Evolution of the Queen of Hearts

As most of you know, the Queen of Hearts has been in business for over 20 years. When the Alpharetta location opened with 12 dealer-merchants, Jim and I were so excited. We definitely didn’t know then what we know now – at the time, we thought we were rocking it!

Jim Anderson signing up a new dealer-merchant in 1998

By 2003 we had slowly grown to over 200 dealers in Alpharetta. We bought an established mall in East Cobb, and opened the Buford Queen within four days of each other. Can you say, risk takers?? At the time, we were also raising two boys that played travel hockey and tournament tennis. We eventually sold the East Cobb location, opened the Marietta Queen on Hwy. 5, and moved that store to its current location in 2012.

Selling space in the Marietta Queen location

Whew! What a whirlwind for the Queen of Hearts and our family. The boys ate many pizzas on the counters in the Alpharetta location and skated up and down the aisles where there was open space. They still reminisce about it and loved growing up at the “store.”

Keaton & Tyler helping set up for Grand Opening, 1998

Many customers stop me and ask, “Where is your booth?" It comes as a surprise to many that I do not have one and never have. They always ask me why. My response is that after much research before opening the Queen, Jim and I visited many malls across the country and found that the majority had owners competing with their dealers to make sales each day. In our book, that just wasn’t fair to the dealers. It was decided that we would work on a business model that serviced our dealer-merchants, making them successful. If they were successful, then the Queen would be successful.

Dealer-Merchant Training Class

Over the last 20 years, we continue to vet each and every dealer-merchant that wants to join our team. An application and photos are required, then it is determined if they'll be a great fit and have the right merchandise to be successful. We strive to provide our customers with a wide-range of merchandise in each of the stores—traditional, farmhouse, vintage, mid-century, French country and more.

Chili Cook-off in Alpharetta

The dealer-merchant relationships and friendships that have evolved over these last 20 years brings lots of joy to us. We love hearing the stories when we share in dealer events – Wine & Dines, Chili Cook-offs and Meet, Greet & Eats. We love the veteran dealer-merchant as much as the ones that are beginners. Each one brings to the table their decorating flair, their passion and their love for the Queen of Hearts. The Queen of Hearts salutes our 550 dealer-merchants - thank you for all you do!

Stacey "working" through dinner!

Stacey Anderson is the owner of all three Queen of Hearts locations in Alpharetta, Buford and Marietta. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook to see more from our dealer-merchants!

Queen Dealer Spotlight - Richard Gay, dealer GAYA

Each month we will be doing a blog about one of our dealer-merchants from each of our three stores that offers unique, one-of-a-kind antiques and merchandise for your home and garden. We have a lot of creative, savvy and talented dealers and we thought you would enjoy getting to know them! Richard Gay (Dealer Code GAYA) in our Marietta store sells original Audubon bird prints and other artwork including antique oil paintings, furniture, accessories and some china. His booth is located on Ashley Street and he has been dealer with us for the past two years. He first had a booth in our Alpharetta store but decided to concentrate only in our Marietta store, because it is closer to his home.

In addition to selling antiques, Richard can do appraisals and authentication of John J. Audubon Birds of Americas prints. His favorite antique piece in his home is a burly walnut Secretary with glass top bookcase and his private collection of Audubon and other historical noted bird print artists prints. Richard is currently single and has three grandchildren. He has been a collector of antiques and artwork for over 50 years. He entered the antique business after selling his executive “headhunting” search business after 35 years. Prior to that he was a Corporate Human Resources Director for various industries. After a brief stint as an interior design consultant, he decided to focus on selling antiques and artwork from his private collection and other acquisitions in 2002 and has sold in a number of antique galleries, malls and weekend shows at Scott’s, Lakewood, etc. 

Richard is always bringing new merchandise into the Queen and enjoys meeting and talking with our customers. Be sure to look for him on Ashley Street.

Queen Dealer Spotlight - Linda Howard of Chic Country Atlanta

Each month we will be doing a blog about one of our dealer-merchants from each of our three stores that offers unique, one-of-a-kind antiques and merchandise for your home and garden. We have a lot of creative, savvy and talented dealers and we thought you would enjoy getting to know them!

