The House Next Door features antiques, furniture

Located at 105-4th Ave. NW next to Home Sweet Home, The House Next Door is owned by Betty Wood, who opened the specialty shop in September 2000. The shop focuses more on old furniture and antiques that have both a rustic and primitive look.

“Some of the items I sell look like they’re from the colonial period. I sell a lot of smaller pieces of furniture including four-drawer chests that people can pick up inexpensively to just take out to use or put a coat of paint on them when at home,” Wood said. “It’s nice to see that you can sell antiques with the paint coming off – hence the primitive look.”

Wood said her husband helps her refinish the furniture, and some of her best-selling items include hanging stars, rustic signs and Canadian candies.

Wood, who was the original owner of Home Sweet Home that opened in 1986, wanted something different to do with her sister and brother-in-law who had moved back to North Dakota from New Mexico. Already owning the building next door, Wood sold Home Sweet Home and opened The House Next Door.

“I opened The House Next Door, and my sister helped me sell the merchandise in the store. Our husbands also liked to redo and clean up old pieces of furniture,” Wood said. “It gives you the satisfaction to sell something you put a little tender loving care into. It’s also amazing to start with something a little wobbly and see how it turns out.”

Unfortunately, Wood said her sister and her brother-in-law missed the Southwest climate so much that they moved back to New Mexico in 2003. With the help and support from her husband, Wood carried on with the business.

Wood said being next door to Home Sweet Home works out as they advertise and host events together.

Wood said she gets her ideas and inspirations for the furniture pieces she sells through visiting furniture markets, mostly in Atlanta and Pennsylvania. She recently returned from Pennsylvania with a chair made out of a door and pieces of a bed frame. It can be seen displayed on the first floor of Wood’s shop.

“You get a lot of ideas at the markets, and some pieces you can take right home with you. It’s neat to see what can be made from different pieces, including a door and a screen,” Wood said. “We also go to a lot of auction sales looking for the old things.”

Having been at The House Next Door for almost seven years, Wood said she likes what she is doing along with having her husband helping her fix up furniture.

“My husband enjoys fixing up furniture and turning it into something new. It’s something fun we can do together,” Wood said. “However, it’s demanding to find time to do together as he works full-time also. So there is a lot of after-hours work because of the furniture aspect of it.”

Wood said staying in business for seven years takes more than meets the eye.

“You have to be willing to make a big commitment to the time and energy needed to put into a business. You don’t really realize until you get into it what commitment is needed,” Wood said. “You also really have to be dedicated to do what you want to do because you can’t go home at 5 pm., you don’t collect a paycheck every two weeks, and you work a lot of weekends.”

Wood also gives credits to still being in business to her husband.

“What has really helped me is my husband, as he enjoys what he does and helps me with the physical work,” Wood said. “He has given me a lot of support.”

Information from: www.minotdailynews.com