Business Spotlight - Half Moon Antiques - By Michelle Libby

Half Moon Antiques is a misleading name for all of the services that Milinda Zink provides in her shop at 686 Roosevelt Trail in Windham. Half Moon offers many antique buying opportunities, but as of July, they are an official Annie Sloan Stockist, selling original Chalk Paint®, brushes and wax to help any budding artist take their good quality furniture to the next level. 
 

“I’m here for the families who want to be urban, creative, budget conscious and want to have fun,” Milinda said. “I’m not a crafty person.” That being said, she has been refinishing furniture with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® for over a year and a half and selling it, first in her vendor space and then in the storefront she has had for the last year. 

Milinda said opening her own shop afforded her the opportunity to get to know her customers and their styles. It also brought her one step closer to becoming a stockist for Annie Sloan, a goal she had in mind all along.  

Chalk paint has no chalk in it. It is a water-based, low VOC paint that when you run your hand over it after it has been painted it feels chalky. This paint is meant to adhere to any type of surface, from already sealed wood to lamp shades and can even be used to dye material. Once the paint is on in one, two or three layers depending on what look a person is going for with their piece (20 minute drying time), the cabinet or chair is waxed with the Annie Sloan wax and buffed to a shine. The wax will cure completely after 30 days and it will be very smooth to the touch. The wax repels water and hot soapy water can be used to clean it. It can also be waxed with Pledge, said Milinda. 

This process is quite amazing, as it requires no sanding or prepping. There is no bleeding through of the wood, and there is no odor. 

“I can paint in here all day long and never offend anyone with a low tolerance to smells,” Milinda said. There are 30 colors to choose from and two wax colors, soft and dark. 

In order to be a stockist, Milinda had to be accepted into the program and attend a training in Highpoint, NC. She had to have her own boutique, complete an application, do a phone interview and they had to determine if there was a want or a need in the area. There are only five stockists in Maine. Each year Milinda must take two more courses to remain a stockist.

“Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® takes all the labor and hard work out of it,” she said. She completed refinishing a dresser in six hours and a buffet in eight hours from start to finish. 

“You can paint existing well-made furniture without the cost of buying new,” she said. 

The paints come in 4-ounce sample sizes or quarts, which will cover 125 square feet. And with this paint, one coat is okay. Bathroom cabinets, floors or concrete can all be painted with this paint. Furniture that looks “ugly” can be painted and the “scars” become character. 

“I still get excited about new furniture. The best part is that people take them home and love them as much as I do,” she said. 

Half Moon Antiques offers one class a week on techniques from “having a bad chair day” to how to redo kitchen cabinets. She’s even considering opening for Sunday afternoon sessions to give women something to do if they don’t watch football. 

“Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® is new cutting edge technology. The labor intensity is gone,” she said.

Milinda hopes to become more of a do-it-yourself studio in the next year. Her motto is and has always been “Bringing vintage furniture back to life with color.”

“Working women can still have an artistic life without it taking over their life,” she finished.

Not a painter and don’t want to be? There are plenty of dining room sets, living room furniture and bureaus for sale at Half Moon Antiques, which is open six days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Wednesday. You can also bring in your own pieces and Milinda will rejuvenate them for you for a nominal fee. For more information on Half Moon Antiques find them on Facebook or call 207-351-0069. You can also find her upcoming class schedule at www.anniesloanunfolded.com