A Young Entrepreneur’s ‘Suite’ Future
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Amanda Peppard, left, during a Pinterest Live session, has big plans for Suite Pieces in 2015, including new classes and a revamped website with more opportunities for e-commerce.
Take a closer look at Amanda Peppard’s Huntington Station business, and it turns out there are really three “suite” pieces that complete the business model – decorative paint, vintage goods and workshops and events, all with the fashionable do-it-yourselfer in mind.
Since taking over the former Yankee Peddler antique shop on New York Avenue and establishing Suite Pieces, Peppard said things are looking up.
“We have been pretty busy and we’ve gotten lots of new products in and lots of new dealers. It’s been really great,” she said.
Peppard in March inked a 10-year lease to run the 30-plus dealer and artist cooperative located at 1038 New York Ave., which includes an artist’s collective on the top floor.
The first part of her business model is Peppard’s vintage furniture and decorative paint boutique filled with carefully curated items and creatively restored pieces. The goal, she said, is to inspire her customers to create.
“We hope to be an inspiration to our customers for creating their own homes, for creating their own spaces, whether they are just redoing a dresser in the home or are inspired by the vintage pieces in the store,” she said.
She got her start in Huntington Station in March 2012 as a dealer in the former Yankee Peddler Antiques shop. That stewardship brings the second piece of the puzzle into the fold – The Shops at Suite Pieces collective of vintage and antique dealers continues the Yankee Peddler tradition, as do the Studios at Suite Pieces, formerly known as the Artists in the Attic.
The final piece, Peppard said, is hosting a regular series of events aimed at inspiring guests to take the crafting plunge. On Monday, their monthly Pinterest Live series, inspired by the popular social-media crafting website, taught guests how to make a burlap wreath with a monogram. Every month, they pick a different craft and do it in person at the store.
The event typically attracts dozens of women for a crafty night with wine and chocolate – a great ladies night out, Peppard said.
“Although they love Pinterest and the love crafting at home, it’s very hard to get things done,” she explained. “Maybe they forgot a supply or the kids come home from school,” she said.
The events have been a strong promotional tool for the rest of the property she said.
“They’ve been really great in getting our name out there,” she said of the events. “There’s not anybody else out there offering this service to people.”
Peppard said she plans to expand the services offered through Suite Pieces. “Pick-A-Piece,” a workshop in which participants pick a piece of furniture and re-paint it right there in the store, is in the works for next year. A major overhaul of their e-commerce presence, featuring customer work on the Suite Pieces website, is also planned for 2015.
Calling on her teaching background, the workshops and classes are of particular interest.
“I really do enjoy teaching the classes and communicating information,” she said.
Suite Pieces
1038 New York Ave., Huntington Station
631-560-9759
http://suitepieces.co
