The Bird & The Bee
Since 2012, Betsy DiGorgio has been steering all her focus to The Bird & The Bee’s exceptional quality of work in furniture and cabinetry restoration. By her own admission, turning things pretty helps her mental health.
Where do you come from? Tell us about yourself and your experience in furniture restoration.
I’m from Birmingham, Alabama, but I’ve lived here since 2000. I started refinishing furniture that was handed down from family members; I’d strip the paint and restain them. I had so many pieces in my house that could easily be transformed! Then, I worked part time for a guy who was refinishing furniture out of his garage.
One day I decided I wanted to own a DIY boutique and instruction studio, and that’s what I did. We got off to a rocky start getting the word out there. When you own your own business, it’s a ton of work. It’s such a fear to be financially responsible; you invest in a whole different way. It’s all a desire in your heart. You can do this if you want to do it – and if you don’t, that’s where we come in to help you out.
This is such a creative outlet, and I love to help people take their outdated furniture and make it pretty! I love when we walk away, and somebody is just thrilled with something we’ve done.
What services do you offer?
We do a lot of kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, built-ins and bookcases. We go to the customer’s home, look over the space, quote out the job, then we’ll take the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers if they’re removable. Then, bring them back to the shop and work on them, so we don’t disrupt people’s lives. When we go back in, we prep and paint the base of the cabinets. Instead of being five days at their home, we’re only there for two.
If somebody asked me to sum up what I love to do, I’d say that I love to make things pretty.
Which facet interests you most in furniture? Visual appeal or function?
Both! But of course, it’s initially visual, because that’s the first thing that catches the eye, and then I think of how functional it is. That’s how humans work: we scan first. I love layers and movement, but it really depends on the piece. There’s a time for something clean, straight-lined, contemporary, and there’s a time for lots of movement and layers—that farmhouse-y look. In the end, I’m a casual kind of girl. I like something that will sustain itself for a long time.
What attracted the hive to Smyrna?
I live here, and when we opened the front shop, it looked like a beehive. It just made sense, and all fell into place. I love the location; it’s growing. I love Smynings! It’s close to pretty much anywhere if you need to go to the west side or downtown. I’m 2 miles from my house. We’re very homegrown.
The Bird & The Bee is located at . For more information, call or visit .