Linda Howard (Dealer Code CCA) of Chic Country Atlanta is located on King and Queen Street in our Alpharetta store. She specializes in handpicked artwork, interesting "new country" look with special antique pieces, rugs and accessories, and seasonal decorations for your farmhouse, whether contemporary or country. She also offers redesign services for your home.



Linda has been a dealer-merchant at the Queen of Hearts for three years and loves her customers and enjoys talking to them and helping them with some of their ideas. Her favorite items to sell are oil paintings, antique and vintage furniture, interesting rugs, seasonal decorations, and decorative smalls to enhance the "New Country Look."



One of the favorite things in her home is her Queen Headboard, which is just a vintage iron gate positioned sideways. Another favorite item is a cool Pie Safe which is all original with some hints of red and blue showing through the natural wood. She also has a wall of oil paintings she has collected that reminds her of her travels and gives her a lot of pleasure. She especially loves the New Country trends, which are cleaner and less cluttered than years gone by. Even Christmas/Holiday decorations are in the “less is more” design.

Besides her love for collecting antiques and interior decorating, she loves cooking and entertaining, as well as traveling, which has included many trips to St. Croix, as well as Africa and Italy. She also enjoys teaching piano as a hobby now, although at one time was her full time job for over 30 years.

Linda has been married for 48 years, and has two grown girls and two wonderful son in laws, three grandchildren who are girls, and one grandson in law. Linda grew up in Connecticut, lived in Florida for 15 years and moved to Georgia in 1996.

Linda and her husband can usually be found at our many Late Night events along with their dog, Angel. You can find more of her great merchandise on her Facebook page at ChicCountryAtlanta.

Dealer Feature: Romancing the Home, Cindy Collins

Each month we are featuring our great dealers in our blog, to give a little background on them, how they got started at The Queen, and what trends they are seeing! Meet Cindy Collins, a dealer who has been at the Buford Queen of Hearts for three years, and is located on Broad St, dealer code RHT1. Visit her Facebook page Romancing the Home at the Queen of Hearts, to see all of her gorgeous items and Like her to be updated on new arrivals!

As an interior designer, I always enjoyed the pursuit of “the look” as much as the finished project. Room by room, house by house, it was a quest...a quest to match client lifestyles and personalities with uniquely designed interiors. After years in the field, I took a long sabbatical to care for my seriously ill, teenaged daughter. After eight long years, a few trips to the Mayo Clinic, and the Grace of God, she got her life back and so did I.

I wasn’t sure how to get back into the game, but strangely enough, the game found me. I was asked by my church to join the building committee to advise and consult on our new three-story addition. Suddenly, I found myself entrenched in carpet and tile samples, paint chips, fabric swatches and 3,000 opinions. Serving on a church committee means three things. No pay, long hours and a tight budget (and did I mention 3,000 opinions?). Working under these conditions made me realize how much I enjoyed the pursuit (again) but this time, the challenge was finding the “look” and being frugal at the same time. It takes a lot more creativity to do more with less and I was loving it! As the church project neared completion, I was well on my way to becoming a dealer/merchant at Queen of Hearts Antiques and Interiors in Buford. I had a short stint with a partner, then expanded to two booths, and ultimately in my current location at the front of the store. 

Combining my experience as an interior designer and picker, I have found my passion for painting and repurposing furniture, creating that “one-of-a-kind find”. Often times, I paint furniture that some revere as blasphemy. Yes, I paint antiques. Is there a support group for this? “My name is Cindy and I paint antique furniture.” I also “saved” a lot of pieces that were so far gone, refinishing was out of the question, but a coat of paint breathed new life into it. Painting can transform furniture from the ordinary to the extraordinary and most assuredly making it unique. 

               

When asked what’s trending today in furnishings and design, my best answer is the “pursuit of unique”. Seek that one-of-a-kind piece that reflects your personality and lifestyle. Shop vintage and antique. Don’t be afraid to mix finishes, stained with painted, old with new. If you love it, that’s reason enough!

Visit me at the Queen of Hearts in Buford, dealer code RHT1 on Broad St, and Like my page Romancing the Home at the Queen of Hearts! I'd love to help you find the perfect piece for your home and help you find your "look." - Cindy

Guest Post from HALO: Parisan Room Makeover Reveal!

