A flying toboggan, dumpster diving, artistic talent and a longtime friendship all came together to create one of Geauga County’s newest shops in Burton Village.
A flying toboggan, dumpster diving, artistic talent and a longtime friendship all came together to create one of Geauga County’s newest shops in Burton Village.
Undercover Charm occupies the storefront at 14531 North Cheshire St., filled with a wide variety of art, re-purposed furnishings, household items and lots of handcrafted signs.
Decorated for the holidays, the front room of Beth Brent and Anne Layne’s dream-come-true is warm and inviting — and clever.
A slatted-wood toboggan hangs from the ceiling, encouraging shoppers to look up, and learn the story of the unconventional decoration.
Some of their items have been throw-aways, left by the side of the road or in dumpsters, Layne said.
Other items displayed on the shelves — or floor — are provided by local artists and crafters.
One day she was scavenging when she turned around and saw a discarded toboggan.
“I thought, ‘That needs to be in our place.’ It’s one of our favorite dumpster bargains,” she said.
Although the name is titillating, Undercover Charm has nothing to do with lingerie and lots to do with what the pair can uncover while hunting for treasures or stripping old paint and grime off what they find.
Complementing the colorful and crafty displays are large and small signs created by Brent’s husband, David, at his Willowleaf Studio at their Claridon-Troy Road home.
“He’s always wanted to have a storefront so everybody would know about his sign company,” Brent said.
The problem was he spends his time designing and creating the artistic markers, so there was no time to run a shop.
About a year ago, Brent and Layne were having breakfast with friends at DS Cakes & Sweets Cafe in Newbury Township when they finally decided to take advantage of the many talents exhibited by local artists and crafters, while showcasing David’s signs.
The new “Welcome to Chardon” signs and the Rothenbuhler Cheese Chalet signs were made at Willowleaf, David said, adding he likes to repurpose old wood, but he uses other materials and takes orders for special items.
“We promote his signs as well as keep the store going,” Brent said.
“Without David we would never have had this space. He supports it, big time. It’s definitely a win-win,” Layne said, adding her husband, Gene, also contributes items for the displays.
They agreed on a name and found the space owned by Ross Hornak, who renovated to fit their needs. They decided to leave some old wallpaper, the brick wall in the back room and the original wooden ceiling.
Layne recalled the years their children were young and she and Brent would tell each other over coffee, “We should go into business together. Ha-ha.”
When everything lined up they never hesitated to give it a whirl.
“It’s so nice to be able to say we are living our dream. We pinch ourselves every day we are here,” she said.
They plan to have an after-Christmas sale starting Dec. 26. More information is available on the Undercover Charm Facebook page.
