From Survival to Success: The Journey of Kristin Rosenbeck owner of Lost & Found Mercantile

In the bustling landscape of retail, where innovation meets tradition, stories of resilience and success often emerge from the most unexpected corners.?Please meet Kristin Rosenbeck, owner of Lost & Found Mercantile, a Certified Elite plus Terra Dixie Belle Paint retailer.?She has owned and operated multivendor shops and booths and currently operates from a booth.

Today, Kristin is an active and sunny-dispositioned person eager to embrace each day.?You would never know that ten years ago she was home-bound from serious health conditions that forced her to take medical retirement from a twenty-plus career in federal law enforcement.?

Read her journey below to see how the power of the paint brush gave her a second chance.

Business Name and location:?Lost & Found Mercantile, booth inside Yellow Bear Market in Southwick, MA.?

Social Media

Facebook:?https://www.facebook.com/lostandfoundmercantile

Instagram:? https://www.instagram.com/lostandfoundmercantile/

YouTube:? https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-AD6Sqq9VZOQ9OT01JMSxQ

TikTok:? https://www.tiktok.com/@kristin.paintandthrift

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lafmercantile/

Year Established:?2017?

About Kristin: Kristin currently operates a booth in western Massachusetts that retails the full line of Dixie Belle Paint products, her restored and painted furniture, alongside other vintage finds.?Her days are filled with focus on her family and working on commissioned pieces, creating her own painted furniture, communicating with many customers and friends, and making photo and video content featuring Dixie Belle Paint products. You can also find Kristin in the Facebook World of Chalk Paint Group she runs!

Kristin is a vendor at the world-famous Brimfield Antique Show and Flea Market, the country’s largest outdoor flea market that opens three times per year in the picturesque New England town of Brimfield, Massachusetts.?She began attending with her guy, strolling the fields endlessly lined with vendors, scouting out treasures for their home.?He saw her delight every time they attended and encouraged her to open her own store, but she would decline due to her health. Then in 2021, when a friend asked if she wanted to join her tent so they could work it together, Kristin does what she believes in:?say yes to everything, lest you miss out on adventure and growth.?

Power of the Paint Brush:?

Kristin believes in the Power of the Paint Brush, and what it did for her and what it does for others.?For her, it is very fulfilling to watch a new painter realize their own unknown creative capabilities and beautiful results for the first time, or an experienced painter try a new technique or product. She finds that many of her Dixie Belle Paint customers fall in one of three categories:?resourceful women who are intrigued by painting their own furniture as a way to save money as well as personalize their home,?hobbyists in the market to learn a new craft, and professional furniture flippers creating their own Side Hustle who find value in the quality of Dixie Belle Paint.?

In 2015, Kristin began painting small furniture she got at auctions to sell in a small, vintage booth.?She was homebound, unable to drive and still adapting to a new life. Her previous career had her working around the clock, on call and away from home on any given day. “I did not set out to become a paint retailer or open my own shop.?In fact, these were things I never factored as a possibility for me after contending with an invisible illness that affects my balance, vision, energy and beyond.”

"I did not set out to become a paint retailer or open my own shop…" - Kristin Rosenbeck owner of Lost & Found Mercantile

She began to sleuth for information on paint techniques, and she began to try different paint lines.?Kristin had been making her own chalk paint at home from mis-tinted paint, but felt her customers deserved better.?She ordered some paint from some companies and was very disappointed.?“The coverage was so bad that as I went to order another quart to finish a single buffet, I saw how I would be losing money on the furniture.” Kristin kept hearing about Dixie Belle Paint, so she tried it, and could not believe the coverage and ease.?She researched the company and decided to apply to become a Retailer.?Kristin could only afford the smallest package at the time, but Suzanne and Teri made her feel just as valuable as anyone else.?

Kristin received her paint order and began experimenting with the products.?She spent her time painting in her driveway and on the kitchen table.?Looking back, she realizes how much painting improved her self-esteem, but also served as occupational therapy.?Becoming a Dixie Belle Paint retailer created additional revenue for her business to grow and supplement income.

After selling her products in booths, her partner Dennis kept encouraging her to open a shop. He believed that she could reach more people in-person to help them with their projects, product questions, and to offer classes and workshops.?Initially Kristin didn’t have the confidence that she could physically operate a shop but soon, his encouragement coupled with her need to push herself more and more grew into a drive to become her own shop keeper.?

From 2018 – 2022, Kristin operated a multivendor brick-and-mortar shop in a small town where she also featured other local artists and vintage sellers.?Unfortunately the building was sold, so she consolidated into an existing booth she’d established several years prior in another town, where she still operates from today.?

