We recently connected with Jennifer Pisa and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

There is a Non-Profit near me in Buffalo, NY, that furnishes homes for people in need, such a domestic violence survivors, veterans & refugees. They mostly serve female heads of households with children.

To see photos of their homes where people sleep on the floor because they don’t have a bed. Or their clothes are piled up in the corner of a room or stored in totes. It’s heartbreaking. So when I come across free dressers, whether they are online or out at the curb, I will pick them up with the intention of refinishing them to donate to the Non-profit.

I visualize who I think the donated piece will go to, and I design it specifically for that person in my mind. I do all necessary cleanings & repairs. I use leftover paint from different projects so the donated pieces don’t usually cost me anything except my time … which I am happy to give!

After the Non-Profit has completed furnishing a family’s home they will post before & after photos of the spaces. When I see one of my custom designed pieces in one of these homes … well… There are no words to explain how it makes me feel. To know that I helped bring a little bit of comfort and hope to someone who is struggling is such a heart warming experience.

The best part is that my children (ages 14 & 9) are aware of these donations that I do and they like to help when they can. They might help by removing the hardware, or choosing the paint color. Small acts that make a big impact. When I show them that one of my dressers went into a little girl’s room who didn’t even have a bedroom before, and my child jumps out of his seat & does a “happy dance” and then asks when we can do the next one… That’s the best part. In my work and my giving back, I’m also teaching my children the importance of helping others.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve always had a bit of a creative side. As a child, I was a good artist and used to win a lot of local contests. When I was in high school, I had a poem published. As an adult, I LOVED to plan parties. I enjoyed creative details & design elements, but I didn’t get to do it often.

After receiving my Bachelor’s Degree in Communication from University at Buffalo, I worked in Sales & Marketing in corporate America for 13 years. I was really good at my job and I enjoyed it. But, after many years of trying to juggle mine & my husband’s work schedules, along with our two young children, I had enough. I wanted to enjoy my life, not just go through the day to day motions. So, when my youngest was just over one year old, I left the corporate world to be a “stay-at-home mom.” I always said when he went to school, I’d go back to work. Fast forward a few years and he first went to school during Covid so home I stayed.

Like everyone else who was stuck home due to Covid, I got bored. I sat in my house day in & day out and ended up strongly disliking most of my decor. So I got online and started looking for a new dresser. The one I wanted was thousands of dollars. But I didn’t want to spend that much money on one piece of furniture. After all, there was nothing actually wrong with my current dresser. It was good quality, top of the line, real wood furniture. I just no longer liked the color that it was. That’s when I wondered if I could refinish it myself.

After watching many Youtube videos & reading some DIY blogs, I decided to try my hand at it. It came out pretty good so then I refinished my husband’s dresser. Then I moved on to our livingroom that had couple bookshelves and an entertainment center. I eventually refinished EVERYTHING. I couldn’t believe what paint could do to completely transform a piece of furniture, which then completely transformed a room.

It got me thinking that maybe I could refinish a few more pieces and sell them locally. I went to a thrift store and found a small table. I purchased it for $15 & resold for $85. Not bad for my first piece. Little by little I completed more, and they sold. I thought about moving forward and turning this into something but I got scared. Scared of the “what ifs” and the failures. Then I realized what I needed to do. I needed to take my new hobby to social media. Because once I posted about it, then it was out there for the world to see so I HAD to do it. I couldn’t chicken out. I couldn’t quit.

On March 30, 2022 I created social media pages for my hobby called “2 Danes Furniture Refinishing” named after my two Great Danes, Hank and Ruby. From that point I really started treating my hobby like it was something more, because it was BECOMING something more. I was creating content and posting almost every day. Soon people were sharing my posts, DMing me to purchase something they saw and some even contacted me about refinishing their furniture.

That’s where I get the best of both worlds creatively. I am always on the lookout for vintage furniture that I can design and refinish my own way. It gives me the most artistic and creative freedom. And I can do it on my own schedule.

I also accept custom commissioned orders, whether it’s a piece of furniture someone already owns that they want refinished, or they want me to find and create the perfect piece for their space. Either way I’m happy to do it…if I can. That’s the important part that I want people to know about me. I have a niche. I have a comfort zone. There are styles of refinishing that I may not like to do or have never done, or maybe do not have the proper equipment or atmosphere to do. I will always be 100% upfront and honest about my abilities. I have turned clients away because I knew I wouldn’t be able to give them the look they were trying to achieve. So far, they have all been thankful that I was honest and upfront with them.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of what I get to do, is that I get to share it with people who truly appreciate it. Especially the clients who commission me. I really get to know them, and I truly adore each and every one of them!

That’s one thing I didn’t know was going to happen when I created this business. The relationships, and even friendships, I’ve made. My client has me come into their home to look at the piece of furniture. We talk about their style. We talk color and design. I also meet their dog. I play with their kids. I may sit down at their table and eat some homemade apple pie while watching a football game and searching drawer liner options. (That’s really happened!)

For most of my clients, it isn’t just any old piece of furniture that they are asking me to refinish. It was their grandfather’s buffet, or their mother’s china cabinet. Normally those family members are no longer with us. So this is a really personal thing we’re doing. Not to mention the investment they’re making to refinish it. I KNOW the piece of furniture I’ll now have in my possession is important and I have to do my absolute best work on it. I’m always so thankful and honored when someone chooses ME to refinish these heirloom pieces for them. And the best part is when I deliver the furniture back and they absolutely love it. I hope they know that with each piece I complete, I give them a little bit of my heart.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The best way for society to support artists and creatives, is to not lowball offers on our work! My pricing is not based on someone else’s budget.

True refinishing is so much more than just putting a coat of paint on a piece of furniture and calling it complete. My pricing not only includes the original price of the piece and the supplies I used, but it also includes my travels, design time, repairs, modifications and, most importantly, my expertise.

If you’d like to keep costs very low, you can purchase particle board from a chain store. If you want a one-of-a-kind, real wood, artisan piece of furniture that will last you for years to come, I’d be more than happy to work with you. <3

Contact Info:

• Instagram: 2Danes_Furniture_Refinishing
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2Danesfurniturerefinishing
• Other: www.Etsy.com/Shop/2DanesRefinishing