MEMBER HIGHLIGHT: Definitely Different

Ms. Pam Towry started her business in 2013 as a rental business of her finished pieces. She named the business Definitely Different, because God creates each person definitely different. She had a large collection of various items and decided that she wanted to rent items for weddings.  

 

"We rented pieces of furniture that were used in staging, but friends said that they didn't want to rent the items...they wanted to buy them. So I dropped Special Occasions and got a booth to sell my items."

 

She became a retailer for Blackberry House Paint in 2014, and now they've expanded into other finishing products and gifts.

 

She is known as the paint lady. They might not remember her name, but they come in and ask, 'Is the Paint Lady here today? 

 

There are over 50 shades of the Blackberry House Paint. It is a chalk-free, water-based acrylic blend with no VOCs. Application is very easy--there is no sanding, priming, or stripping necessary, and it dries free of brush strokes.

 

Ms. Pam says, "I love helping my customers. I get asked, 'What do I need to know to finish my paint project?' We give them an instruction sheet and a business card for people to call if they have any problems. We have people come back to buy more. We love seeing before and after pictures, and you'd be surprised how many pictures we receive. They may be painting a family piece, and they share with me that it was their grandparents. They share their memories with me of a particular piece, and I enjoy hearing how they plan to use that piece in their home and how it becomes part of their everyday life. The paint gives the piece new purpose, but they still have the memories. If it were painted to blend in with your life, then it has more value than just sitting in the garage. Make it part of your home. Give it new life, and use it."

 

She has curated a meaningful selection of faith-based and inspirational gifts. She said it takes a lot of faith to start a small business, and she wanted to infuse that into her selection of products from mugs to towels to the recently added baby items.

 

 "I have prayed with customers before. We build a rapport and bond with our customers, and they're not just customers anymore--they're friends. I take paint calls at all hours. If people run into a problem with a painting project, I talk them through it. I have made house calls before. Customer service is the most important thing to me."

 

She and her husband Jeff are members of Fayetteville First Baptist and support charitable organizations within the community.

 

"We joined Main Street, because it helps to be a part of a group with like-minded individuals. It will help ground my business and be included in a group of people that all have the same goals for promoting and supporting local. I called Ms. Virginia and told her how impressed I was with Main Street, and we met with Aimee the following week. We attended our first educational mixer last week, and the presentation was wonderful. I took 4 pages of notes and learned a lot on how I can better market my business."

 

Stop by one of her booths at:

 

Carousel Horse Antiques & Home Decor

1115-B Huntsville Highway, Fayetteville, TN 37334

 

Or

 

Memories Antiques

117 West Lincoln St, Tullahoma, TN 37388.

 

 

You can also give her a call at 931-625-3124!