Behind the curtain
This shop team is the glue that holds our work family together. An eclectic group of women - and one poor, spoiled fella - is charged with the task of creating all the beautiful, lacquered and hand rendered finishes for Inspire by Color. Much like a traditional family, these "stay-at- home moms" make sure our boys in the field have all the elements finished, carefully wrapped and ready to deliver. With a collective experience of nearly 100 years this power team brings professional furniture finishing directly into your home.
This is where the magic happens!
Sunsets at the shop are often breathtaking. The juxtaposition of industrial park and infinite color seems to hint at what were all doing here at Inspire by Color.
Inspire by Color’s home is located roughly 30 mins south of Greensboro, in Thomasville NC. Since most of our field work happens in Greensboro, this doesn’t seem like a very strategic location, but it really is quite perfect. As many of you know, Inspire by Color is a kitchen enhancement company, but we also have a furniture finishing side of the business that currently facilitates production pieces for Lancaster and Verellen furniture lines. Our close proximity to the furniture anchor of High Point keeps us all within minutes of each other.
Lancaster chairs, glazed and ready for lacquer
Another great feature of our shop location is that all our full-time shop employees live in Thomasville! I can’t even begin to share with you all the serendipitous arrangements which have aligned to make Inspire what it is today! …but I will try, by giving a little back story on each employee.
Skittles: That’s what we call ourselves when we each wear different colors to work. These two characters behind me are the pistons that keep our shop running smoothly! Enith is Inspire’s Shop Manager and our first full-time employee. Brian came along shortly after her and took over the Lacquer Tech position. Working together for nearly 8 years, they have developed a unique kind of relationship - like brother and sister; sometimes fussing, but mostly picking with each other and laughing through the long days of tedious labor - they make our shop such a joyful place to work.
See below a few snippets of their endless shenanigans.
When you realize you’ve worn the wrong color shirt to work today. It’s always an interesting time, sitting across the table from this goofball!
Enith Galan meticulously goes over every square inch of each piece, to check for cracks, chips or any imperfections, sanding and skimming before sending back to the spray booth. As our shop manager, Enith brings a long history of experience in the furniture industry. Her unique skill set elevated us immediately when she started - and now, eight years later, she still brings that extra spark that gets us through the trials of our industry. Enith is all heart - and she puts every bit of that heart into her work each day. In years past, she would bring her family into work on Saturdays to help keep us on schedule. To Enith, family is everything - and that sincere commitment shows through into our work family as well, helping to keep us strong and united in our mission.
Brian Davis spends most of his days at Inspire, wielding a spray gun, lacquering furniture and cabinetry - but his best weapon of choice is an artist brush. If you’ve ever driven down Main Street in High Point, you’ve probably seen his mural work. Starting with a gigantic Lizard on the wall of Blue Bourbon Jacks, to the infamous Chest of drawers, now revamped by Brian on a scissor lift, he helped develop and execute what is now called the “mural mile” through the heart of down town High Point. How he finds time to do all that plus work with us full time? I have no idea! I think his creative spirit keeps him up at night!
Dinora Urias enjoys a little shop celebration for her 32nd birthday ;) No one has to wonder where Enith gets her work ethic, when they’ve had a chance to work alongside Dinora. As Enith’s mother and right hand support at work, there’s nothing they can’t tackle together. While Enith is managing inventory, meeting with shipping/receiving or dodging Brians next curveball, Dinora keeps the prep/sanding booth in full swing. Lovingly referred to as “mama” by our little work family, she’s often the first person to get to work each day, turning the lights on for us and making sure the building is ready for operation. We’re so grateful to have her on the team - and Enith couldn’t find a more devoted support person than this beautiful lady right here!
Oops! I was wrong about Enith being our first employee. Although she was the first to be on payroll, it was actually my wife, Melodie who’s been there since the beginning! She now works mainly on administrative duties in the office - but occasionally jumps into the field as needed. As the administrator of payroll, Melodie stays in communication with the team each week to collect and submit hours for job tracking and payment. Other duties include accounts payable / receivable. I’m just so grateful that she has stuck with me all these years - through the ups and downs of this business. Talk about dedication! Melodie Wainscott is the most important role in my life and this business. Without her enduring support, none of this could’ve happened.
Perhaps the most pivotal development for Inspire by Color in 2023 is the acquisition this amazingly talented lady! Julia Williams has finally joined us full time! With 30+ years of Furniture Finishing experience, Julia has seen just about everything in our industry. Not only can she create the most beautiful custom finishes, she has an incredible talent for matching complicated finishes. Julia runs all the finishes on our two main production lines for Lancaster and Verellen. She actually created most of the finishes for Lancaster many years ago! She has been working part time with us on weekends for the last few years to keep their product going smoothly - until just recently, when she decided to step down from her full time position as Finishing Department Manager of Ferrell Mittman to spend more time with family. We’re so grateful to have Julia on the team!
I would be remiss not to acknowledge and celebrate the genius behind much of our success! Meet Mr. Dale Greene! A meticulous, caring, gentle and brilliant teacher, I lovingly refer to him as “ The Scientist”. Dale has lived in the furniture industry most of his life - running his personal business, Illusion Unlimited while also traveling around the world to engineer, teach and manage finishing departments for global industries abroad. I couldn’t have met a better mentor for this industry! Dale has been instrumental in helping to get Inspire by Color off the ground, by helping me find a finish warehouse and teaching me every trick of the trade. Like our beloved Patriarch - Dale lights up the room when he walks in. Everyone stops what they’re doing to listen, as he’s more than likely going to drop some wisdom on anyone standing within ear shot. As a friend, mentor and work neighbor, I couldn’t have been given a better gift than this great man!
Please take a moment to watch this contemplative video I created to reflect on how important these people are to me - and what i’ve learned about the creative life. Beauty is everywhere! We should seek it most diligently in our craft - but not in so much what we see and do with our hands, but through whom and with whom we experience it.
