Jill Felice and Colleen Mandeville have far more in common than the color of their hair. The two redheads bonded instantly more than a decade ago while working as nurses at Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital. Shortly after, they strengthened their friendship while on the hunt for hidden treasures at local garage sales.
“We became the ‘Garage Sale Queens,’” Felice said. “We started repurposing things for our own homes as a hobby.”
As their passion for flipping garage sale finds grew, so too did their talent for creating one-of-a-kind pieces. The two toyed with the idea of opening their own business to share their passion with others. The first step was selling items on consignment in REO Town, where they found their creations would sell to the public.
“We finally said ‘let’s just do it,’” Felice said. “What do we have to lose?”
Felice and Mandeville rented a spot at 141A S. Cochran Avenue and have been working for the past several weeks to prepare their new shop for customers. They will host their grand opening Saturday, April 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“We couldn’t have come into Charlotte at a better time,” Felice said. “Charlotte is really building back up.”
While the shop is filled with creative home décor and repurposed and revitalized furniture, The Flipping Redheads is also a space to unleash your own creativity. Felice and Mandeville encourage customers to stop in and find something they may want to flip themselves.
Carrying a full line of Dixie Belle paint, a painting station is set up in the back of the store to allow customers to breathe new life into their own creations.
“We have a saying: Pick your paint and your piece, take it home and make it your own, or we will flip it with a twist,” Felice said.
“Or if customers have something sitting around at home, they can bring it in and we can paint it for them and really doll it up,” Mandeville added.
The two have an eclectic style that is reflective in the décor found throughout the shop. Though both say their style is “funky,” they’ve toned down items in the store to get a real sense of the style the local community is looking for.
“Everyone’s taste is so unique and different,” Mandeville said. “We have furniture where we may just sand it and paint it, real simple, or take something else and totally remake it. We want to see what our customers want from us.”
So far, they know the community is eager for them to open, and they are just as anxious to get customers through their door.
“I think we will really do well in Charlotte,” Felice said. “People have been so supportive of us opening up, especially many of the other business owners downtown.”
The Flipping Redheads is open Monday through Wednesday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday and Friday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stop in Saturday, April 29 to enter a drawing to win one of two grand opening giveaways. For more information, find The Flipping Redheads on Facebook @FlippingRedheads.
