Three Generations Keep Family Business Going
A buzzing saw, whispering sandpaper and humming hairdryer are everyday sounds at Hairwood Park.
A combination hair salon, wood shop and country gift store, it unites the talents of three generations for a unique North Side business.
“We fight sawdust constantly,” laughs owner Elise Vaughn.
Tucked away in Fairwood Plaza on Hastings Road, the shop does a brisk word-of-mouth business, luring customers from down the road, the South Hill, even California.
The attraction: custom furniture by Jerry Vaughn, hand-painted by Elise. Add to the mixture both Jerry’s mother and Elise’s mother, Jerry and Elise’s daughter, future son-in-law, and occasionally their granddaughter.
“We all needed to work together and have everything in one spot,” said Elise. “If we aren’t together, then we can’t be creative.”
A skilled woodcrafter, Jerry builds everything from basic bookshelves to rooms full of furniture: four-poster beds, armoires and entertainment centers.
Elise, the hairstylist, decorates the finished furniture with elegant French-country themes or simpler tole and primitive designs - sometimes between haircuts and permanents.
The rest of the family has their own roles.
Elise’s mom, Florence Brevet, also paints scenery and designs. Jerry’s mother, Donna Vaughn, sands, stains and paints the furniture, preparing it for the design stage.
Daughter Megan runs the shop in the evenings, and Kevin Smith, future-son-in law, comes by on weekends to lacquer finished furniture.
Customers sing praise.
“If you could come out to my house…. I don’t think there’s a room in my home that Jerry hasn’t built furniture for. He’s probably made 30 different things for me,” said Kathy Spencer of north Spokane.
“Everything is finished to match the woodwork in the rest of the house,” she said. “These people are the epitome of customer service,” she added.
More than a year ago, when Jerry Vaughn became too sick to build wood furniture, Elise uncovered a hidden talent - “junking.”
Searching garage and rummage sales, she came home loaded with tables and dressers destined for the dump.
Elise envisioned the beauty in each piece, and with her magic paintbrush and a lot of sandpaper, turned trash into treasures. Flowers bloom on old kitchen tables; flowers cascade across the top and sides of a dresser.
“If people knew the treasures they have in their basement or garage…” she said.
Jerry is healthy again, but his illness taught them to appreciate their family even more.
“When my husband was sick, my brother, and everyone came into help,” said Elise. “That’s the wonderful thing about a family business, when you need help, everyone comes through.”
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo