All Gussied Up opens on the North Hill
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November 15, 2013 |
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Gussied Up owner Brenda Toline, left,
and two of several artisans who provide
the unique and beautiful furnishings and
decor, Shawna Hittle and Angela Hittle. |
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A new store opened at the top of the North Hill
last Friday, and it's not quite like any you've
ever seen. As you enter, "worker bee" Ken "Doc"
Toline is on the floor, putting a new finish on
a beautiful old chest.
His wife, owner Brenda Toline, greets you in old
blue jeans daubed with multi-color paints and
stains.
 All
Gussied Up, 32 David Thompson Drive, isn't just
a showcase for heirloom home furnishings and
home decor, it's a place where beautiful old
quality pieces are restored to like new glory.
Breda said she's dreamed of opening a shop like
All Gussied Up since leaving the field of
nursing after 16 years and went to work in
retail in Sandpoint. In fact, she'd been eyeing
the building All Gussied Up now sits in for the
last three years.
"I've always wanted a business like this," she
said, "especially after working in a store in
Sandpoint. Seeing all those 'Made in China"
tags. It gave me a different perspective."
What you'll find at All Gussied Up is up-cycled
furniture, all of it made in the United States
and most of it that spent it's earlier life
right here in Boundary County. There quilts,
bags and wreaths hand-made locally, unique and
timeless home decor.
Something else unique about All Gussied Up is
that though Ken and Brenda own the business, the
talent that goes into every item is actually a
consortium; eight very talented local artisans;
Shawn Hitlle, Angela Hittle, Connie Purinton,
Jodie Hubbard, Kelly Hinthorn, Stacey Mastre and
Laurie Schoening, each of whom brings a set of
skills that mesh seamlessly into a unified
whole.
Another thing. Brenda grew up in and she and Ken
live in a "home." They have dogs, and kids of
all ages are guests. Like such a home, the
furniture she offers is the kind of furniture
that's meant to be lived in, not merely looked
it. It's the kind of furniture, though not new,
that gets better with age and character, not
particle board box store furniture that will
collapse into a heap the first time a
rambunctious child bumps into it.
All Gussied Up is open Mondays, Thursdays,
Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and
closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays. To find
out more, call (208) 255-8615, or better yet,
stop in for a visit. |
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