LABOR OF LOVE. Fall Creek welcomed a new business in early November when Hailey Martin, pictured, opened up shop.

Fall Creek native Hailey Martin has made a career out of reviving vintage wares and breathing life into perhaps otherwise tossed-out items. She did the same for her business’s first storefront, 102 W. Lincoln Ave., Fall Creek, by shining the building up and bringing it into her family’s care – for the second time.

Growing up in and graduating from high school in Fall Creek, Martin recalled driving past what is now her storefront, right off U.S. Highway 12, countless times. Little did she know that in just a few years she and her husband would buy that very building – and be introduced to a piece of family history.

What is now filled with Martin’s meticulously refinished vintage furniture pieces, reclaimed wood abstract art, and a variety of home and decor trinkets, was once a mechanic shop in the 1980s. That shop, Mike’s Auto, belonged to her grandfather.

“It was great to have him walk through the building because he was like a kid in a candy shop, going down memory lane,” Martin said. “It’s cool to have it back in the family, especially because I was not expecting to purchase a building in the first place.”

The letter signage from Mike's Auto are now hung inside Restored Co.

Martin first began refinishing some furniture pieces and crafting art pieces around 2015 while in high school, and in 2022, made Restored Co. her official business. 

Once confined to her home garage, the magic of refinishing furniture and selling it now takes place at the roughly 3,000-square-foot storefront (a portion of which is also home to another small business).

Sourcing pieces from estate sales, antique stores, and even Facebook Marketplace, in addition to people seeking out her services, Martin is a one-woman furniture-flipping show. Martin’s refinishing process is meticulous: deep clean the item; sand, prime, sand again, and prime again; paint as necessary; sand one more time; and finish with a durable top-coat sealer.

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YOUR SPACE SHOULD FEEL UNIQUE TO YOU, AND WITH VINTAGE, REFINISHED THINGS LIKE THIS, THAT'S WHAT YOU GET.

Each furniture and art piece (at Restored Co.) is one-of-a-kind.

HAILEY MARTIN

RESTORED CO. OWNER

It’s a labor of love, and is something Martin does not foresee ever growing tired of. “I like to work with my hands and see things transform in this kind of way,” Martin said. “It’s a cliché, but I want to help people make their house feel like a home. Your space should feel unique to you, and with vintage, refinished things like this, that’s what you get. Each furniture and art piece is one-of-a-kind.”

Martin takes particular interest in reviving furniture brought to her by locals and other clients, which are often family heirlooms. “I love being able to keep (this part) of history alive for a family,” she said. “Restoring something to keep its quality, the history, and memories held there, I love that.”

The store evokes a moody, cottage-like atmosphere, filled with thoughtfully put together decor arrangements and stunning Restored Co. furniture ready to go home with customers. Items are as practical as they are beautiful, and Martin hopes to offer Fall Creek and the wider Chippewa Valley a different shopping option.

“Not a lot of people do what I do in the area, which was another reason I wanted to have a store location,” she said. “I’m so stoked about this, but it’s very nerve-wracking putting yourself out into the world like this.”

Enter the world of Restored Co. at 102 W. Lincoln Ave., Suite B, Fall Creek, now open from 10am-6pm, Thursday-Saturday, through December (hours may change).

Keep up with Restored Co. on Instagram and Facebook for future updates • Reach out with inquiries at restoredco.rc@gmail.com or (715) 577-8959