Our Etsy shops are located in Toledo Ohio.
My wife and I have always enjoyed quality vintage furniture and over the years had refinished and restored many pieces for our home and for others. I was an engineer and my wife has a variety of artistic talents and is always learning new skills. In 2014, my job relocated out of town and we decided not to disrupt our proximity to family and friends, so I "retired" at too young of an age. In 2015 my wife worked at convincing me to try selling items on an Etsy shop. After a few months, we decided to try it. We named our shop GreatLiving1980, using our initials G & L and the year we were married. We had picked up some furniture locally that we refinished or repurposed to make them usable quality pieces of furniture that were built to last for many generations. In the first month, we sold 5 items and I became convinced that there was a market for high quality vintage furniture that will last far longer than the mass market disposable items being sold in the stores.
In 2016, we opened a second Etsy shop that focused on smaller vintage home decor items. Both shops have been successful and have brought in some extra income to supplement our savings. I do most of the furniture refinishing needed, as well as professionally pack the items for shipment. My wife Linda does a lot of the aesthetic work on the pieces, as well as all the photography and listing information. We have been able to turn something we enjoyed doing into a nice side business. The customers that we have dealt with on Etsy have been super, and we expect to continue with our shops for many years to come.