Daily Inspiration: Meet Mandy Pidek

 

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mandy Pidek

Hi Mandy , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in a joy filled home with three brothers and every animal you can think of. Our home was messy most of the time, far from a perfectly styled home, but it sure was a good one. I was blessed to know what a happy home life was like as a child.

Maybe it was the lack of it in my life that caused it to be a fascination to me, but as I grew up I developed an interest in interior decorating and design. Of course, I didn’t have a word for it then, but I was intrigued with how my room made me feel when I moved things around, made my bed, fluffed my pillows, and moved my doll collection from this shelf to that shelf. I obsessively rearranged my room every single week as an 8 yr old kid.

My family moved to MI when I was 11 and we bounced from house to house over the years. The joy remained the same and my interest in interiors grew. If anything, the many different homes in my childhood further entrenched the belief in me that it didn’t matter what house you live in, but how you arrange it can have a profound affect on how it makes you feel. But more than that? Your people, your friends, your family – they are who truly make a house a home. Your home, more than anything, should serve the people in it, not the other way around.

As the years went on my interests were being defined and refined. I wasn’t just drawn to decor for the home, but I became intrigued by old vintage pieces and antiques that had a story. My antique collection grew and grew, it spilled out from under my bed, my parents attic, my closet – all saved for the day I could decorate my very own home. I was a professional treasure hunter at the age of 16. Additionally, and still in my teens, I flipped my first few pieces of furniture right out of my parents garage. I loved revamping things with my own hands, and finding old and unloved antiques to make them useful again. The obsession was growing. It slowly morphed from just sprucing up old dressers to wondering what it would be like to do this same “flipping” to an actual building or house. I’d park my car in front of abandoned buildings and dream of bringing them back to life. Maybe I could put a business inside it? Something that brings people joy and inspiration, much like my childhood room brought me joy and inspiration. Maybe it could be the kind of business that would leave people feeling capable of bringing beauty into their own lives. That became the dream.

Fast forward 15 years later, I married my best friend Nick. He lived in a quaint little town called Owosso, MI. I uprooted my busy life and moved to Owosso to start a life with him. I went from having a very full plate in the town I came from – to having (and doing) nothing. No real job to speak of, I was still trying to make friends…it was a totally clean slate. My new husband had just started his own venture, a coffee shop, right in town. There seemed to be a surge of new businesses starting all throughout our little town. Inspired by it, I went to Nick and said, “for the first time in my life I think I have the capacity to pursue a dream I’ve had for a long time – I want to start my own business. A shop – a home-goods shop. We excitedly started writing down ideas – “we can specialize in new and old wares and fix old old furniture. And maybe we can host classes that teach people how to work with their hands and inspire creativity in their own homes!” And so, Aviator Jayne was born. The name comes from that pursuit of a joy-filled home, that ultimately comes from the PEOPLE in the home. The name honors our loved ones. Both my dad and Nick’s dad are pilots. Airplanes, airports and the like were a huge part of both of our childhood. Jayne is a family name on both sides. It’s quirky, but it honors THEM. They’re really the reason I love home as much as I do.

It’s been 6 years of business now. We started in a 100 year old building that we completely restored and did business out of for a few years. We just expanded into another very old and very neglected building 1.5 years ago. We are living up to the dream. We now have workshops where we restore old furniture out of. We have a shop full of antique and vintage treasures that have been cleaned up and loved again. We offer classes and workshops out of the event space we turned the old shop into. I do consulting right in people’s homes helping guide their design choices, and have lead several home and building renovation projects for others. When we’re not in our shops, Nick and I are almost always renovating an old home or building on the side and bringing them back to life again. We are passionate about it.

Aviator Jayne is a dream come true. We now have 4 kids and they have been a part of the ongoing dream. Literally, swinging hammers, spilling paint, and running around project sites. But they are a part of this passion of ours: To show people the gift that home can be. And to give the gift of home to our own growing family.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Everything rewarding comes with it’s challenges! Doing business in a very small town can be a challenge as we naturally have less people than a big city. So we have to continually think of creative ways to get foot traffic up and to reach people outside our community.

Covid was a struggle, but there were some blessings that came from it. Just like so many other business, we were faced with enormous challenges. The silver lining was that it caused us to pivot and rethink how we did business. We ended up launching our online store, doing free local doorstep deliveries, and more than ever prioritized furniture flipping and other ventures that didn’t rely on people having to be in the store. We ended up being stronger because of it.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We are a home-goods shop and we carry new and old items. Something we are known for is our curated collection of vintage wares, decor, and furniture. It definitely makes the shop unique. We also have a reputation for flipping old furniture making them beautiful and usable again. Overall, the thing people know about us is that we help people achieve beautiful and inspiring homes on any budget. Whether it’s through social media, or working with them in their homes, teaching them to use the items they already have or sourcing unique pieces for them.

I am often told that we could charge much higher for the items we have in the store. But I am proud of the many beautiful finds and services we offer at approachable prices.

I am also proud of the home and building renovations we have done. With hard work and a little vision, it’s amazing what you can build that can benefit a whole town.

What’s next?
We never have a shortage of dreams and goals! 1.5 years ago we expanded into a much larger building. This year we are focusing on renovating every bit of the building. We really love small businesses and we want to make room in our massive building for others to get started. Currently, we are renovating some offices on the second story for a photography business to use, and we’re also working on building another workshop in the back for an upholstery business to move in. The renovations will continue later this year and we’re really excited make the most of our building.

I also look forward to spending more time on our event space which is attached to our shop. It’s a beautiful building, but I have some ideas for ways to make it even better for our community!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aviatorjayne.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aviatorjayne
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aviatorjayne