It's all in the family!

 I would like to introduce you to Deana Gayhart and her family...

Left to right: Connie Gayhart, Melinda Morgan, Deana Gayhart

"Two Generations Turning the Dull into the Divine"

Connie Gayhart instilled a passion for creativity into her daughters from a young age. As that passion grew, Deana decided it was time to pursue her dream of owning her own store. 

Here is Deana's story:

I always wanted to own my own store, but the idea of what kind of store was constantly changing. I have always loved creating, painting, sewing, upholstery, and interior decorating (all of which I learned from watching my mom). In college I studied business with an emphasis in entrepreneurship and finally decided on the type of business I wanted to own. 

My mom, my sister, and I where always sewing clothing, formal gowns, bathing suits, home decorative items…. you name it! I thought to myself, people are always asking us to sew things for them, we are really good at it, and we love it, why don’t we get paid for this?? 

My mom and I began doing farmers markets and craft shows selling things we hand made. Then we took a spot at The Brick Basement, an antique/craft mall. We sold our handmade things there, as well as a blend of antique and vintage finds. My mom always had antiques and collectibles in our home, so I grew up with an appreciation of “old junk”. This place was the perfect blend of all the things we truly love; creating and collecting.

While in my final semester in college I was taking a course in which we were supposed to launch our own business, sort of as a thesis. That is when my mom and I discoveredThe Brick Basement was for sale and jumped at the opportunity. Over the years we have added furniture painting, upholstery, and custom sewing of home decorative items as services provided through our store. After about three years owning and operating The Brick Basement we decided one store just wasn’t enough, so we opened a second, "Alchemy Fine Living".

In Alchemy Fine Living we really get to express our creativity. We carry a large line of fabrics and sew all sorts of custom designs for the home, from curtains and bedding to slipcovers and pillows. We sell a blend of antique, new and handcrafted items. We buy and refinish, repurpose or otherwise embellish antique and vintage furnishings for resale within the store. We also paint and refinish furniture for clients. We’ve become so busy that my sister Melinda has taken on most of the sewing and upholstery at The Brick Basement, while my mom and I focus on custom orders taken at Alchemy Fine Living. 

The Brick Basement

113 N. Harbor Blvd.  Fullerton CA

714-525-3692

Join us for our Spring open house at The Brick Basement

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Alchemy Fine Living

173 E. City Place Dr. Santa Ana CA

877-250-3674

Upholstery , lamp rewiring and furniture painting classes are available at Alchemy Fine Living.