Owner shares passion for 'old treasures' through shop

Bonnie Beaty gets a sparkle in her eye each time she tells the story behind one of the many items inside Prickly Pair Collectics, her seventh-month-old store located in Cypress.

"I think the love has been in my blood since I was young," Beaty said. "My grandmother, my great aunt and great uncle had a home in Connecticut, and my grandma had an antique shop they were all a part of, so I grew up loving old treasures."

The Prickly Pair is located in an older home off Huffmeister Road, and visitors could spend hours traversing through the rooms full of repurposed furniture, restored items, vintage finds, jewelry and home dcor items.

"I just love the history: where did it come from, who had it?" Beaty said. "I just love [to find out] where and how things were used."

Although some of the items inside the Prickly Pair come from Beaty's own family, she also frequents auctions and estate sales to find new treasures. Beaty and her daughter, Catrina, and co-workers Jeff Hull and Jan Nelson also build and re-purpose furniture for customers.

"We don't re-finish to original integrity, but we use chalk paint and do shabby chic projects," Beaty said.

For 2013, Beaty said she is looking forward to being part of the Cypress community through her store—even though her family has lived in the area for 30 years—and getting the word out about the Prickly Pair.

"I look forward to maybe expanding in some direction, but I don't look to, 'Are we going to make it?' I look to, 'What will we do next?'" she said.