CALEB NICKERSON
SHAWVILLE Oct. 26, 2019
Antique hunters and hobbyists from around the Pontiac have a new destination to . . .
head to in Shawville.
Located downtown, right on Main Street, the store sits where Fraser’s Clothing used to reside. The owners, Giuliana Albanese and her husband Rick St-Jean have spent the past few months preparing the stunning interior. St-Jean, who works as a contractor, said they started renovating back in July.
“We had to take all the walls out, even the front was all closed, so we had to take everything,” he explained. “We had to strip the floor, strip the basement, everything. I think I brought about 20 loads to the dump.”
The finished product is something that the couple can be proud to show off to the public: the rustic finish and tasteful paint job match the dozens of antique pieces that sit on the showroom floor. The shop’s basement is crowded to capacity with more desks and tables. Rick added with a laugh that he was glad to have a storefront now, instead of working out of their home.
“Before that, all the furniture was all in our house, over 150, 250 pieces in the house,” he said. “We needed the space, that’s why we got this place.”
In addition to furniture, Albanese sells a selection of chalk paint by Annie Sloan, and also plans to have workshops in the back portion of the store, where she will teach patrons to spruce up their own antiques and furniture. She said she likes the chalk paint and wax finishes because they can be applied directly onto the surface of the object and last a long time.
