Sticks & Bricks is not the typical vintage shop - but a modernized take with an old-school feeling. A mix of projects and parts for sale, as well as curated furniture, lighting and other household elements, come together to create a unique store and studio space.
“I love everything about furnishing a home with vintage and handmade items. It means your home is personal, it has heart,” explains Liz Karney, owner of Sticks & Bricks. “It also feels so good, for me anyway, to look around and be reminded of the artist you supported, the trip you took, the history that is embedded. Plus, I feel fantastic about keeping things out of the landfill and keeping the trees in the forest. Buying vintage does that so well.”
The combination of the store and its workshop means that Liz can “make and tinker with furniture right in Sticks & Bricks.” Although she does fewer custom pieces than she used to, Liz spends significant time working with older pieces to give them a new feel and bringing in pieces for possible future projects.
“The store evolves with my tastes,” explains Liz. “I’m often attracted to what I need in my own house and it’s also dependent on what I can find.”
The store didn’t begin traditionally. Liz wasn’t looking at store space for herself at all. Back in 2008, with a young daughter, she tagged along with her partner to look at a space for him to open a coffee shop.
“I was not on board, I did not think he had time for a new business. But I love to dream and look at real estate, so we went. My business wasn't even a seed in my brain,” recalls Liz. “The space was so cute. There was an available apartment upstairs, and our daughter's elementary school was a block away. Dreamy. But I was still not convinced.”
With the landlord’s blessing, she took the week to process and came up with a plan: to use the downstairs as a studio and small store and live in the upstairs apartment.
“I’d been working doing home repair, learning lots of new skills and using those to make lots of little things we didn’t need,” remembers Liz. “I’d been trying to find places to sell my projects and figured other people might want to sell theirs too. I’d still do home repair part-time, and if my little business didn’t work out, well, we could open a coffee shop then.”
With some paint to spruce up the place, a little planning, and moving in her projects and tools, Liz started the business. Slowly the sales happened and she was able to stop doing home repair jobs. The location and its proximity to her daughter’s school gave her some of the work-life balance that is so difficult for parents.
“Every sale felt like a miracle in the beginning. I couldn’t really believe it,” says Liz. “I remember struggling to talk about it- it felt like bragging. How was this my job? If I could work downstairs after she was asleep, or on weekends, and I could cover the rent and take a little home, I felt like I was killing it!”
Fifteen years after its start in 2008, Sticks & Bricks offers its customers a wide range of unique items to fill their homes. The store’s website does an overview of the pieces available but the best way to experience them is to visit the store.
“I think most people who walk through the doors are inspired. Even if you don’t have a new home to furnish, we all know how wonderful it can be to refresh our current space,” says Liz. “ It might be a new rug or the perfect dining table, or maybe you just find yourself imagining how to move what you already own in new ways. There are lots of stores with beautiful homewares and furnishings, but I like to think that my strange and personal choices help people do the same for themselves.”
The eclectic collection of vintage, handmade and updated furnishings at Sticks & Bricks may be the feature aspect of the store, but Liz makes sure to support other local businesses by featuring other local artists and craftspeople. “It’s easier than ever to buy everything conveniently online, but when you can, let yourself take an extra couple hours and head downtown,” explains Liz. “There are some incredibly talented and hard-working shopkeepers making some magic out there.”
Sticks & Bricks is located at 90 King St. in Northampton and the store is open Wednesdays through Sundays. For more information, visit www.SticksAndBricksShop.com.
"I think most people who walk through the doors are inspired."