Refurbishing vintage furniture for art (and profit)
Like tens of thousands of other Americans at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Latoyia Smith started a business. But for Smith, it wasn’t anything formal — at first.
“I was working for the Army Corps of Engineers and COVID hit,” said Smith. “I started salvaging the secondhand desks from thrift stores and Facebook Marketplace and started painting them.”
The desks were intended for kids attending school remotely, but soon the parents also took notice of her refurbishing work.
“It was like, ‘What about my dining room table that we hate? And what about the coffee table?’ They were pulling up at the driveway, dropping things off,” said Smith. “I needed a space.”
She opened her first storefront for Lavish Furniture Flips in Towson, Maryland, back in 2021. And while Smith noted that the business has been profitable, it hasn’t always been easy. She had to close for three months last year due to health complications, and it’s been difficult to recover. But for Smith, profit isn’t everything.
“Of course profit is great,” she said. “But as long as I get to do what I love and stand behind my work and say, ‘I did this, I created this,’ I’m feeding my soul and the community.”
Click the audio player above to hear her story.