WRITER | CANDIE CONAT
PHOTOS l  SHIZZLE DESIGN, LLC

What started out as a “happy accident” in August 2011 quickly turned into a creative and thriving business for Shelly Andrade and her sister Cathy.

Shizzle Design started when Andrade wanted to progress from creating the garden chairs and mosaic pots she was selling at a friend’s greenhouse to a more profitable and sustaining venture. She mentioned during a family gathering that she was looking to do something new and creative. The subject of “flipping furniture” came up, and Cathy said, “I’ll do that with you!” The two invested in some old dressers, grabbed some paint and brushes, and got to work transforming them into works of art.

Their first outing was to Holland’s Art in the Park festival, which was a literal washout. It rained cats and dogs, and the two ended up standing in ankle-deep water for most of the day, trying to keep their beautiful mahogany dressers dry. Right then and there they understood…outdoor venues were not going to be their game. The amount of effort required to haul the dressers to the art fair was enough to make them realize they needed a better option for selling their wares. The pouring rain was just the clincher. Three weeks later, they moved into a space at Not So Shabby in Holland, and the rest, as they say, is history.

While continuing to retail their products at Not So Shabby, the two decided in February 2016 to rent a small space at Changing Thymes in Grandville to sell their paint lines. Then, in August 2017, Cathy, her best friend and business partner, passed away, and Andrade had to scale down temporarily to deal with her own cancer diagnosis. Despite the hardships of the past year and a half, it has been a time of healing and renewal.

Andrade is again feeling great, and she honors her sister’s memory with happiness, admiration, and by continuing their hard work. She has just recently upgraded to a larger space at Changing Thymes and will expand to include her furniture pieces as well as home décor.

Shizzle’s most popular pieces have always been dressers and buffets, which is lucky, because those are Andrade’s favorite pieces to rejuvenate. She enjoys layering multiple colors of paint followed by waxes and oils to create unique finishes that give each piece its own personality.

Shizzle Design, likely the largest retailer of chalk paints in West Michigan, sells three lines of all-natural, nontoxic, ZERO VOC chalk paints. These amazing qualities allow for painting inside year-round, and in Michigan, that is a big deal!

Shizzle has become known across the country and beyond, with people coming from the US and Canada to attend workshops and retreats. Andrade loves when customers from other areas pop in to visit while in town.

Plenty of online inspiration for DIYers can be found on the Shizzle Design website. Check out their massive Pinterest collection and the portfolio section of their website. In addition, visit them on Facebook at Shizzle, LLC for all the latest news and happenings.

 Shizzle Design, LLC. (616) 438-2644  | Shizzle-Design.com