For Jim and Erica Carpenter, owners of fivethirty resale in downtown Zionsville, running a business is a family affair.
The store, which sells art, repurposed furniture, custom furniture and secondhand décor, is named in memory of Erica’s father, who was a picker and a collector, and spent most of his life living near mile marker 530 on the Ohio River.
Carpenter said that after her father’s death in 2011, she inherited collectibles from his estate and decided to carry on his legacy with fivethirty resale. The store was founded on Dec. 12, 2011, her father’s birthday, but didn’t open at its current location on Main Street until September 2012.
In addition to running the store, she and her husband both have a hobby of repurposing old furniture and decided to share their experiences by offering two monthly furniture painting classes to the public. The classes focus on using milk paint, a natural, nontoxic water-based paint that Carpenter said has been used for hundreds of years and creates more of a distressed look when applied.
“I started using milk paint eight years ago, and since then I’ve painted every piece of furniture in my house and a piece for all my family and friends. Everyone I knew had one of my painted pieces, so there really was nothing left but to open up a store,” she said.
Carpenter said they’ve had a great response from the public since starting the classes in October 2012 and plan on offering interior design classes and private, furniture painting “pop up” classes to groups wanting more of a personalized experience. Along with the monthly furniture classes, they also offer a craft class every six weeks led by local blogger Jen Kerschner of {the cottage nest} blog.
As Zionsville residents since 1997, Carpenter said that she and her husband never considered opening their business anywhere else.
“I’ve always aspired to be part of the Main Street shops; they’re unlike any other place,” she said. “My favorite part is the people. We have regulars that come in and shoppers that will come up to us and just say, ‘Thank you for being here.’ Everyone has been really supportive,” she said.