Seeley Lake Vintage – Outlet for Creative Endeavors

SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake residents Kathy Stevens and her daughter-in-law Tessa are hosting their grand opening for Seeley Lake Vintage March 4 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Heritage Building on the north end of Seeley Lake. They look forward to bringing a store offering vintage, rustic and re-loved home décor, furniture and gifts to Seeley Lake.

Both Kathy and Tessa share a love of purposeful re-purposing. They also enjoy creating decorative items and painting.

"I've always been kind of a crafter," said Tessa who enjoys painting and creating in her free time. Kathy and Tessa would often get together to share ideas and work on various craft projects.

Kathy said she had some furniture that she had always wanted to paint. She found chalk paint on the Pinterest website and "became obsessed with it. I showed it to Tessa and she took it from there."

They went to vintage markets and thought maybe this was something they could do. The vintage style appealed to them both because older furniture is better made and has more character and history than new furniture.

They choose the name Seeley Lake Vintage because they saw it as a natural fit for the business.

"It was simple and describes the material we work with," said Kathy.

Both agree it will serve as an outlet for their creative endeavors.

Seeley Lake Vintage welcomes customers with decorative painted signs with quotes of inspiration and one-word exclamations. They can also create custom, painted signs with images and/or text on material that customers bring in or purchase specifically for the project. This spring Tessa and Kathy look forward to offering sign painting classes.

In addition to signs, Kathy and Tessa transform items they find at garage sales, second-hand stores and throw-away items from Kathy's husband Rod's construction business. They turn them into upcycled, refurbished, vintage furniture and home décor items.

"We are not here to fix furniture," said Tessa. "Sometimes something just needs a touch of paint."

While Kathy acknowledges a shop like this is a bit of a risk in Seeley Lake, she is excited about offering something that is not available locally.

"People don't need to go to Missoula or Kalispell to find this stuff," said Tessa.

Seeley Lake Vintage is located in the Heritage Building on the north end of Seeley Lake. Their winter and spring hours are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Hours will be expanded in the summer. Everyone is invited to their grand opening celebration this Saturday from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. that will include prizes, snacks and hourly giveaways.

Seeley Lake Vintage can be found on Facebook or call Kathy 406-231-4416 or Tessa 406-210-3585.