Hello Queen readers! My name is Lori Hollaran and I am the owner of Halo Design & Interiors. I have a booth space (HALO) at the Queen of Hearts in Marietta and am located at the end of King Street. I am so happy to be able to share with you my second blog post for the Queen! If you happened to miss my first post, it was titled "Decorating with Doors". I had such a great time sharing my knowledge, creativity and custom design work that I could not wait to post again and am happy they wanted me back!

Besides spending endless hours painting, repurposing and revamping furniture for my booth space, I also have a full service interior design company. Needless to say, I am busy! It is quite rare when I actually have the time or the opportunity to redesign a space in my OWN home. Today, I am very excited to share with you my daughter's new Parisian themed bedroom. It is filled with easy DIY projects, thrift store find makeovers and many design ideas for mixing and balancing vintage pieces with new ones. Plus, the best part of it all is that many of these pieces or ideas can be found with items purchased from all of the three Queen of Hearts locations. Keep reading to see how it all came together!

Here is the before picture of her room. Super cute but very playful and youthful. She was turning 9 soon and I wanted her to have a room that she could grow into. As you can tell, I had already started to take things off the wall (almost a year and a half ago) with the intention of getting it done within a week. Ha Ha, who was I kidding? Life got busy and so another home project was put on hold!

Finally, after much patience on my daughter's part, I finished her room and LOVE how it all came together. Here is her new space... Parisian chic with touches of vintage glam!

I knew I wanted to use black, white and gray as the basic color palette but being it was for my 9 year old daughter, I knew I had to add a splash of color. So, with only 2 seconds of deliberations, PINK it was!! The entire room design was based around a canvas I found at Hobby Lobby for 50% off. (HINT - remember I love mixing new with the old ) Score!! You can see it here...
  

I always like to start decorating a space by figuring out the biggest pieces of furniture first. One of largest pieces in this room is her 10 drawer black dresser. Check out the before pic... not much character to it, huh?

Yep, she was an old, beat up vintage piece that I found. Amazing what a few coats of gloss black paint and a revamp of the hardware can do to a piece. Love it now. Pieces like this large dresser are SO easy to find at the Queen of Hearts. There are so many dealers just like me that find great vintage pieces that just need some TLC.

Here is a nightstand I found for $5. Yep, you read that right...FIVE BUCKS.

A few coats of white paint on the body and some black paint to the hardware and she is like brand spanking new!

The last big piece I was looking for was a vanity. I first thought that my daughter would need a desk, but then thought again. A vanity seemed to go better with her Paris theme. I looked for a few months for the perfect one and finally bought this one from a friend. I did not take a before pic (I think my memory is clogged from all the paint fumes I inhale!) But trust me, it was old and not in that great of condition. I do know it was from 1920's and was a dark cherry wood. It had one of those old trifold mirrors that came with it. I decided to continue the theme and paint it a gloss black. I opted not to use the mirror and instead found this one from TJ Maxx. Again mixing old with new is always a great balance. Then I changed the fabric on the stool to coordinate with one of her lamp shades and now she has an adorable place to admire herself. So many dealers at the Queen have vanity sets in their booths. You can find them in their original finish or some that have been painted like this one.

Next, I needed a headboard. At first, I was going to have my hubby construct one for me and then I remembered how readily available and plentiful old shutters are at the Queen. Check out the ones I found and re-purposed into my daughter's headboard. Super cute and very simple to do...just hinge the shutters together, that's it. A great first DIY project for anyone out there.

So, now that the basics of her room were complete, all that was needed were the accessories. Enter this sad and worn out piece of luggage and outdated rack. Yep, you guessed it, another Queen purchase for me. Gotta support my fellow consignors! Once I saw this I knew immediately what I wanted to use it for...a place to house all my daughters books.

After a few coats of gloss black paint, some stenciling and a new inside lining this is the end result...

  

No, I did not stencil the word "livers" on the top like my 9 year old daughter was convinced I did. It is "livres" which is french for books! I also added a cute luggage tag to make it look like she was a well traveled little girl. Now, I can honestly say that she loves going to choose a book to read each night . Makes it all worth it!

Windows are another great way to bring a vintage feel to any space. I found these 2 windows at one of the Queen of Hearts locations awhile back. They were exceptionally perfect for this project because they were not your traditional multi-paned windows. They only had two panes and I thought they had a more of a Paris apartment feel to them. They were originally white, so of course I painted them gloss black. My intention was to just hang them as is on the wall to resemble windows, but then I had the idea to repurpose them into picture frames. Check them out with these black and white family photos...makes me so happy my daughter wanted them on her bedroom wall.

