Exploring Life & Business with Angela Roether of Lily’s Urban Home

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Roether.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started? 
Being creative and having a love of color, style, and texture is in my soul. I’ve always loved to be creative as long as I can remember. When I was young, I would go out to my mom’s bright and vibrant flower gardens and cut off all of the flowers. I would bring them into the house and make and put arrangements all over the house to surprise my mom when she got home. Thankfully Mother was never upset; she always encouraged me to be creative. I still love cutting my own garden flowers and adorning the house. 

I am currently a Purchasing Section Manager for a Toledo, Ohio-based internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm and deal with all things engineering and construction, but I still have the need and love to create with my hands from painted furniture, sewing, and faux florals. It’s how I get my pretty on; there’s no pretty in engineering and construction. 

In 2015 I was flipping through the internet one day looking for something my newly retired finance to do in his spare time and came across people painting furniture. Why not give that a try? Before I knew it, I was hooked and opened a booth at a local consignment store. 

Since then, we have restored and upcycled hundreds of pieces of furniture. Once treasured family heirlooms that have lost their appeal, discarded and unwanted pieces of furniture that have been so badly damaged and tossed aside. Lily’s Urban Home brings them back to life to meet today’s trends. 

For the past couple of years, I wanted to expand the business and offer more home décor. I now travel to several states and curate furniture, home décor, and seasonal items. In that journey, I decided to try my hand at sewing again. I had learned to sew at a young age, but I didn’t really care for it or retain much knowledge, just the basics. I started out with a little cheap sewing machine, bought some fabric and some supplies, and taught myself how to sew again. 

Although I still paint furniture, I really spend most of my time sewing – I’m hooked, and so are my customers. Sewing seems to have become a lost art through the years. Our customers really enjoy that handmade personal touch for their home or as a gift item. A new pillow, a lavender sachet, or a seasonal pumpkin or handmade Santa. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There are always struggles in starting a new business, maintaining and evolving to the needs of your customers. In starting a new business, not knowing what, how to do and fear was the biggest struggle starting out. Learn as you go and fix what doesn’t work. Believe in yourself even when others don’t, and surround yourself with people who will help you and encourage you. Maintaining and evolving the business – learning who your customers are and what they want is key. I loved painting wild bright colors, but my customers wanted white. Do you find new customers that want wild colors no, you paint white. 

Time is the biggest struggle for me, and trying to be all things to everyone. I had to learn I can’t do everything. It’s still a work in progress. But I delegate more than I used to. Don’t spend time on the penny jobs; focus on the dollar jobs and be able to say “No.” 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Lily’s Urban Home?
Lily’s Urban Home – I consider myself an artist and curator as I create a large majority of what I sell. I specialize in hand-painted furniture, hand-sewn pillows, holiday décor, and handmade faux floral arrangements. We are also one of the top 100 Dixie Belle Paint retailers in the US. 

Although our booth is just a portion of the whole store, we pack in a lot of variety that always changes depending on the season and trend. 

Being an Elite Dixie Belle Paint retailer, we carry the entire line, making us a one-stop shop for all your furniture painting and staining needs. We are always available for questions and help with your furniture painting projects. We plan on adding painting classes at our Perrysburg location later this year. Painting 101, how to use transfers and decoupage papers along with other fun workshops. 

For our faux florals, we use high-end faux flowers and greenery for everyday or holiday. You can choose one of our wreaths, greenery, or floral arrangements for that perfect spot in your home, or you can choose from our do-it-yourself floral bar. 

Our pillows and hand-sewn holiday décor makes the perfect accent. Our pillows are unique and sometimes are one of a kind. 

This past year has been full of blessings as we are expanding our business. Lily’s has become known for our popular handmade Pumpkin Head Dolls – each one is named based on their unique personality. One particular pumpkin head, Carl carries a handmade bag and a lantern. We also have hand-carved Santas with handmade clothing adorned with curated antique items like a watch or other items. This past year we were invited to an artist signing at a large home décor retailer in Texas. We are currently working on a website to offer our dolls in case you are not local to our store locations or shows. 

I’m truly proud and blessed that I have great customers. They support my small business at my locations, shows, and online. I’ve gotten to know them personally, and I consider a lot of them as friends. 

What sets me apart? 

I want my customers to have a great experience in my locations with my presentation and knowledge of my products and to give them the best quality. I still paint my furniture by hand; I give the extra details of shading colors and adding detailed accents to create dimension. My hand-sewn items – I want the stitching to be perfect and straight, everything pressed, and all strings cut. I try to be as original and unique with all my creations and stay true to what I love. 

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Family Camping throughout the United States or week-end family camping 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilysurbanhome/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LilysUrbanHomeInteriors

Image Credits
KellyRow Photography
BayCreek & Co