ANGOLA — New kitchen counter tops sparked a life-altering adventure for a pair of Prairie Heights Elementary school teachers and everyone is invited to follow along.
Nicole and Justin Bigelow opened their new Bigelow Build & Design store front at 223 W. Maumee St. last year to share everything they have learned about home decor.
“Everybody needs household items and we just try to make them a little extra special,” Nicole said. They carry everything from candles to cookbook holders and charcuterie boards, with occasional evening classes to stock your own.
“We make all own wood products with unique species like Blood and Canary wood,” she said. “We also have a laser printer so we can customize them.”
Nicole teaches sixth-grade English at Prairie Heights Elementary and Justin teaches sixth-grade math but their new side gig started in the kitchen.
“One Friday night I decided to rip out the kitchen counter and told Justin he had until next Saturday to replace it,” she said with a smile.
“It took more than a week but we Youtube’d it and got it done, and I found a trade I never knew I had,” Justin said. “Teaching is always the main thing but I tackle big jobs, like new tables and desks tops, over the summer when we have a couple months off.
“Math is all X’s and zeros and I never realized how creative I could be,” he said. “I enjoy sharing that with others. It’s beyond teaching and lots of fun.”
In addition to charcuterie work shops, Nicole plans to host candle-making courses, a hat bar and yoga sessions.
“We loved shopping here when it was Jenny Lou’s Greenery,” Nicole said. “They let us share some space and then let us take it over they moved out so we want to pass that along. We have pottery friends, drink-infusing friends, leather-making friends and two different candle friends. Pretty much something for everybody and we look forward to people checking us out.”
You can follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Their favorite customers happen to be their own students. “We see the same kids everyday and they know we’re here,” Nicole said. “They run in all excited and it’s just so sweet.”
Justin likes bringing his experiences back to his classroom as well. “A lot of math goes into business and building and we’re learning new things just like they are,” he said.
“We want to use our shop for more than marketing,” Nicole said. “We want this to be a place where friends and families fell comfortable and hang out. If you had told us five years ago we’d be doing something like this, we never would have believed it!”