Here are a few other accessories you could find in your hunt through one of the Queens locations...

Vintage perfume bottles, old cast iron lanterns and rusty old metal signs. I got lucky and found this replica of an old iron lamp post at Hobby Lobby. I know, Hobby Lobby rocks! I was walking to the checkout and saw it standing there in the aisle. Without even stopping or caring what the price was, I just scooped it up and carried it to the register. It was perfect. Again, I love finding new pieces that have a vintage feel to them. Funny thing is, that a few days later, I saw one similar for sale in the Marietta location!! I swear you can find just about anything you want at the Queen.

Lastly, I want to share this great black trunk at the end of my daughters bed. It could not be more perfect... adds beauty to the room with it great silver nailhead design while it serves as a great place to store all those things you don't want everyone to see. Trunks come in so many shapes, sizes and finishes. They are great when used as storage units and even better when repurposed into things like coffee tables. The possibilities are endless with these babies.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of my daughter's new Parisian room as much as we enjoyed creating it! It was a long time coming and a lot of work but so worth it in the end. I love to lay with her on the bed and look around at all the different pieces she has and remember the journey each one took to get to where it is now. It is truly amazing what a creative mind, a little paint and some elbow grease can accomplish. Remember, a balanced mix of new and old is always a good design move. It can really bring a room together. Thanks again for reading and happy shopping!

Lori Hollaran  is a dealer at the Marietta Queen of Hearts and her booth is Halo Design & Interiors, dealer code HALO, located on King St. Follow the link to like her on Facebook and see all her amazing finds! 

Guest Post from Dealer HALO: Decorating with Doors

Hi there to all the Queen of Hearts blog followers! My name is Lori, aka the painting queen, and I am a dealer/consignor at the Queen of Hearts in Marietta. My booth is dealer code HALO and located at the end of King Street - you can also like my Facebook business page Halo Design & Interiors! I have been at the Marietta location since we opened back in November of last year and have loved being apart of such a talented group of designers and artists. It is truly a wonderful place to work and even more wonderful place to hunt for treasures. Most days you can find me in my garage in my infamous paint clothes (I will go anywhere in them), working on my next creative project, hanging at my booth restocking, rearranging or 'refluffing', or helping a client bring their design dreams to life.

I am the owner of Halo Design and Interiors, a full service design business. After building our home in 1999, I spent 10+ years getting it dressed, undressed and dressed again. Unfortunately at my hubby's expense, as my learning process improved so did my house :) Over those years, I learned that a can of paint, old beat up furniture, scrap fabric, a creative mind and a little elbow grease could drastically change the look of any space. I loved knowing that I turned someone else's trash into my treasure and am so happy that I can share it with you all. 

So, with that being said, check out all the great decor ideas that can come from 'Decorating with Doors'.

One of the easiest things to find on your hunt at all the three Queen of Hearts locations are old doors. I know of two dealers in the Marietta location with doors for sale at this time: GHW has a great black shabby door and PDG located on King Street has an old vintage white door. Whether they are old and chippy, wood paneled or glass paned, grab one and the possibilities are endless! Here are a few projects I have just completed using doors in the last few months:

This is a shabby chic corner cabinet built by my husband and I. I had a few old pantry bi fold doors lying around that I had always wanted to use but knew were a bit too small to use in a door space. Then I had the idea to make them a corner unit. The hubby made me 4 shelves and constructed it for me. The doors were originally white and pretty beat up, so I painted a chocolate base coat and then an old white top coat. I then sanded it real good to give it a shabby chic look and added some vintage inspired hardware and now look at her. Beautiful!

Vintage door shelf. I have to be honest, once I finished this door, I wanted to keep her for my own. However, I took her to my booth instead where she sits waiting for a home :) I found the door on its way to the landfill. It had just been taken off the front door of a house built around the 1960's. It was in great condition so I did not have to do much to it. It was originally a dark wood color so I painted it in Annie Sloan old white chalk paint (which can be found at the Queen) and distressed it heavily. I painted the back of the glass panes with Krylon Looking Glass Mirror-Like spray paint. This gave it a vintage mirror look from the front which I loved! The hubby once again made me two shelves and attached them for me. I found a brown metal vintage inspired door handle to finish it off. 

