Susie Goldenberg – Paintin’ the Town for 16 Years View Her Schedule Of Upcoming Classes By Debbie Ellison There were few jockeys in the race to the faux finish when Susie Goldenberg took the reins. Years before most people even heard of faux finishing, Susie transferred her artistic talents from painting clothes to painting walls. As her hand-painted clothing business was winding down, she became interested in a decorating phenomenon that was just becoming popular called faux finishing. Susie has always been artsy, even as a child. She knew early on what she wanted to be when she grew up – an artist! “But,” her mother cautioned, “how will you make a living? You need a real job!” In spite of her mother’s concerns, she pursued her natural creative gifts and her dreams, majoring in art at Ohio University. After graduating, she did have a few “real jobs” in administrative positions, but the corporate life just wasn’t for her, and she soon was drawn back to her first love – art. She had several businesses, including personalized, hand-painted gift items, and then hand-painted clothing. In 1988, she took a six-week class at a local art center and got her first faux finishing job. Yes, six weeks – and 16 years later - she’s still at it! Fauxing and growing! Her first job was a five-layer glazing on dining room walls for a neighbor of a friend. “I didn’t think I liked doing faux finishing,” she says. “It was taking forever.” But, she persevered, and began taking more classes, developing her skills, and building up a client base. After a few more jobs, she was hooked, loving the art of faux finishing and the creative outlet it provided. Painting a couple of rooms in her first show house for the World Mission generated $100,000 in business. Yes, this was her calling (and the money wasn’t bad either!). The gate was open; she was off and running, speeding down the track toward the fulfillment of her dreams. Her business grew quickly, and in 1997, she was offered a distributorship with Faux Effects International® and opened Paintin’ the Town, Faux, a retail store and school in Atlanta, Georgia. She had tried many different products before deciding the Faux Effects® line was the one she felt most confident promoting and using. Over the years, she has built her business, by word of mouth, hard work, determination, and a passion for what she does. Over the years, she has studied with master decorative artists from around the world and done too many jobs to even remember. Her clients have ranged from housewives to CEO’s of major international corporations, authors, professional athletes, and celebrities. She has been featured on HGTV, in decorative arts magazines, and in many show houses throughout Atlanta, and has volunteered her creative services to the Make A Wish Foundation, World Mission, and Habitat for Humanity. Paintin’ the Town, Faux has grown from a small store with limited inventory and a school with a few classes to the second largest Faux Effects® licensed Aqua Finishing SolutionsÔ distributor and one of the largest and most respected schools of decorative arts in the nation. The staff now includes a web designer, graphic designers, marketing gurus, several artists, administrative assistants, and studio assistants. Years of climbing ladders and slinging paint have transitioned to another level of Susie’s business. Although she still climbs an occasional ladder and slings a can of paint here and there, she is more comfortable climbing the entrepreneurial ladder and slinging advice, encouragement, and support, passing on her many years of experience and expertise to her students. She is beginning to pass on a lot of her client work to her students now, while always maintaining a supervisory and teaching role. People who drive by the store simply know it as the “yellow building with European black shutters on Alpharetta Highway.” Those who venture inside and become involved begin to feel at home and seem to enjoy hanging around. Susie says she likes it that way. She wants her customers and students to feel comfortable and a part of her business. Susie is also a veteran instructor at the SALI convention, proud to be in her 14th year of teaching there. Since her first year, she has been known for teaching original techniques far in advance of current trends. She remembers with a chuckle the first year she taught at the convention. “The first class I ever taught, and who is in my class? Ina Marx, a legend in the faux finishing world and the woman who wrote THE book on faux finishing. I was so nervous.” Ina, Allen, and Bob Marx wrote Professional Painted Finishes, one of the most revered books in the industry. What a way to begin a teaching career! Her love and passion for faux finishing shine through in her enthusiastic and interactive teaching style and her dedication to the art of faux finishing. Susie says she is constantly experimenting and creating new techniques and new workshops to keep abreast of the latest trends and to teach the most innovative techniques. She loves teaching and helping her students reach their full potentials and is proud of her school’s innovative curriculum and professional certification program. “I want my students to leave with the feeling that they are part of Paintin’ the Town, Faux,” she says, “that they have a support system. People pay a lot of money for classes. I feel I should give them everything they came to get and more.” The school offers a vast variety of classes from beginner to master levels. Susie teaches most of the classes, but also brings in other faux finishing experts. Guest artists and masters such as Gary Lord, Mike MacNeil, and Dave Schmidt offer students exposure to a wide range of techniques and expertise. The curriculum consists of an intense business class and seminars such as “Creating Wealth With Faux Finishing” and “Creativity – Right Brain on a RollÔ.” A variety of one- to five-day trompe l’oeil, mural, and faux finishing workshops are also taught, including Furniture Finishes, Sophisticated Surfaces, European Textures, Color Theory, Masterpiece Metallics, Venetian Plaster, Extraordinary Stenciled Effects, and a variety of others. Susie says, “We’re not here just to sell classes and products. Our main mission is to educate both the consumer and our students. Encouraging and supporting our students is our primary focus. We want them to be successful. We want them to thrive.” The newest class in the curriculum is Designer Finishes I, a five-day class that incorporates “just about everything,” including textures, plasters, metallics, French washes, glazing, crackles, Fresco panel, furniture, and more. The first four days are hands-on training; the last day is a business seminar. Students will celebrate with a preview party Sunday night prior to class. Students earn three levels of professional certification at Paintin’ the Town, Faux – Artistan, Professional, and Master – certificates that students are proud to display in their portfolios. Susie is developing a more intense associate program for people starting or building their businesses, which will encompass training, marketing, supporting, and coaching students to greatness. The latest buzz around Paintin’ the Town, Faux is a fabulous 2-week trip to Italy. Susie is all smiles as she explains. “Paintin’ the Town, Faux is going international! I’m so excited that I can offer my students this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Around September-October of this year, 25 to 30 students will travel to Siena, Italy, where they will stay in a beautiful old villa and receive on-the-job training as they paint several rooms. “Don’t be surprised,” she continues, “if a little sightseeing is also on the agenda.” Susie is teaming up with Gary Lord, a nationally-known decorative artist and author, in this endeavor. Call Paintin' the Town, Faux if you are interested in attending this amazing trip. Paintin’ the Town, Faux has grown and been so successful, Susie believes, because of her strong motivation and drive to work so much. She is obsessed, possessed, but not distressed (only her walls are). She admits she thinks about work a majority of the time, her mind always churning with ways to make her business, as well as her students’ businesses, grow and thrive. She admits it – next to her family, her life is faux finishing! These are the secrets to her success – hard work, persistence, acting like a professional even when she was a beginner, and treating customers with respect and compassion. Her advice? “Always be in a learning curve. I feel you can never learn too much. Even if you take a class you feel is below your experience level, you can always learn something new. And don’t compromise your worth.” Even when she was inexperienced, she projected a confidence
and a professional attitude to her clients. She never charged less because
she “wasn’t worth it yet.” A second business grew out of Susie’s frustration from years of trying to find one source for quality faux finishing tools. She would find one here and one there, but couldn’t find everything anywhere. If that sounds confusing, it was. She decided to create the source herself, culminating in Faux Mart, an online supplier of faux finishing tools and supplies at discounted prices. In addition to tools and supplies, Faux Mart offers a newsletter, specials, and a National Directory of Decorative Artists. Contact Susie at susie@paintinthetown.com or visit Paintin’ the Town, Faux on the web at www.paintinthetown.com, 1-800-549-0414 (outside Atlanta area) or 770-641-7641 (in Atlanta area). Faux Mart can be found at www.fauxmart.com, 1-888-474-0042 (outside Atlanta area) or 770-641-0884 (in Atlanta area). This year’s SALI convention will find Susie
running between classrooms in her capacity as an instructor and managing
her own booth in her capacity as a business owner selling products and
offering information and expertise. Stop by Booth 107 and say hello. Debbie Ellison is a freelance writer and editor in Atlanta and teaches writing and creativity seminars. Contact her at DebbieEllisonInk@yahoo.com. Susie Goldenberg owns Paintin' the Town, Faux, a faux finishing showroom and Atlanta’s premier school for decorative finishes. She has been a professional decorative artist for 13 years and teaches classes at her school and from coast to coast. Contact her at Susie@PaintinTheTown.com. ___________________________________________________________ This article may be shared with
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