Shop owner transforms ordinary into extraordinary

Fort Scott resident Michelle Powell places a sign on the front window of her new shop, The Splinter Shed, 1 E. Wall St., Fort Scott. The shop will officially open on May 1.

Herald-Tribune

Fort Scott, Kan. -- Michelle Powell hopes to turn one of her long-time hobbies into a successful business.

Powell, Fort Scott, has been working this week preparing her new shop, The Splinter Shed located at 1 E. Wall St., Fort Scott, for its opening on May 1. The shop will offer a variety of handmade items, which Powell crafted herself, as well as paintings and other unique gifts that she designed. The shop will feature one of Powell's favorite projects -- creating other uses for old wooden doors.

"I make something out of something else," she said.

Powell, a registered nurse for the last 12 years, said she decided to take a break from her profession to devote some time to her other passions -- painting and designing arts and crafts.

"Painting is my favorite," she said.

She has spent most of her life perfecting her talents as an artist, but only recently decided to try her hand in the small business world.

Earlier this week, Powell and her sister spent nearly the entire day arranging some of the gifts in the front of the shop, but still have a long way to go, as the back of the shop is filled to the ceiling with other items that will be on display in the tiny shop, Powell said. Even more handmade treasures will need to be transported to the shop within the next couple of weeks.

The two women also spent time designing, stenciling, and placing the shop's unique signs on the plate glass windows at the front of the building.

Powell said she also paints on windows, doors and various pieces of furniture -- another item that is plentiful in her quaint little shop. Besides the gifts already available for sale, Powell said she will also accepts custom orders, and can design most anything a customer desires.

Her paintings typically take longer to complete, usually about three or four days, while she might spend only a few hours designing a piece of furniture, decoration piece or other accessory for a customer to take home and proudly display.

It took Powell almost an entire afternoon to complete a tall wooden chair, which she created using an old wooden door, similar to a chair that would be seen in Santa Claus' shop during Christmas time.

The store will hold an official grand opening on May 1, with food and other refreshments available for those interested in attending and taking a look at the newest addition to historic downtown Fort Scott.