The Vintage Hammer It’s Not Just a Store, It’s an Experience

from DDC_Hampshire Area Chamber Guide_2023

Hampshire Area Welcome to the I

When it comes to shopping in the Village of Hampshire, no trip is complete without stopping in at The Vintage Hammer, where home décor, unique gifts, and reimagined furnishings take center stage.

The Vintage Hammer is owned and operated by a husband-andwife team of Christine Klein and Boom Blakz (a DJ by trade), who have a passion for repurposing and revitalizing furniture and unique home décor.

The Vintage Hammer is more than just a gift shop/furniture store. It is a lifestyle store where your home décor ideas come to life.

“A lifestyle store is a retail store selling a wide variety of product categories under a single brand. We sell home décor, gifts, and repurposed furniture,” says Klein.

“We specialize in refinishing furniture – either painting or staining to bring furniture into today’s style and trends.”

Klein met and married Boom while she was living and working in Jamaica a number of years ago. The couple started using their creative talents in Jamaica where home furnishings and décor are very difficult to come by and very expensive.

“Instead of spending large amounts of money on imported furniture and décor, we used the resources we had that were free or from the land and transformed them to work in our home,” Klein said.

The couple moved back to the

U.S. in 2016 and started building and refinishing furniture in their garage in Hampshire for their friends and family.

“As we started to get quite a following from social media posts and word of mouth, more people asked us to make and refinish things for them.”

Their business began to grow, and the couple started selling their wares at area outdoor markets and vintage fairs. When the couple decided to open a brick-and-mortar store, it made sense to stay in Hampshire, Klein’s hometown.

“We knew we wanted to stay in the area, and it is very rewarding to know that we are helping to build the business community in Hampshire.”

The items the couple acquires

By: Kelley White

come from a wide variety of places including dumpster diving, farm auctions, estate sales and word of mouth.

“Boom does most of the curating and he has now created quite a little niche of his own,” Klein said. Klein listens to her inspiration and instinct when it comes to furniture and repurposing their inventory.

“We have a lot – I mean a lot – of furniture,” says Klein. “We have a warehouse and a storage unit full of furniture. We don’t bring it to the store unless we have a vision for it. Then, we’ll repurpose it and put it out in the store for sale.”

Many times, customers share their visions with Boom and Klein, and often they have the perfect piece in storage that will work for the customer. The duo has a unique flow to their décor and furnishing aesthetic. Klein often goes for trendier styles while her husband gravitates toward bright, vibrant colors.

“I select items for the store based on what I know will sell, sticking with current decorating and color trends,” Klein said. “My husband tends to go with his heart way more than I do when it comes to decorating. Jamaica is all about big, bold colors and eclectic styles. You can see that in the things that he does rather than the things that I do.”

Not only is The Vintage Hammer a wonderful place to shop and be inspired, but they offer a wide variety of classes and workshops.

“What most people don’t know is all the services we offer,” Klein said.

The Vintage Hammer offers custom furniture painting, décor consultation, furniture painting classes, custom built furniture pieces, a rentable workshop space and they do community events as well.

“In May, we host a street fair where we bring in local artisans and we close the street in front of the store and have a really fun festival with music, food and drink offerings and more. There is a lot of talent in our community that isn’t necessarily exposed to the public very often,” she said.

Every month, Klein offers furniture painting classes where she teaches all the steps to reimagining your own small furniture piece and encourages community togetherness.

“We have a lot of fun and laugh a lot. The participants go home with a freshly painted piece of furniture,” she said.

They also offer monthly seasonal décor-making classes, and mini seminars based around décor and decorating trends.

Repurposing and recycling home décor and furnishings is a sustainable practice that the couple is passionate about.

“We as a society are becoming more environmentally conscious and people are looking to reuse, recycle and repurpose anything they can. We piggyback on that mindset to find things that are styled for today’s trends,” Klein said.

Klein believes the repurposing trend became as popular as it is now because of COVID-19.

“Supply chain issues were a problem, so inventories were low, and prices skyrocketed. People didn’t want to wait for a lot of things, so I think sustainability got a huge push from COVID.”

As a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Klein finds her involvement is helpful for marketing the store while continuing to support her hometown community.

“We have always been a big supporter and believer in the Chamber of Commerce,” says Klein. “Getting the word out about a new business is difficult, but having the marketing avenues available through the Chamber is crucial to a business’s success today.” urlington marked its beginnings with a tavern in 1840, a post office in 1846, a general store in 1847 and was incorporated in 1906. It is a small town with a rural heart and a welcoming spirit where residents know each other and say “hello” when they pass. The area has great schools, abundant natural space, and a friendly atmosphere that makes it a great place to raise a family.

Stop in at The Vintage Hammer for that perfect gift or let them help redesign your spaces.

There is almost always something to do in Burlington. Our parks, restaurants, active civic groups, and community events provide an array of activities that include an annual Fireworks display in July and the Fall Fest in September.

Throughout its history, Burlington’s leaders have made smart choices that have enabled the Village to provide important public services while keeping financial liabilities low and preserving its small-town character and charm. Our community welcomes opportunities for growth and a future Water Treatment Plant.