I’ve lived in Detroit for more than 15 years and have come to love the determination and resilience of the city and its people. I understand the importance of perseverance as I have also experienced some challenges in my life, it’s within those challenges that I discovered the opportunity to become an entrepreneur and start a business I love. Up until 2009, I’d been a stay at home mom of 13 years, my husband who was the principal provider for our family unexpectedly lost his job. I knew I had to find a way to help support our family, but felt limited with my options because of my 13 year employment gap. I also wanted to build a career that I was passionate about and it just so happened that I was passionate about interior design. The problem was that I had no formal training or experience. I knew if I wanted to be in this field I would have to create my own opportunity. That’s when I decided to form my company Redesign and Restoration. I would buy furniture from yard sales, paint them and sell them on craigslist. Within a few months the demand for my product was great enough for me to rent my first retail space in a small shop in our neighborhood. Since then we have expanded and not only sell painted pieces but also specialize in custom upholstered furniture which we sell in our retail store and online, we offer custom upholstery and paint services and rent vintage furniture for special events and weddings. We’ve been committed to growing our business in Detroit since we opened our doors and have chosen to be a part of the solution in becoming a stabilizing factor to our neighborhoods retail corridor, by intentionally attracting other businesses to the neighborhood.