It’s Official, We Are the First Main Stockist In The UK of Autentico Paint

ShabbyAnd… is delighted to announce we are the first in the UK to install a specialised paint-mixing machine, making us the first main stockist of Autentico Paint.

We have invested £12,000 to import a special Autentico Tinting Machine from the Netherlands.

We are already well known for lovingly up-cycling shabby chic furniture for clients, as well as selling it with unique household accessories, gifts and cards at 35a Barfield Road, West Mersea.  ShabbyAnd… , which was shortlisted in the Essex Business Awards, was already the star dealer in Essex for the Autentico chalk paint.

The special installation means our shop, which draws shabby chic enthusiasts from across the region, will be able to offer all 150 Autentico colours in all of the six ranges, providing customers a better service.

‘It’s very exciting to be the first business in Britain to have an Autentico Tinting Machine and to be able to produce the full colour range on demand,’ said ShabbyAnd…’s owner, Ann Beament.

We now stock the base colours and our new machine means that if someone comes into the shop and asks for any of the 150 colours in the six Autentico chalk paint ranges, we will be able to mix the colour they want at the touch of a button.

‘It will also save on transportation costs and make us commercially more viable and versatile, as well reducing our carbon footprint,’ added Ann.

 ShabbyAnd… now stocks all of the six product ranges of Autentico paint in all 150 colours. Autentico paints are waterbased eco – friendly chalk & Lime paints, used for up-cycling furniture as well as for walls both internally and externally.

The eco-friendly business was awarded a Carbon Footprint Grant from ‘Grants For Growth’ towards the cost of the purchase of the Autentico Tinting Machine.

Autentico has also extended ShabbyAnd…’s selling catchment area from five miles to a twenty miles radius.

You can place orders for ShabbyAnd… goods via their website http://www.shabbyand.co.uk or in their shop.

Great News for ShabbyAnd…

We are delighted to announce that ShabbyAnd…has been shortlisted in the Essex Business Awards in the New Company category. It is amazing to think how far our furniture upcycling business and shop have come in just over one year.

We couldn’t have done it without you, our customers.

Being on the Essex Business Awards shortlist is a sign of our excellent service and the great products we sell at our ShabbyAnd… shop at 35a to 35b Barfield Road, West Mersea.

Our shabby Queen, Ann Beament is being interviewed by the judges before the winner is finally announced in the Charter Hall, Colchester, on December 5^th, 2014.

‘We are thrilled to have been shortlisted in these major awards in the New Company category,’ said Ann, owner of ShabbyAnd… ‘I think we have been shortlisted because we only started in March 13, had a shop by September 13 and have become one of 10 star dealers of Autentico paint out of 250 plus in the UK.’

‘Not only that, but we achieved all six aims on our 2 to 3 year business plan in just six months.’

Our six aims were:

1, To develop the company to a position where we undertook commissions

2, To have a shop presence

3, To be a distributor of chalk paint

4, To run workshops

5, To sell local craft persons work to assist in supporting our local community.

ShabbyAnd… is now star dealer in Essex for the Autentico chalk paint and is aiming to become the main dealer for East Anglia; we have also added Advanced Workshops to our schedule. Next we want to have on site our own paint tinting and mixing machine.

Our growth has been in excess of 100% and the customer base has increased 98%.

We want to thank all of our customers, business contacts, friends and family for helping us get this far.

‘ShabbyAnd… Furniture Is Featuring On Peter Andre’s 60 Minute Makeover’

We are delighted that ShabbyAnd… is now an official supplier of Peter Andre’s 60 Minute Makeover.

The producers of the ITV programme which refurbishes rooms for people nominated by family and friends, recently contacted us and asked us to donate a two tier occasional table.

Our Shabby Queen, Ann Beament had lovingly upcycled the table using Aged Pepper Autentico chalk paint and dark wax. Now the table is appearing on Peter Andre’s programme on November 26^th as part of the renovations to a home at Coxley Green, London.

Ann, who established ShabbyAnd… to meet a growing demand after successfully painting shabby chic furniture and selling it to friends and family, said: ‘We are thrilled to have a piece of our furniture feature on ‘Peter Andre’s 60 Minute Makeover’ programme. It’s good to do something to help someone in need or to reward someone who has done something good.’

Everything is unique in our ShabbyAnd… shop at 35A to 35B Barfield Road, West Mersea, Essex, but our team will be able to show you another lovingly upcycled piece of furniture that has undergone similar restoration work.

