re-PURPOSED-ful Furniture & Finishes Repurposed Back to Life By Anna TealIt’s true what they say — people don’t make things the way they used to. Instead of lusting after the hot new furniture trends, Kristina Thrasher, owner of re-PURPOSED-ful Furniture & Finishes, sees the potential in preloved, quality furniture. It doesn’t matter if it has been nicked, chipped, or heavily used; nothing rivals her restoration skills. And her talents are taking her to new and exciting places, one of which is expanding her store to include all of the former Holly Market. Her remodeled location is set to open on February 1.A New MantraUnlike others in the Woodstock community, Kristina had a different path to entrepreneurship. It all started when she discovered that she had an brain aneurysm located behind her left eye. During that time, her anxiety was at an all-time high. “While sitting in my living room, I heard a voice say, ‘Your purpose is to die,’” she said. As anyone can imagine, this didn’t sit well with Kristina. It wasn’t until later in her journey that she realized the true meaning of this new mantra. While scary at first, it set the stage for her to overcome many of her fears. After a long and arduous process, Kristina found the strength to continue to push forward and the bravery to endure surgery to correct her aneurysm. While on the table for a presurgical test, her heart stopped, but she was revived. After she awoke, she realized what had happened — she had died for just a moment. Since then, her perspective on life has changed immensely. No longer does she fear death; instead, she fears not living life to the fullest. The mantra she heard early in her diagnosis had taken on a new meaning, “Your purpose is to die, so that you can live your best life.” Her new perspective fueled her desire to pursue something she’s always enjoyed – paint, antiques, and restoration. “I love teaching people how to paint, and I love connecting with others. Painting is my therapy. It has given me purpose, new life, and confidence. I decided I wanted to take a chance to do something I love and see what happens,” Kristina explained. Her new business, very appropriately, bears the name re-PURPOSED-ful Furniture & Finishes. Fearless and full of hope, Kristina put everything she had into making her dream a reality.A Restored PurposeKristina started with a small space in Holly Market and has grown her business in extraordinary ways, making a name for herself. She, along with the support of her husband, Bill, and their two children, built the business over the past couple of years. Bursting at the seams with a true need for extra storage space, the opportunity became available to take over the lease of the Holly Market space, allowing her the room she needed to expand.Giving New Life to Old Things“We’re so happy to have the space to expand our service and product offerings,” Kristina said. Her new space will offer learn-to-paint workshops, serve as a retailer for Dixie Bell Paint and Paint Couture Paint, showcase antique furniture for purchase, and provide furniture consignment opportunities in the near future. “Our customers can come in and learn to paint and restore furniture; they can commission me to paint a piece for them; or if they want to purchase a piece as-is, they can do that, too,” explained Kristina. “I hope this new venture will inspire my children to chase after their dreams and do what they love as well.”Aneurysm AwarenessWith her business being a by-product of her journey, Kristina credits her success to her family, friends, and aneurysm support groups on Facebook. Being able to connect with other aneurysm survivors has proven to be invaluable to her. It’s so tightly woven into her story that she and her husband took an old bed frame project and turned it into a beautiful bench featuring the aneurysm awareness colors. Visitors will be able to see the piece featured in their new space soon. “Ever since I was diagnosed with my aneurysm, I have really loved angel wings. So, my husband and I decided to take an old bed frame and turn it into something symbolic and special to us,” Kristina said. “It truly reminds us of our story and to live every day to the fullest doing what we love.”To listen to Kristina’s full aneurysm story, please visit the re-PURPOSED-ful website, the re-PURPOSED-ful Facebook page, or the Tea of Life podcast.re-PURPOSED-ful Furniture & Finishes5101 Old Highway 5, #2Canton, GA 30115770-727-1544re-PURPOSED-ful.com
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