by Rich DuBose, with Jana Fulup
Rich - I’ve known you for a few years, Jana, and have followed from afar your interest in furniture refinishing and interior design. You like some of that quirky stuff that can make rooms interesting and colorful. Tell us a little about yourself and your journey into home interiors.
Jana Responds - Let's see... I've always had a thing about my surroundings being aesthetically pleasing (to me, at least) and have always loved color, art, and great design. Growing up very poor, there wasn't much to work with, which I believe caused me to be more resourceful and creative about how to make those spaces into something I enjoyed. Over the years I would take on projects, be it refinishing furniture, creating art, painting, styling friends' homes, set designs, and displays for church. It was always a creative outlet for me that I desperately needed.
In October of 2021, I was laid off from a lighting firm where I worked in marketing. Mark and I weren't married yet, but he said to me, "Why don't you take all these projects and sell them somewhere?" I hadn't thought to do that before (besides marketplace or Craigslist) and I went searching for vendor space in an antique mall, which was a HUGE leap of faith for me since I was still supporting myself. I started with 100 square feet and, within a year, I was up to 1,000. It quickly turned into a full-time business, and I even picked up a couple of interior design clients I still work with today.
Fast forward almost three years, and the owner of the mall I was in decided it was time to downsize. He asked me to go in with him, and I did, though in my gut I knew it wasn't a good fit for me. We were so busy at the time with college graduations, a vacation coming up, and helping our kids move, that I didn't have time to say no and walk away. Mark and I decided we'd talk, think, and pray more about it while we were on vacation and away from all the busyness of life. One evening, Mark said, "Why don't you just open your own store?" to which I promptly said, "Not happening!" (I didn't want the overhead, all the responsibility, or to feel tied down) and I had never actually wanted my own place. I enjoyed the freedom of being a vendor and being able to work with clients on their home projects. Anyway, he planted a seed... so a few days later, we started looking online and running the numbers. Somehow it made sense even though it didn't —if that makes any sense. We found one property we were both drawn to, and the next thing you know, I was the owner of my own brick-and-mortar store. August 21, 2025, will be our first anniversary in this location. I source, refinish, and stage it all. I do have two part-time employees, which allows me to still work with clients outside the shop in the home staging world.
Rich - Now that you are a business owner, are you having as much fun as you did when you were a vender? A second part to this question is, when you are working, what part of the job do you enjoy most?
Jana Responds - Am I having as much fun now that I'm an owner? That's a hard one. I'm having fun in an exhausting kind of way. It is amazing to see how God has, and is, working through all of this, especially since I never wanted it, simply because I thought it was out of reach. I guess I always secretly dreamed of having my own place, but the idea of all the other pieces coming together was overwhelming. And it is overwhelming. But it's also great. I enjoy having control of my space and of what the shop looks like. I love that I'm still working with clients one-on-one, and I also love that we're in a gorgeous building and a great neighborhood. If I'm honest, I wouldn't have dared to ask for all that we have... it seems too good to be true. That being said, God's plans are always so much better than ours, and I'm thankful He's leading this circus. It's been fun and sometimes a little scary to see it all come together. But it keeps me on my knees, which is probably the best place for me because my "I can do it myself" attitude was getting old. lol.
Rich - What aspect of the business do you enjoy most?
Jana Responds - I know I should say, "working with the customers," but that's not actually true. I prefer to be in the back (I have a 2,000 sq. ft warehouse to work in) in headphone land refinishing furniture. Or, designing a client's home. I also love staying late one night a week and resetting the shop by myself, with loud worship music playing, or listening to my audiobook of the moment. LOL Very much the introvert over here. I LOVE making things beautiful, but I really don't need people to know it's me doing it, or to be the face of the business. Behind the curtain is where I prefer to be. But I realize how important it is to put my face out there and interact with the community. Sigh. I just find it draining.
One thing I love about the business is helping people think outside of the box when it comes to design. Everything doesn’t have to be matchy matchy, or all mid-century, just because you live in a mid-century home, you know? Your home should feel like you —not like it just dropped off a page of a magazine (though I do believe there’s a time and place for that, too). It should feel storied, hence the name of the shop. The same is true for the pieces I bring into the store. Each one has a story, and personally, I enjoy thinking about what those pieces have seen (that sounds kinda dumb, but if only furniture could talk!).
I also love teaching people about the different period pieces, and explaining how they were made, and showing how much better the quality is than with what we find in big box stores today. When someone understands quality over quantity, I feel like it’s a win. And, here's a BONUS, we’re keeping it out of the landfill! This is HUGE for me! We waste so much, and it’s just senseless, imo. Why does anyone need to buy anything new these days?
That being said, I do carry some wholesale pieces (it’s too much to source everything) but they’re all fair trade, eco-friendly, recycled materials, and provide work for men and women all over the world. Personally, I try to stick with the ones that support women, but that’s just the feminist in me. Lol.
Storied Vintage offers home staging, interior design and home styling services in addition to the shop. This keeps me hopping, but I do love it! Eventually, I’m hoping there will be a non-profit part of the business, too. For instance, when I buy an entire estate, I don’t always need everything that comes with it. At the moment, those things are donated to Community Warehouse (CW), a local non-profit that offers furniture and home goods to those in need. I’m not sure if we’ll start our own, or continue to parter with CW. Guess we’ll see where the Lord leads! Mark is hoping we just continue on with our partnership. He’s exhausted and has spent too many years in the non-profit world. Lol.
Rich - It sounds like you keep very busy, but hey, you're having fun. Thank you so much for sharing with us what you're doing. How can people connect with you?
Jana Responds - We’re building out our website now, but people can follow along either on Facebook or Instagram @storiedvintage.pdx. People are welcome to DM, call, email, or come in to: 7850 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97215 | Street view ( scroll around to other side of the street).
Rich DuBose writes from Northern California
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