Busy Bee, a hive of creative decor
Published 1:13 pm Wednesday, April 11, 2018
- Betty Jo Bain has been as busy as a bee to set up her shop in downtown Franklin. Through her artistic abilities, she gives old furniture new purpose. -- Stephen H. Cowles | Tidewater News
FRANKLIN
Rather than scurrying here, there and everywhere to find home decor, simplify the process by making a beeline to Busy Bee. There you’ll meet Betty Jo Bain, who is both the proprietor and creative force behind the new shop in downtown Franklin.
Looking around at the cabinets, tables and dressers and other furniture, a person might think that it all came from a factory. In fact, Bain has put her personal touch, and no small amount of elbow grease, into restoring the pieces.
A few years ago, Bain — who was reared in Southampton County — discovered some old pieces in a house that appealed to her.
“Let’s see what I can do with them,” she recalled thinking to herself. Cleaning, painting and any other technique resulted in restored furniture, some of which she did for herself.
A table setting invites you to sit down. All that’s missing is a meal, but that you can provide if you took home this set, which is for sale at the Busy Bee.
Although the Severn, North Carolina, native already loves doing yard work, she came to realize creative abilities that had never before really been explored. She credits this discovery in part to her late father, Joseph Grant, who enjoyed woodworking in his lifetime. Her mother, Anne, is also deceased.
Previous to all this, Bain had been selling time-shares, places for people to stay at various times of the year for vacations. Before that, she had been an OB-GYN nurse in Williamsburg for 20 years. But with three children to rear, more money was needed, hence the career change.
With the growing interest in furniture restoration her way, Bain began to think of this as a new career, and later became a vendor in numerous stores. But, she had become tired of paying rent, and decided to branch out on her own.
Today, the children — Jessie Hoffman, Alexandria Rawls and Tiffany Pecht — are out of the house. Which leaves Bain and her husband, Pond (he contributes by sanding) plenty of time to seek out and restore furniture or find decorative items that will enhance people’s homes.
Busy Bee is located at 218 Middle St. The shop is open Monday through Wednesday by appointment; Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call Bain at 635-8208 or visit her Facebook page for more information.
