We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mary Rowley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mary, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I’ve always expressed my creativity on canvases, but a friend suggested I paint furniture. Covid was a time with not a lot to do so I took this time to experiment with this new idea. My love of DIY and handy skills have also always come naturally to me, so with combining all my years of experience, with some research and video watching, Type A Creations was born. Besides restoring and repairing vintage and antique pieces, I also add color, details, and repurpose them to make them unique. In the beginning, I found discarded pieces in alleyways and dumpsters, or friends would give me pieces they no longer wanted. I would then clean, repair, and enhance them for their future homes. In some cases, garage and online sales were also a great source of this new medium. Even friends would bring me pieces they wanted restored or painted. Having to experiment with paints and brushes, I finally found a combination that worked for me. A simple wall or acrylic paint won’t do. Since I have always painted on canvas or other non-wood items, I continue to hand paint all my furniture pieces. I’ve also learned about selling on Etsy, Facebook marketplace and how to use social media to get my name and products out there.

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

I was born into an artistic family and creating art is something I’ve always loved to do. My business name explains my complicated and unique brain. I’m a “type A’ person that must have perfection while also being artistic. If I don’t know how to do something, then I will study everything I can find and practice until I can do it (in my mind) perfectly. I also love when a piece “talks” to me and tells me what it wants to become, and the ideas just flow out of me onto the piece. Though I may create similar pieces, if a customer asks me to, every piece is hand painted and still unique. I use top quality cleaners, primers, paint, brushes, and sealant. When I send a piece home with its new family, I send a care kit that has paint samples and a small brush for touch ups. For shipping big pieces across the US, I use reputable furniture movers that ensure protected delivery until it has been placed in its new home.

How did you build your audience on social media?

There are groups on Facebooks and Instagram for every walk of life. As I started joining these groups, commenting on posts, and asking questions other people started following me back. I also post my items on Pinterest and sell on Etsy which has brought new followers. Using hashtags, making reels, and creating stories brings in the rest of my followers. I know I still have a lot to learn, but I hope my growing followers enjoy my journey.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

I found having my own website didn’t bring as many people as I had hoped. For me social media and Etsy has been my biggest source of getting my name and pieces out there. Though using any ecommerce site has its pros and cons every individual needs to find the balance that works for them. For me the hardest part is adding in the everchanging shipping costs into my pricing. I also have an antique booth that I display a few pieces at which drives people to my pages. I hang QR codes in my booth and have business cards for others to take.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/typeacreations/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/typeacreationstx
• Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/typeacreationstx