03/26/2024
This Best Friend of mine has ALWAYS been a leader ❤️
I will forever be in awe of her sheer determination and ability to jump ANY hurdle in her way…..at the same time never compromising her values or forgetting those garage painting days and every single person that has helped along the way 😂
You deserve every ounce of success bestie!! I’m so proud of you!!
This picture showed up on my FB Memories and it reminded me of our long and exciting business journey….It all started with a nightstand.
We started Lexie and the Chi in 2013 after I was laid off from my decade long career of Recruiting. I have always loved decorating and painting furniture. I loved that you could paint a quality piece of furniture to give it a whole new look at a reasonable price. I took a chance and painted this nightstand and posted it on Craigslist (Facebook Marketplace wasn’t even around then). The nightstand sold within a few hours. My husband, Donny, started to see that maybe I was on to something with this hobby. I knew in my heart that I could NOT go back to a corporate job. I was willing to do whatever was needed to make this dream work.
He and I hustled 24/7 for the next year or so. We were painting our own pieces and commissioned pieces in our garage. It was hard work and we missed birthdays, gatherings, etc trying to keep up with our workload and our bills!
Eventually we had a customer ask us to paint her cabinets. We were hesitant but, obviously said Yes. We posted photos of the Before and After of the cabinets. Within days we were booked out for months with cabinet projects. It was incredible! Donny took a chance and left his decades long career of retail Management. We hustled and learned so much over the years. We have painted well over 700 local kitchens. We appreciate every single opportunity.
Today, We still paint at least two kitchen cabinet projects a week with the help of our awesome and professional employees - Travis (Warehouse Manager), Kenneth and Jessica.
About six years ago, we started dabbling in retail by having multiple booths at different local stores. I was now able to combine my love of furniture with decorating. I found my signature style - Cottage Chic and it all clicked.
About 10 months ago we decided it was time to open our own store and start building a community of like-minded businesses. We landed in a unique space in Smithfield, NC. Again, we put our heart and soul into our dream and turned a cross fit gym into a fun furniture, home decor, clothing and gift boutique. Our village of friends and family stepped in and helped like no other!
We started reaching out to our favorite likeminded business owners and invited them in on the journey. We will soon have 16 local small businesses represented under one roof. Everyone is genuinely supportive of one another. 🩵 We also have the best Store Manager, Camille, who absolutely keeps me organized and sane. 😂 We love that so many of our regular customers say that our store is their Happy Place. We are so grateful for this opportunity and community that we are building. Thank you all for being a part of our family’s journey.
Baylee’s Furniture Boutique, LLC
Carolina Girl Trading Company
Cotton Blossom Smithfield
Glitter & Twine Crafting Co.
C&S Breads Sweets & Charcuterie Boards
Good Grace & Co
Junk Daisy Vintage
Simply Upcycled
