Their one-of-a-kind whimsical signs, photo album tables, window art and Christmas decorations took artists Nicole Thurman and Debbie Prater from a basement workshop in Ms. Prater’s Chattanooga home to a roomy creative space in their own store on the trendy North Shore.
Tangerina’s, a store specializing in handmade art, jewelry and furnishings, is growing in popularity since opening last September. In 2004, Ms. Thurman, 24, and her aunt, Ms. Prater, 53, started their business making “photo album tables” from salvaged materials such as discarded hardware, old windows, reclaimed furniture and wood trims.
Recycling materials for art is attractive to many people going “green,” Ms. Thurman said.
In addition to being mindful of the environment, Ms. Thurman and Ms. Prater are concerned about the effect the economy has on their customers.
“We’re real people, and the people we serve are real people,” Ms. Thurman said. “We know the economy is hurting folks, so we price things very reasonably.”
Handmade Christmas ornaments, for example, sell for $4 each or three for $10, while their popular “word” signs sell for $22 to $40.
Word signs, as Ms. Thurman calls them, are small wooden signs that spell out words such as Chattanooga, Go Vols or Peace using door handles, hinges, chains and latches as letters.
The two particularly enjoy creating pieces made from salvaged windows. “Our photo album table is what got us started,” Ms. Thurman said, explaining that they attach an old window to a salvaged end table, using hinges, and place photos or a photo album in between the window and table top.
Windows also are transformed into wall hangings.
Another popular piece is made by painting images on scrap wood. Right now, they are painting Christmas trees on pieces of trim for holiday decorations.
“Our art really livens up a room. It is totally functional,” Ms. Thurman said.
Shoppers can also take pride in knowing their purchases at Tangerina’s are one of a kind. “We might make similar pieces, but no two are alike,” she said.
To keep things fresh in the store, nothing stays dormant for long. “If we notice that a piece isn’t selling, we simply take it down, tear it apart, and make it over,” she said. “We recycle our recyclables.”
Tangerina’s owners are open to suggestions and new ideas. “We had a customer who wanted something original for her shower. So, we put our brains together and came up with a girl in a shower.” The three-dimensional piece features a tiny shower curtain hanging over a tub with a woman’s head sticking out.
“Bathroom art is popular,” Ms. Thurman said, noting that someone ordered a “flush” word sign to hang over a toilet.
The owners say they welcome the chance to create pieces based on clients’ ideas. “That’s the most wonderful thing about what we do,” she said. “Our customers trust us.”
Feature writer Karen Nazor Hill covers fashion, design, home and gardening, pets, entertainment, human interest features and more. She also is an occasional news reporter and the Town Talk columnist. She previously worked for the Catholic newspaper Tennessee Register and was a reporter at the Chattanooga Free Press from 1985 to 1999, when the newspaper merged with the Chattanooga Times. She won a Society of Professional Journalists Golden Press third-place award in feature writing for ...
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