Tara Genge, the owner of Chalk Therapy and Electric City Works in Peterborough, Ont., said this could be the perfect time to take on a home project.
“This is really the perfect time to take the house apart and tackle the projects you’ve just put into corners and saved for another day,” she said.
Genge and the team at Chalk Therapy specialize in giving old and tired furniture new life using mineral paint.
“You can paint anything: glass, metal, plastic, wood veneer,” Genge said. “It is super easy. You can do it indoors, no stripping, and no sanding. You just have to clean your piece and then get to the project.”
Genge said Chalk Therapy is doing curbside pick up for paint and has launched online workshops to stay connected with customers.
“You can sign up for a workshop. I will be there working on a piece and we go step by step,” she said. “Updating an older piece, you get quality and durability and you get the newer styles, the colours that everyone is looking for, on a quality piece.”
Genge said not only does it give you a break from screen time, but it is also a chance to support a local business.
“When you support a small business in your community, your money is going to people who live here and spend their money here, too,” Genge said. “You are supporting your whole city.”
The Art School of Peterborough has also developed a way to stay connected during lockdown: at-home pottery kits.
“The kits come with a bag of clay, plastic utensils that come back to the school to be sanitized each week, paint, and a link to a step-by-step tutorial,” said Jenni Johnston, executive director of The Art School of Peterborough.
You can sign up online or by phone, pick up your kit curbside, build and paint your project at home and then drop it back off at The Art School of Peterborough to be glazed and fired.
“It is just such a great mental break,” Johnston said. “It is almost like going back to your childhood in a way and, in the end, you get the satisfaction of doing something on your own and creating something beautiful.”
Kits go out on Wednesdays. You can find more details here. If you want to do a past project, you can call The Art School of Peterborough at 705-742-3221.
“Artists have been hit hard by the pandemic,” Johnston said.
“The Kawarthas are known for our artists, so whether you take a class like this, share their work online, or purchase a piece to enjoy in your home if you can, it is a great way to show them support.”
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