The beauty of chalk paint is that you don’t have to spend ages sanding furniture down. When Ann chooses an item of furniture to restore, her partner carries out any repairs and then after cleaning it, Ann or one of the team, paints straight on to the wood.

If you can’t find anything online or in our shop to meet your needs, you may wish to book a place on our next workshop to learn how to upcycle your favourite piece of furniture yourself!

Meet The Team

Meet the Team

At ShabbyAnd… our team are always on hand to help you with all things chalk paint related. At little over a year old, our small team have settled in well, and have become familiar with our customers.

Our Shabby Queen is Ann Beament, who began painting shabby chic furniture and selling it to friends and family. As the demand grew, Ann knew she needed a shop, and ShabbyAnd… opened in September 2013 in Barfield Road, West Mersea, Essex. Central to Ann’s life is her family, her partner David often helps out with the furniture, and recently installed all new shelving and display into the shop. You will often see her children around the shop, either helping out or waiting for Ann to finish!

Ann's sister-in-law Louise has been there from the start, you will see her in the shop busy painting furniture. Her love of paint is equal to her love of horses,  she is a keen rider and horse enthusiast. Louise is also a real family lady, enjoying her free time with her 4 children when she is not at ShabbyAnd...

The latest addition to our team is Sara, who loves the world of shabby chic just as much as Ann and Louise. Sara is athletic, she is a skilled runner who’s determination has helped her with all her skills. She has recently become a grandmother for the first time, so expect to see some baby themed products in ShabbyAnd…!

Why not come visit us? We stock a wide range of unusual gifts, Autentico chalk paint, soft furnishings and retro and vintage furniture. There will always be one of us in the shop, 7 days a week!

Autentico Chalk Paint Workshops

At ShabbyAnd... We host Autentico Chalk Paint Workshops all year, on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays.

They are usually 3 hours long, and you cover using layering techniques with various colour patterns, create special effects using Distressing & Autentico waxes, using crackle glaze and the craquelure system in the basic workshop, then you cover Crackle Glaze effects, Craquelure system, 3D Effect using stencils and the Terrapieno embossing paste and Art Medium in the advanced workshop. Basic workshops are £50, reduced from £65 for the Autumn Promotion. Advanced Workshops are £85, refreshments are included.

You can bring along your own piece of furniture! So bring your stool or small table, and we will teach you how you shabby your furniture.

You can call us after the workshop!

All the dates are kept up to date in store, on-line and on our Facebook.

365 days in a life of ShabbyAnd…

365 days in a life of ShabbyAnd… - first year in a life of our local Shabby Chic Furniture, home accessories and Chalk Paint Supplier 

“ShabbyAnd… was started from a hall table. “The table I wanted was very expensive and made of reformed wood. Then my partners’ mum Janet gave me a table that was a perfect size and character but was very dark wood, she said I could paint it”. Inspired by the experience, my first ethos was to create shabby chic furniture that was affordable to everyone.” – says Ann Beament, owner of ShabbyAnd… 

It takes a lot of hard work to get off to a good start with a new business and preparations had been going on for the better part of six months. What started in March 2013 as an online shop, soon – due to demand – received a real-life presence at Barfield Road in West Mersea, with a grand opening in September last year.  

With a selection of gift items, often made by local artists and a growing number of commissions, it blossomed quite early  and soon had the addition of being an Autentico chalk paint supplier – Shabby And… is not your average chalk paint retailer. Clients come here for advice, inspiration and a healthy dose of chic and vintage charm. But you can read all about it on their website, so how about sharing some information you cannot find online? Here are a few sneaky peeks into the life of ShabbyAnd… 1 year on: 

• More than 1700 transactions 
• Over 80 commissions, including 4 kitchens  
• Became a Star Dealer (there are only 10 out of 250 stockists) for Autentico chalk paint, and on that note, it turns out the most popular colours are white and cream!   
• Run regular paint workshops 

Success? Bearing in mind that, according to Bloomberg, 8 out of 10 entrepreneurs who start businesses fail within the first 18 months, we’d say ‘yes’. 

What’s next for them? Ann, sole owner of the business working with two part-time members of staff wants to become the main dealer in Essex for Autentico chalk paint and further develop the paining techniques workshops to incorporate Advance Sessions. In addition, they are starting workshops for the Colchester based Cedar Project in September for people that want to get back into work. 

Today it certainly looks like they are on a road to becoming a landmark. Don’t just take our word for it, visit them yourself. Better yet, you have a chance of getting a hands-on approach and discovering how it’s all done during one of the workshops. Get your hands dirty to make something pretty – they certainly know how!