SAN ANTONIO – You’ve heard of house flipping, but what about furniture flipping? One San Antonio couple is turning what was once someone’s trash, into a brand new piece of furniture with new life.
Michael and Michelle Felan started their restoration journey nearly a decade ago when Michelle saw a furniture item that she couldn’t quite afford.
“I just picked up a magazine and saw an article about furniture flipping and I said, I can do that,” Michelle Felan, owner, Free Bird Restorations and Design said.
Slowly, but surely, Felan taught herself to refurbish and reinvent old furniture pieces--she realized she could make a profit from her work and hobby.
“I feel a lot of people throw away a lot of great pieces, antique pieces,” Michelle said.
Now, the husband-and-wife duo is making a name for themselves with their soaring business Free Bird Restorations and Design.
“We have a lot of loyal customers and many of them have become friends,” she said.
While Michelle helps with the designing process, Michael does carpentry and woodworking.
“I think we’ve got it down to a science, everything that she says, really goes, it’s just a happy wife and I just go with it,” Michael said.
Some of their revamps include items they find on the curb, like their recent restoration of a green vintage sofa.
“It was raining, pouring and I was like we need to save this couch!” Michelle said. “I really love our green couch.”
Their transformations are done “with love” and they are making quite a profit on some. One settee they found at an antique store was purchased for around $200 and they sold it for $18,500.
It’s a business the pair has now taken on full-time and they plan to open a store front within the next month. Be sure to keep up with them on Facebook or on their website.