Photo courtesy Cypress Images
Photo courtesy Cypress Images, PersonaAleesa Hardage has brought together 17 local artists to create and sell painted furniture, cabinets, clothing and other items in a retail-style showroom called Timeless Designs Market.
She originally opened the business in 2011 as an antique and consignment shop in Cypress, but following a move and expansion, she began offering estate liquidation services followed by custom-painted furniture and other upshopped and unique pieces.
"We morphed into this warehouse and added the paint at the same time," Hardage said. "Next thing we know, everyone who is walking in to buy a piece of real estate furniture finds out we have the paint and they want everything painted."
The shop's vendors sell mainly painted furniture, home decor, custom antique windows and doors and other gifts.
Furniture artists have access to the paint warehouse space on the other side of the Timeless Designs Market showroom, in which they can professionally paint and customize various pieces of furniture—a lot of which is found by Hardage courtesy of local residents in the surrounding area who are looking to downsize.
"It really is the full circle of up-shop— between the estate liquidation and the painters buying all the pieces that people couldn't find homes for," she said. "Then [our vendors] turn around and paint them and we sell them here."
The average shelf life of any piece in the building is eight days, Hardage said, meaning new items are available on a weekly basis.
Hardage chose to start the vendor market setting to give local artists the opportunity to showcase their work and provide a new environment in Cypress.
"The biggest thing that's different here than what they have in Katy, Tomball and Spring is the [paint] room," she said. "Our vendors can do projects in there that you can't hand paint."
Customers can find other items at Timeless Designs Market as well, including home dcor items, dog beds repurposed from wine crates, and clothing.
Co-owner Leigh Hromcik uses her vendor space to offer a line of women's clothing with items such as tops, flip-flops, caps and rhinestone belts.
"Originally, the passion was to provide affordable clothing for women to make them feel good about themselves," she said. "Now it's turned into a business venture, and I've been able to help other women business owners find a venue to grow their own personal business."
Paint lines and classes
In addition to offering custom hand-painted furniture, customers at Timeless Designs Market can purchase paint to take home from the shop. The following paint lines are now available:
Generation Finishes Vintage Farmhouse Shabby Paint Webster's American Paint Company
This fall, owner Aleesa Sorrentino-Hardage plans to start offering painting classes at the shop. Customers will come in for a few hours and paint something to take home with them, she said.
Types of finishes
Vendors at Timeless Designs Market can custom paint furniture in a number of ways, including the following:
Java gel—A newer trend, java gel stain is typically used to repurpose and up-cycle furniture and cabinets, giving a hand-rubbed finish.
Chalk paint—Painters use this type of decorative paint to turn a wall or surface into a chalkboard.
Shabby paint—Available in several shades, shabby paints creates a shimmery stain on cabinets, wood or other furniture.
Timeless Designs Market
16326 Mueschke Road, Ste. E5 and E6Cypress 713-409-7944 www.facebook.com/TimelessDesignsMarket Hours: Tues.–Sat. 10 a.m.–5 p.m.,Sun. noon–4 p.m.