“The amount of people I have connected with that also cope with Invisible Illnesses, or other medical situations, that have found ‘Paint as Therapy’ is staggering.”?While isolated at home and having lost her career purpose, Kristin eventually found the paint community. She pushed myself to travel to a DBP Conference in 2018 even after doctors advised her never to fly due to the vestibular/balance effects air travel could wreak.?She went by herself, not knowing anyone in person. Not only did she have a successful flight, but she also had a wonderful experience connecting with others in person while learning hands-on techniques. It aided Kristin in bringing a renewed spirit back home.??

Social Media as a Positive Connection

Utilizing social media is one way Kristin connects with other creatives as well as customers. She attempts to remain active on many platforms as not only a way to demonstrate paint products and techniques, but to check in with online friends.?“There is a huge, supportive community online, and I have developed genuine friendships with people I have never met in real life (yet).”?Within her local community, social media also continues to be a natural way for Kristin to reach new people.?She finds that different platforms have different audiences, and with ever-changing apps and algorithms, what works one day may not be effective in a week.?“It’s like throwing spaghetti on a wall to see what sticks. Good thing I like spaghetti!”?She also is a member of paid membership groups that focus on business, social media, and creativity.?Kristin finds these groups invaluable in her personal and career development.?

Connecting with others via LIVE videos not only reaches out into the community, but it assists Kristin in pushing her creative limits.?“There isn’t a DBP product I haven’t used during a LIVE video, sometimes for the first time!” Trying new techniques and color palettes to help others and to create is a true passion of hers.?And if she makes a mistake? Kristin does not mind one bit.?She sees it as an opportunity to correct it and learn as a community.?Her hope is that others will then push themselves to try something new without fear of failure, because everything is fixable.?Power of the Paint!

Kristin's 2024 Goals:?

• Provide for my family’s future?
• Better photography and video-editing
• Create a space at home to host an in-person creative community.???
• Learn new painting techniques
• Provide behind-the-scenes support for other creators as an add-on to my online business
• Start blogging and create several revenue streams to ensure sustainability in an ever-changing economy
• Travel and connect with others in person
• Enjoy the New England summer by kayaking daily when possible, visiting and entertaining my family and friends at home

Lasting Advice for Retail Shop Owners:?

1. Create a memorable and inviting customer-experience:?Besides offering top-quality products, ensure that you greet all your customers. Kristin treats her customers like she would want her mom to be treated.?Some people just want to browse on their own, while others prefer a more personable touch.?Being able to identify the cues is key. Her shops are in a small town, so most shoppers are repeat customers.?By genuinely developing relationships with them, you can provide what they want.?
2. Recognize and rely on your strengths, and find help where needed: For Kristin, she excels at customer service, teaching classes, and empowering others with a paint brush.?Office organization is not a strength, so one of her vendors in her shop who thrives at organization assists with paperwork.?
3. Never be satisfied with where you are in business, and be willing to fail:?Pushing yourself to try new marketing avenues or creating new revenue streams will result in the growth of your abilities and mindset.?That doesn’t mean to take out a line of credit to bring in the newest trending home décor, but be willing to put in the sweat equity and time to make changes and additions.?When she started as a Retailer, Kristin had medical expenses, so she did not buy the largest package of Dixie Belle Paint available.?She started doing Facebook Lives to grow her business. It isn't always easy putting yourself out there, but in doing so, she connected with many positive members of the painting community.?She also formed a local committee to create and host downtown events for her community.?
4. Community over Competition: Don’t fight over dollars when the person on the other side could be a priceless friend.?Everyone has value, and we all learn from one another.?Kristin says, “When I had my multivendor shop, I made sure to bring in other furniture artists and promote their work.”?She also encourages others watching her videos to see their local DBP Retailer.
5. Give back to Your Community:? Giving back to your own community in ways that you can spreads the love and your profile. For Kristin, she began by donating raffle prizes to any school, sports team, or non-profits that asked. She joined a group that painted planters for her town. As she became more established, she then sought out nonprofits to donate finished pieces of furniture to such as Habitat for Humanity and cancer research orgs. She also donated classes to town fundraisers. Spreading your skills also had an unexpected result: not only did she feel like she was contributing, Kristin noticed new customers in her store and received requests for commission work.
6. Create your own hype: No matter if you are retailing in a big city or a small town, create awareness of your store by hosting special events. Kristin’s most successful events are those fashioned around flipping furniture. She created an in-store contest where people would upcycle furniture or décor using Dixie Belle Paint. She offered a discount to people purchasing paint for the contest.? The entries were brought into the store where in-person voting then commenced.? It was a fun week, as shoppers also perused the entries and voted for their favorite. Winners received Dixie Belle products of their choice and several received offers to buy their furniture flips. “Not only did it bring awareness to my shop and create paint sales, but contestants won prizes and sold their work.

? #DixieBellePaint #DIY #SideHustle #CreativeEntrepreneurship #BestPaintOnPlanetEarth ?? ?

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Follow Kristin at a "Lost and Found Mercantile" online! We also invite you to follow Dixie Belle Paint Co. for more updates or to find your local retailer.