Norwood creative turns passion into home decor store

In 2016, all through Christmas time, Samantha Belsey set out to make her possess holiday getaway items for her loved ones. She went to the 1 location that’s generally been a spot of convenience for the creatively-minded businessperson: her father’s wooden store in Norwood. She tore up a bunch of wood pallets, purchased some dollar store paint and poured her heart into producing festive wooden indications.

Belsey’s Diy creations marked the starting of some thing particular — a route that would merge her like of artisanship and her organization-savvy pursuits.

“My mom and dad pushed me to put (the creations) out into the universe. It steamrolled into me taking personalized orders, escalating my know-how of how to make wood signs and how to hand paint,” Belsey reported.

From there, Belsey, who was born and lifted in Peterborough before relocating with her mother and father to their Norwood farm, commenced advertising her handmade styles on the web — amassing a substantial, social-media driven adhering to.

But Belsey — who liked to paint, create and create at a youthful age, fuelled by her father, who would make handmade harvest tables — experienced bigger aspirations.

On Thanksgiving Weekend, Belsey formally opened a storefront, dubbed Samantha Ann & Co Dwelling, after renovating a setting up on her parents’ home on 5th Line of Asphodel.

Belsey’s new retail store, positioned on 2440 North 5th Line of Asphodel, gives buyers an array of products and solutions — from seasonal furnishings, household decorations and very carefully-crafted signals to stationery and calligraphy artwork.

The company as a whole focuses on 3 major pillars: home, marriage ceremony and print. Within just the retail store, which caters generally to household decor, about 25 for every cent of items are handmade by Belsey herself.

“I do some graphic layout wherever I layout my individual home decor prints and also do build picket dwelling decor products and solutions these kinds of as Xmas ornaments,” Belsey defined.

Creations from community artisans make up yet another 25 per cent of the store’s items. The relaxation is sourced from the household decor marketplace.

“I’ve also partnered with Sweet Bees Slash Flowers from Hastings to offer you fresh flower workshops all through the seasons.”

Belsey’s just one-of-a form solutions can also be ordered on the internet via Etsy.

Belsey is also a wedding day co-ordinator. Doing work closely with brides and grooms, Belsey harnesses her expertise and know-how to style personalized signals that are then rented by the wedding party. She also specializes in the day-of logistics of tent weddings — organizing seating charts and delivering marriage calligraphy on website.

Because launching Samantha Ann & Co Home in October, Belsey mentioned the feedback has been remarkable.

“I’m really lucky to have followers who are rather neighborhood to me and then followers from the GTA and beyond to the point in which I’ve witnessed a demand from customers from my followers from (considerably away) who have urged me to deliver the shop on the net. I’m hoping to do so in the new year so individuals can purchase from all about North The united states and I will then ship their orders.”

Looking in advance, Belsey, who is approaching the just one-year anniversary of quitting her work to go after her desires, aims to grow her wedding facet of the organization. The Norwood storefront will be open until eventually Christmas right before Belsey will take some time off to concentrate on the marriage factor of her increasing procedure. The retail outlet will reopen in Spring 2023.

“I have a dream of generating a marriage venue down the street (from the retailer), to develop into the go to for weddings in the Peterborough space.”

The retail store is open Fridays, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will be closed in January and February.

Brendan Burke is a staff reporter at the Examiner, primarily based in Peterborough. His reporting is funded by the Canadian government by means of its Nearby Journalism Initiative.