The Cotton Shed

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans throw out more than 12 million tons of furniture each year, creating mountains of solid waste that have grown 450 percent since 1960. But many of these items can be “upcycled” into something beautiful, creating a custom piece and preserving our precious resources.

Tim and Dani Martin, owners of The Cotton Shed, turned their upcycling hobby into a thriving home décor business while also practicing environmental stewardship.

Tim and Dani have been married almost 20 years, and although they are no longer technically newlyweds, they still love working together at The Cotton Shed. Dani grew up in central Pennsylvania and moved to Arkansas when she married Tim, who was raised in London, Arkansas, a small town near Russellville. 

In 2013, Dani was searching for a hobby and settled on furniture painting. “Our home quickly filled with painted pieces, so we decided to rent a booth at Blue Suede Shoes to sell furniture and other decor items,” recalls Dani. At the time, Dani was working as a consultant, traveling 45 weeks out of the year and was ready for something she could do that didn’t involve getting on an airplane every Monday morning.

“When the opportunity to buy Blue Suede Shoes presented itself in January of 2017, we knew it was the answer we were looking for.” The couple purchased the business in January 2017 and rebranded to The Cotton Shed.

In addition to hosting multiple sellers, Tim and Dani have their own business within the establishment. “The name of our home and gift boutique is High Cotton Décor and it’s located in the front room of The Cotton Shed. We love bringing unique, budget-friendly décor and gift items to our customers.” 

High Cotton Décor also carries a line of furniture paint and other DIY products to teach others how to give their own pieces a new look. The Martins host a Furniture Painting 101 workshop on the second Saturday of each month, excluding December. 

“All you need is a small piece of furniture, and we’ll teach you the rest! I love the fact that a few hours and little bit of paint can transform an old, outdated piece of furniture—something that might have gone into a landfill, even—and turn it into something beautiful that will be loved for years to come,” says Dani. 

If you’re interested in learning how to paint or upcycle furniture, the in-person workshop is a great place to start, but Dani reminds everyone that you don’t have to come to a class. “Just pick up a brush and get started! It’s just paint. If you hate it, you can always change it!”

Tim and Dani differentiate High Cotton Décor from other businesses by offering budget-friendly prices and quality customer service. “We are always searching for great new décor and gifts that we can bring our customers at reasonable prices. This is something that’s always been important to us, but especially now when inflation is hurting so many families. We also have a great staff who are always happy to help customers find that perfect gift or something new for their home.” 

When it comes to DIY products, staff at The Cotton Shed help customers every step of the way, from choosing paint colors to walking them through the process to make over their pieces. “We’re always available to answer any questions or troubleshoot if someone needs assistance.”

Autumn is a favored time of the year for The Cotton Shed. “We’ll soon be decorating for Halloween, which is always fun. The Saturday before Halloween is our annual Ghost Hunt and Trick or Treating. We love seeing all the kids come in their costumes, and our vendors pass out candy in their booths.” 

Tim and Dani don’t get to rest for long. “As soon as Halloween is over, we’ll decorate for Christmas. Our Christmas Open House is November 9-10. Then in December, we make hundreds of gallons of artificial snow for our Winter Wonderland. The Christmas season ends at The Cotton Shed with a fun-for-all Wrapping Party. We provide paper, ribbon, bows, and all the supplies for customers to come in and wrap their presents.”

If you are considering opening a booth, Tim and Dani have some advice. “We always encourage people who are thinking about opening a booth to visit the store at different times and on different days, to see what the foot traffic is like and to pay attention to how customers are treated. And our team, most of whom are local high school and college students, is top notch. If you read our reviews, you’ll notice our friendly staff is one of the most common things people mention.”