Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chelsea Jancewicz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Chelsea, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Naming anything feels hard because it feels so definitive and you don’t want to get it wrong. The name, Table for 2, came from our history. The first piece of furniture I ever made for myself was my dining room table. I still currently utilize it as our family dining table. I salvaged some scraps while I was moving into my first apartment and didn’t have a lot of money that I could use to purchase furniture I needed. After a few months of retrofitting and some helping minds to come up with some creative solutions, the table was finished. When Dave and I met, we enjoyed scouring thrift stores and looking in alleyways in our Chicago neighborhoods for discarded items that we could use to turn into something. One day, we came across a broken speaker and decided we could turn it into a side table that we needed. As time went on, the idea of starting a business started to take root. When it was time for us to name the business, we took a walk down memory lane to find something meaningful to us. Thus, Table for 2 was born.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Before creating Table for 2, I worked in healthcare as an occupational therapist in many different roles and settings. Feeling burnt out, I began refinishing furniture pieces as a creative outlet. From here, I was able to commission my first custom piece and it opened my eyes to the potential of being able to support myself financially by doing something creative that I love. I have always loved taking something old or discarded and giving it new life in a new setting. Sometimes a piece just needs to be presented in a new way for you to see its beauty. For me, vintage and antique pieces reflect the flaws and imperfections we all have as humans. I love having them in my home to remind me that nothing is perfect and there is beauty in us just the way we are.

This business has deep roots for me. We put so much thought and passion into sourcing our pieces, repairing them if needed, and staging them in the shop. I truly believe that we have so many furniture and homewares already in existence and we do not need to keep producing more. I hope to make the smallest footprint on this earth by limiting my consumption and waste production and Table for 2 hopes to be a source of beautifully found objects and pieces that you can furnish your home with that helps limit your waste production in furniture and homewares.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn (and continue to unlearn) is scarcity mindset. This mindset is one where you believe there are limited opportunities or possibilities and there isn’t enough to go around. Having this mindset is of course limiting and puts myself in my own way. It does not foster confidence or the ability to grow. It is constricting and limiting. It can breed stress, jealousy, and limits your focus on long-term problem solving. Unfortunately, this mindset is deeply engrained in our society so it takes work to overcome. An antidote for this mindset is shifting into abundance mindset. Meaning, there is enough success, opportunities, and resources for everyone. Learning to lead with an abundance mindset takes time and practice. Ways I work to unlearn a scarcity mindset are daily practices of gratitude – being grateful for all that I do have (not focusing on the things I don’t), giving and sharing what I do have – practicing generosity, and remembering that someone else’s success does not take away or limit my success.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Table for 2 turned into my main career, but it took a lot of time, patience, learning, and unlearning. Before opening our brick and mortar, I worked in healthcare as an occupational therapist. I mainly worked with children throughout those years, but I had a hard time not burning out. Healthcare professionals are often overworked and can be placed in very emotionally draining positions. As an empath, I had a hard time balancing it all and not letting work and the emotions bleed into my life. It felt foreign to have to lead a personal life and a work life. I felt like I needed to find a way to support myself outside of a traditional career path.

I have always enjoyed exploring my creative side, but I didn’t think it was possible to have a career doing something creative. Refinishing furniture and collecting vintage was a creative outlet for me during my years in healthcare. With time, practice, and a lot of learning I commissioned my first custom jobs. That gave me a boost of confidence that there was money to be made by utilizing my creativity. One step led to another until finally we took the calculated risk of opening a brick and mortar. All of this couldn’t be done without the support and guidance of my mentors, family, and friends.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tablefor2cleveland.com
• Instagram: @tablefor2.cle
• Facebook: @tablefor2.cle
• Linkedin: @Chelsea-Jancewicz
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/table-for-2-cleveland

Image Credits

Headshot + photos #1 + #4 – Nicole Leon Miller
https://www.nicoleleonemiller.com/

Photos #2 + #3 – Natalie Dawn Photo
https://www.nataliedawnphoto.com