43
Decor shop features hand-carved items
The Vindicator (Youngstown)
Photo
David Walker, 41, and Susan Morgione, 46, recently opened Canfield Wood Folk Designs and Home Decor at 79 N. Broad Street in the city. The shop features items that are hand-carved by Walker, as well as other home decor, art and craft items.
The Vindicator (Youngstown)
Photo
Canfield Wood Folk Designs and Home Decor opened at 79 N. Broad Street about two weeks ago. David Walker, who opened the store with long-term girlfriend Susan Morgione, said he hand-carves many of the items, including the wooden window treatments shown in the store’s second-floor windows.
By Elise Franco
CANFIELD
The whimsy and appeal of Canfield Wood Folk Designs and Home Decor is apparent, even upon first glance.
As soon as you walk through the double doors, the senses are bombarded with warm, comforting smells and music that immediately make one feel at home.
The business opened about two weeks ago in a small shop behind Magnolia’s Salon, both at 79 N. Broad St. The owners are David Walker, 41, and Susan Morgione, 46, both of Canfield.
Walker, a professional home builder, said opening the store is something he and Morgione, a Realtor with Howard Hanna Real Estate, always wanted to do. But it really took hold after he built and sold pieces for a craft show at Old North Church in Canfield.
“I spent about 30 days building the crafts, and it went over so well that we started looking at places to open a shop,” Walker said.
Every corner of the shop is filled with hand-carved wooden pieces — plaques, boxes large and small and some furniture.
“We didn’t want it to be a thrift store, and we didn’t want it to be an antique store. It’s a combination of everything,” Morgione said. “You can find things here for $1 or $1,000.”
Walker said he spent so many years building high-end finished pieces that he was excited to be able to make things with some character.
“It’s become so enjoyable to build things that aren’t perfect,” he said. “It makes me feel good to open myself up and let people see more of me [through my woodwork].”
In addition to the items Walker creates, the shop carries higher-end items such as dining-room chairs and a table and fancy china, which they get mostly from estate auctions and on consignment, which means they’re selling it for someone else and retaining a portion of the sale, Walker said.
The store’s merchandise is strategically staged throughout the shop to make customers feel like they’re visiting someone’s home, Morgione said, revealing some of her Realtor background.
Walker even built the rustic wooden window treatments that frame what would otherwise be bare, cold windows and painted the walls to get rid of the building’s “vanilla” appearance.
Morgione said the store’s ambience was something the couple spent a great deal of time on and is almost as important as the items for sale.
“All of those elements really do affect people’s moods,” she said.
But the couple acknowledge they’re not in the business trying to become millionaires.
“I just want to keep the doors open,” he said. “This is a little adventure that kept the fire going and brought us closer together.SDRq