YACOLT, Wash. — You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who loves old furniture more than Andrea Hoffman of Yacolt, Washington.
“I love the way it's built. It's like dovetail constructed and it's just a gorgeous piece,” she said, pointing to a recent piece she refurbished in her garage.
Hoffman started her company, “Furniture on 5th,” last year, as a way to make extra income for her family. She’s since refurbished hundreds of pieces, everything from classic antiques to modern styles.
“I started doing pieces and people bought them. I realized I was good at it," she said.
At first, Hoffman was nervous, unsure if her venture would prove successful. But with time, her business blossomed.
“I was thinking, is this even going to work? And then some of my customers brought their friends, and then the customers started coming back and calling me and wanting requests for certain pieces. Before you knew it, I was like, oh my gosh I'm actually doing this! I'm doing it, how fun!”
Andrea finds most of her pieces at thrift stores, then brings them home to sand, prime and paint.
“When I sand there is dust everywhere! It's in my nose, my hair, all over! Paint is flying everywhere!”
Working from home allows the wife and mother of six to care for her children. Four of them have special needs.
“They have epilepsy. And we've had multiple surgeries to keep the seizures at bay. My kids have what's called a Vagal nerve stimulator, similar to a heart monitor that's implanted, and that helps with seizures. But it's nice, I can be here to take care of them, it definitely is a big bonus,” Hoffman said.
Which is why she is so thankful to her customers, who keep her in business.
“I'm really blessed, I have great customers and the community has done a lot to support us. When they purchase my product, it helps take care of my children. To all my customers, thank you again for supporting us. We truly love you guys!”
Hoffman hopes her story of becoming a small business owner helps inspire other mothers who might be in a similar situation.
“Nobody is stuck in their same position. There is always opportunity. This is America, land of the free. We can do anything. Once you set your mind to something, you can do it,” she said.
