Kelly Arent is literally giddy with excitement over the launch of a business she has dreamed about for years, and now her new business is just days away from taking flight. The Urban Garage Market will soar to new heights on May 5th in an eclectic new space along Main Street in Benton Harbor, and while she is not directly a part of the Benton Harbor Arts District, she will share a deep kindred spirit with those who create things from thin air.
Kelly has been in business for years as Copper Roof Designs, doing interior decorating side by side with her passion for re-purposing all sorts of amazing things she has found. She long had the dream to have a space to house all that “collected goodness” as she calls it.
Kelly’s new Urban Garage Market will give wings to a whole new framework of art in the community – one of re-purposing — taking the ordinary or even mundane and turning it into the extraordinary in a shabby chic and street classic look that is winning fans everywhere. Her sidekick, Beth Mosher is her right hand in getting things up and running.
Their new 2,000 square foot emporium will be home to 14 or 15 new independent vendors who will all share a bit of the space with seemingly few lines of demarcation as to where one vendor’s “shop” ends and the next one’s begins. When I caught up with Kelly recently she was, as always, painting. While her new Urban Garage Market will feature her handiwork of chalk-painted and re-purposed furniture of all types, on this particular day the painting was far more utilitarian inasmuch as she was simply painting the walls to the new marketplace which is located in the mid-section of the building at 408 Main Street in Benton Harbor, in Suite 120.
The building itself oozes business history in the local marketplace having been the longtime home to Producers Creamery seemingly a lifetime ago, before being converted decades ago into a tire sales and repair shop for Hy Firehammer Tires and eventually the home of Rick Villa’s Villa Environmental before he relocated deeper into the heart of Benton Harbor last year.
Developer and urban renewal expert Peter Colovos owns the building now and Kelly says he has been a gem helping her to prep the space for her new market with new electrical wiring, new HVAC gear and more.
The Urban Garage Market will cover many bases for those looking to put a cool edge on their décor. The strong industrial feel and decidedly throw-back look to a simpler day and age will help designers to capture the perfect vintage look that is very much in vogue.
Kelly wants you to know that the Market is much more than a place to shop, however, as she plans a great lineup of classes to teach you the art and skills of using the chalk paints like her line up from Annie Sloan, and Miss Mustard Seeds Milk Paint. She tells me classes will range from Chalk Paint 101 to Basic Craft Classes. She is also a certified retailer of Miss Mustard Seeds Milk Paint and Chalkk Paint by Annie Sloan.
Independent vendors of all types have been signing on with Kelly for several months to sell their wares in the Market, which – true to its name – has a large overhead garage door which they will raise regularly on good weather days to let in lots of fresh air, as well.
Kelly readily admits to her addiction to the role of “picker,” and loves scouring the countryside for amazing finds that can be converted into shabby chic new pieces for sale in the Urban Garage. She literally has some 100 to 150 pieces that she has “picked” over the past several years in preparation for this great new venture which is a dream coming true for her. She hopes that you will love it too. Realizing that she couldn’t possibly convert each of those picked treasures, she offers up the option for you to select one and paint it yourself, or you can commission her to transform the piece of your choice as an option.
When the Urban Garage Market opens on May 5th, the hours of operation will be Wednesday through Friday from 10am until 5pm and Saturdays from 10am until 3pm for the time being. She will host a full scale Open House on May 18th complete with sips & eats for the celebration.
If you are a vendor of like mind and feel your products would be a good fit, Kelly still has a bit of space for new merchants who would like to share the space. You can reach the shop by phone at 601-566-1774.