I had an idea to make a sofa table out of an old door but could not find the size door I had in mind. So of course, I turn to my awesome sidekick, aka best hubby in the world, to construct me one. Loved the way it turned out... solid wood construction with the top painted in Annie Sloan pure white (again found at the Queen) and a onyx black for the bottom. Love the vintage inspired hardware with the crystal knob. 

Aqua, who doesn't love aqua? Check out these cute cabinet door chalkboards!! I found an old beat up cabinet, one you might hang over your toilet in the bathroom. My goal was to repaint it and give it a new life. Once I got into the sanding stage, I realized it was too beat up for me to salvage :( I was sad because I saw the possibilities with this cabinet. Then I decided to do something with the doors because they were still in good shape. I decided to paint the center with chalkboard paint and add a piece of jute twine with some chalk. So cute, if I do say so myself. Perfect for your grocery list or notes. Available to purchase at my booth!

Changing out a door to the basement, office or laundry room is simple and creates a whole new feel to that room and the area around it. Here are a few examples of what you can do with a great door find from the Queen of Hearts!

LOVE how this homeowner exchanged their tradition white door with this old wooden door . What a great conversation piece this would be!

Another great example of mixing old with the new.... so easy to switch out a basement door!

First, totally digging this burst of red in this neutral kitchen. Second, what a great way to use an old screen door! Why didn't I think of this? I am going on a hunt at the Queen for one of these babies for sure!

Another great way to decorate with a screen door.... This would look great in a farmhouse style kitchen. 

Coffee tables, we all have them right? But what do yours say about you? I have a few glass paned doors and a great wood paneled door in my garage. They have been patiently waiting for me to come out and play with them. I am already thinking how I need to get my hubby on board with creating some great door tables. Here are a few of my design inspirations...

Love this lime green color!

If you have ever visited my booth at the Marietta location, then you probably have seen one or two of my clock tables. I kind of went through a phase of being addicted to putting a clock face on everything!! Well, luckily, that phase has slowly been fizzling out...until now!! I just saw this great clock door and knew that I had to make one too. Such a unique way of displaying a clock for any room. So easy to make, too. All you need is a door (which can be found at any of the 3 Queen locations) and a clock set (found at craft stores or online). WOW is all I can say....so creative!

Another great use for an old door is turning it into a coat rack. Again, so easy and a great first time DIY project for those willing to give it a good ole try! Here are a few photos for inspiration...

Just add a few hooks for this simple DIY project 

Using an eclectic group of vintage door knobs makes for great way to hang coats or backpacks...

When you cannot find the real thing, go for a replica. I found this great selection of vintage inspired door knobs at Hobby Lobby, go figure. I was pleasantly surprised at how much of a vintage feel they add to my pieces. And, they won't break the bank. 

Cannot tell you how much I adore this repurpose. I just wish I had a larger mudroom wall to display it on. Best of both worlds...display for photos and coat rack.

Okay, now I think I am going a little crazy with doors, but I just love how accessible they are and how easily you can decorate with them. Another very simple way to add a pop of color to a space is to add a colorful old door. Just prop it up against a wall or put it in a corner...it is that simple.

I have definitely saved the best idea for last, in my opinion. I first got inspired by this photo last September when I was in full design mode getting items ready for my booth opening. I did not have any old doors at the time but I had a set of board and batten shutters. I added some wrought iron candle holders to them. They were a huge hit. I just love the old worn look of this door with the two toned paint color. Hopefully this will be a project for me in the near future. 

Well, I think that is a wrap! I hope this post has given you all some inspiration and direction in decorating with doors. Taking something like a simple door and realizing all the possibilities really makes my creative juices flow. I understand that not everyone has the DIY bug in them and that is okay. That is why the Queen, in all her three locations, exists. So whether you are looking for that old, chippy door to put your DIY skills to the test or just want to stop in hoping to find a finished treasure, do so today! We have so many talented and unique designers; you are sure to embark on a great treasure hunt where there is always something very everyone. 

Bye now and happy hunting!

Lori

Halo Design & Interiors, Queen of Hearts Marietta located on King St