bay. The plan was to restore this home and make it our showroom.

original house pic.PNG

Charming huh?

Well to fix her up was not so charming. She was in bad shape, lots of plastic surgery needed for this one. So inevitably we decided demo was our best option. My wonderful family made a trip to Rockport specifically to help us remove as much of the “character” from the home before it was completely demolished. Doors, windows, flooring, cabinetry and lighting were removed. They make it look so easy on TV, but it was difficult and backbreaking work. This house was built like a tank to withstand hurricanes and even the Alexander clan had a hard time bringing this one down.

Here we are getting excited about the prospect of having some fun. We have watched way too much HGTV.

At the end of the day we were so exhausted we jumped into the pool to cool off. As you can tell, there was once a pool at this house, filled in many years ago. My sisters and I have a great imagination.

He we are relaxing by the pool.

The loot.

Pretty cool stuff. I bet you can’t wait to see what we do with it, especially that lavender sink and toilet. Yes that's what you see, a purple toilet and sink. They are my favorite. I use the term “we” loosely because I really mean Linda. She makes old things look really good. I wish she worked on people too.

In case you are wondering, that is our boat barn with the stuff piled on the boat trailers. I hope we don’t need to get the trailers out anytime soon. Needless to say, the hubby is a little annoyed.

The big guns. Now that's how you demo.

The new place.

The plans for the new home of Bay Inspired Living. The furniture showroom will be on the first floor. The second floor will have 6 private office spaces for lease. The outdoor furniture will be displayed in the HUGE backyard.

Now on to the not so fun part. Plan approval and permitting from the city.

Waiting, waiting and more waiting…..plans re-submitted with required changes. Waiting, waiting, more changes more waiting. A “few” more changes and more waiting. Tweak this, tweak that.

In the meantime Linda and I are into research and development mode. We are also attending markets in search of new and exciting things to share. We are looking forward to giving Rockport a place that has luxurious and unique home furnishings and accessories.

While we wait for plan approval, please let us know what you would like to see in your retreat. What inspires you?

Be Inspired,

Mary