- May 1, 2024
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Tracey Lopez and Michelle Arnold, owners and creators of Coastal Character. Photo by Alexis Miller
Coastal Character offers art from multiple local artists in the shop. Photo by Alexis Miller
Dixie Bell Paints, used in some of the pieces, for sale inside the shop. Photo by Alexis Miller
One of the current hand painted pieces for sale. Photo by Alexis Miller
Ever thought about owning a business with your best friend?
Michelle Arnold and Tracey Lopez turned that thought into reality when they opened Coastal Character, a furniture resale shop located in Palm Plaza at 600 S. Yonge St., Suite 1A & B, in Ormond Beach.
Arnold and Lopez have been best friends for almost 20 years, and their friendship grew stronger as their kids grew up together. With a long-distance friendship from Georgia to Colorado, the women dreamed of living near the beach. One day they decided to pack up and take a road trip to find the perfect spot.
“We went from Daytona Beach all the way to the Outer Banks in North Carolina and tried to make our mind up of exactly where to move along the coast,” Arnold said.
After careful consideration and a previous option not working in their favor, the best friends decided to move to Ormond Beach.
Lopez began painting and restoring furniture around her house over six years ago when her husband gave her the idea of selling her work. Immediately, she found old furniture and started selling her pieces online. After that, the couple began selling in a consignment shop in Crescent Beach to see if their products would sell in a store.
“Every piece you see is something that has been given a second life," Lopez said. "Everything comes from donations, or we buy it second hand."
Arnold previously worked on designing large-scale events and marketing for companies, said all of Coastal Character's marketing is done in-house. Arnold said this ensures their marketing is always exactly what they want it to be.
Within the first week and a half of opening, 70% of the pieces in the shop had sold, causing excitement, but also worry as they needed more items quickly.
“It was one of those situations where the greatest thing would be if we sold everything, but the worst thing would be if we sold everything and had no product left to sell,” Arnold said. “We were able to come a long way over the past three months and we got some pretty cool vendors too.”
Arnold and Lopez don't do all the work for their store alone. They have handymen that repair the furniture before the pieces are taken to the shop to be painted, as well as other artists who display their work in Coastal Character. They have eight vendors and artists that sell from the shop.
“It became very important to us that we kind of a mentor and supporter for local artists," Lopez said. "We know how hard it is to start something new and how much money big investments cost."
Coastal Character is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
