I’m April and in addition to being a proud wife & mom, I am happy to say that Pink + Frillos is my shop. It started with me painting some old wood and making Christmas trees out of thrift store sweaters. It was like a tiny ember of creativity that had been snuffed out jumped back into a flame. Like a big Godly wind lit me right up and I started creating and crafting and painting and It. Felt. Good. Like really good. Like, what I was supposed to be doing.

Somewhere along the way I had lost a bit of my creative self. Maybe it wasn’t so much that I lost it but more that I didn’t even know it was there. After all, I’m a girl who failed Art 101 in her freshman year of college. Art 101. As in my work was bad. (Truth be told, the class just happened to fall at an unfortunate evening hour and it’s entirely possible that I just stopped going. I wasn’t a very good student but that’s another story! )

My husband reminds me that I always had a dream of opening a cute little shop. In my dream it was in downtown Pentwater and I would ride a turquoise bike with a basket from my cottage to the shop each day. In reality, a building very close to my home here in Greenville came up for sale and we bought it. And in a cool coincidence, I could ride my bike here if I wanted to. It’s just that close.

So why did it all start with vintage goods and painted up furniture? First, I think there is something that draws certain people to old stuff. Discarded stuff. Side of the road treasure stuff. It’s something about seeing potential where other people see junk. There’s pride in saying, “I found this at a garage sale for a dollar and now look at it.” There has to be a spiritual lesson in this don’t you think? The way God looks at us and says, “I found her in a mess and now look at her. She’s beautiful!”  But in addition to those vintage finds, I love bright and shiny pretty new things. Things you don’t know you need until you see them. Ordinary things that are special because they are prettier than they need to be. So in our time as a shop we’ve expanded to mostly new items; gifts, home and clothing. Pretty things. Things you fall in love with.

So pick a day and make the drive to Greenville. It’s about 30 minutes northeast of downtown Grand Rapids, 15 minutes from Rockford. We’ve moved to a new location so we’re easy to find, right on M-57 (also known as 14 mile or Carson City Road) at Frugthaven Farm. While you’re at our property be sure to visit our lovelier than necessary coffee shop featuring Wildroast Coffee Co. and the best dang sandwiches and bagels around. On a Friday or Saturday make time to have a hard cider flight, craft cocktail or cold root beer in our Cidery. Say hi and shop a little. Pink + Frillos is my happy place and I think you’ll love it too.

xoxo

AP