By By JOHN EBY / Niles Daily Star
DOWAGIAC -- Shhh. "The Painted Lady," Amy Schaus, might be "talking" to the furniture about its colorful future in "rehab chic."
Schaus intended to quit smoking May 1 when she opened her first business at 143 S. Front St. (782-8118) in "adorable" downtown Dowagiac, but it's proving difficult amid "the most stress of my life."
Her concept of artist-made home decor and gifts "all came about with my desire to find interesting things for my home," Schaus said Friday. "Big stores have the same things that are in everyone else's stores. I've been doing this forever. I used my art skills as a graphic artist for a number of years. Then I got out of that with the advent of technology. Everything went to computers. If I walk up to a computer it will start spewing smoke. Technology and I don't get along."
The advertising agency for which she did graphic arts also had a photo studio.
When the economy softened and advertising nosedived, Whirlpool "cut way, way back. There was no time like the present to open my own business."
Schaus scouted Watervliet, where she is a neighbor of Laurie Anne Kinzler, Coloma, St. Joseph and South Haven, but "ridiculous" rents made her "forget about it. Just on a fluke, I had to come into Dowagiac for something, and I was driving down the street, going, 'This town is adorable.' There's foot traffic downtown, there are any number of people any time of day. I felt very welcome. It's a college town, as well, which I forget, even though I went to Southwestern. I decided to make a phone call and check out this storefront that was for rent. The way everything fell into place, it's like it was meant to be."
Schaus consulted Kinzler, who told her, " 'Do it. Go to Dowagiac. It's the best' She loves being here. All signs pointed to downtown Dowagiac."
While some of her creations might seem "off the wall" -- her husband teases her about her "Partridge Family" retro coffee table -- Schaus said her art is influenced by different ethnicities.
Schaus will also custom paint items brought to her. "Or, a custom-made accessory in their colors to complement furniture they already have. Or, a piece of artwork from a Polaroid of their living room. I had a gal stop in last week who wants a mural done in her home. I've done decorative paintings and murals in people's houses for probably the past 25 years."
The Painted Lady also offers fine art photography by one of her former colleagues and jewelry made by another friend.
Schaus herself has the knack to paint a tabletop to resemble marble.
Her landlord, Doug McKay, generated her a lot of buzz by playfully spreading the rumor that The Painted Lady was a tattoo parlor going into the onetime Harvey's.
In fact, her mermaid logo alongside the front door is similar to a tattoo on her back, she said.
The St. Joseph native said her Dowagiac-raised husband's father started Nice Ice and her brother-in-law owns that business today.
Sam has a commercial and industrial business that installs agricultural refrigeration units. The couple have four dogs. "I had a dream the other night that I painted one of the dogs," she laughed.
Schaus honed her imagination growing up in a big family. "We had to make our own fun. Two sticks and a piece of cloth and I was good for the day, but actually it paid off in the end because we had to learn how to be creative right away. A couple of my sisters are also in the arts. There were eight kids. My brother, who was the oldest, passed away. One boy, seven girls. I'm third from the youngest. Two sisters don't even have middle names because they were tired of thinking of girls' names." The Painted Lady is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.