Thank you to all the following suppliers who have played a role in our Narnia project. Each supplier’s name is linked to their website or a site that gives their location and contact info. A second link will take you back to the first post where they were mentioned so you can see what I found there.
Ace Hardware of Chickamauga is a fairly recent addition to our local scene, but it’s one of our frequent stops. It’s by far the closest hardware store to us, has friendly and helpful employees, usually has what we need, and carries many products that are “Made in America.”
Ann McKenzie Aiken, Architect who drew our plans. She really “got” the whole Narnia theme and entered into it enthusiastically.
Bed, Bath & Beyond has two stores in our area as well as a great website. I found faux bearskin rugs and cape-like velvet throws to use as blankets and spreads on the kids’ beds.
Blevins Septic & Backhoe is perhaps not the type of purveyor one thinks of in relation to something as fantastical as Narnia, and yet they were a very necessary part of our project. Without their professional and conscientious work, this part of our project could have been a lot more unpleasant!
Jon Cordes of City Color Painting previously painted our whole house and is very pleasant to work with, besides doing a good job and being reasonably priced. He has really gotten on board with the Narnia project and is ready to do things like metallic gold glazes on walls and faux-painted ceilings.
E-Buy Signs is an online source for very reasonably-priced vinyl lettering. They were less than half the price of a dozen competitors I checked out.
East Town Antique Mall is my oldest, favorite antique store (oldest in the sense of the one I’ve been going to longest). The owners are always helpful, and when I needed to find a wardrobe on short notice, I knew I could find one there. One of the first antiques I bought there many years ago was a beautiful stained glass door that has travelled the tri-state area with us! First it lived in our Lookout Mountain, TN, Victorian house, and then it moved to our bathroom here in Georgia. It will soon be moving up to Narnia to shed a castle-like glow in the Cair Paravel Library.
End of the Roll is a local dealer who specializes in various kinds of flooring. Sandy was extremely helpful with my project and helped me choose carpet and wood flooring. Their crew did a beautiful job of installing both the hardwood and carpet we purchased from End of the Roll, as well as some laminate we already had on hand.
Go Fish is a local Chattanooga store whose motto is “Buy local, shop global.” I found a driftwood mirror there for less than half the price of those sold by major catalog retailers. The friendly ladies that helped me choose the mirror were quite interested in our Narnia project, and shopping there was much more fulfilling than ordering something online.
Helton Electrical Company is doing our electrical wiring. They have worked with Stuart Bickley for a number of years, and we call on them whenever we need electrical work done for ourselves.
High Point Antiques in Chattanooga is one of my favorite places to go. I can’t use their fabulous restored Victorian chandeliers in this house, but they do a marvelous job polishing silver and brass. They’ve done two brass Moroccan tray tables and are doing the swords and knives for the” Coat of Arms” in Narnia. Susan and James know their customers by sight and are always friendly and glad to see them. Even when I’m not shopping for Antique Lighting, dropping into High Point is always a high point of my day.
Hobby Lobby has two stores in our area, although both are at least an hour away from me. I’ve gotten numerous craft items there to use for Narnia.
Home Depot is my choice of home improvement stores when Lowe’s doesn’t have what I want. That was the case when it was time to order a shower stall. Like Lowe’s, they have two local stores.
Interior Care, Inc. isn’t technically a purveyor, but they did a fabulous job cleaning the carpet in Aslan’s Tent. I knew they did a wonderful job cleaning Oriental rugs, but I’m glad to have such customer-focused and friendly people to take care of my carpeting and upholstered furniture, too.
Junior’s Building Materials, a local Ace Hardware store, thrilled me when I found that they could order the D-log siding I wanted for the bathroom. Everyone there was very helpful, and Ted, the man who does the ordering, was extremely patient with my rather rambling discussion of how many logs I thought I needed. In the end, Stuart Bickley told me how many HE thought I needed, and Junior’s had them delivered on our front porch in two days.
Knitting Mill Antiques is one of my favorite local antique stores. The “sun” lamp for Narnia came from there. It’s an old sock mill filled to the brim with a wide variety of antiques that are usually quite reasonably priced. Unlike many crowed, junky stores, Knitting Mill Antiques is a pleasure to browse.
Learning Express has two local Chattanooga stores. I found our large stuffed Aslan there. He is made by Melissa & Doug, my favorite brand of toys.
Lowe’s is my favorite home improvement store. We have two local stores, and I have also ordered online. Lowe’s provided our Lamp-Post as well bathroom lighting and the ship lights for the children’s berths.
Pinterest doesn’t sell anything, but it can provide a great service as a place to collect all your inspiration photos and ideas for a project. My board, Narnia in My Attic: The Grandkids’ Dorm has been helpful many times in showing architect, contractor or shop-keeper exactly what I’m talking about.
Reliable Heating & Air have worked with Stuart Bickley for as long as we’ve been working with him, and they have become our reliable providers of heat & air conditioning service. They’re installing our new heat and air system for Narnia.
Reliks Antiques is a local Chattanooga store where I found a throne-like chair and a crown fit for a Narnian queen.
Seaside Treasures is a great online source for all things sea-related. Since we live pretty far from the nearest ocean, I was happy to find working portholes on their website, and a very friendly lady on the other end of the phone helped me decide among the several available colors.
Southeastern Salvage has a local store where I found the perfect stone bathroom sink and fixtures. They are called Southeastern Salvage for a reason, and if you live in the Southeast, they have plenty of unusual items to be inspired by.
Stone Source salespeople have been extremely helpful in choosing my flooring. I was able to take several large sample boards home and keep them for several days, giving me a chance to get the grandkids’ input! I’ve worked with them several times previously, and they have a great selection and friendly service.
Stuart Bickley of Raindance Property Solutions is our contractor. We’ve worked with Stuart on several major remodeling projects in our previous home and think he is the greatest! He has enthusiasm for “off the wall” projects” like this one as well as a great sensibility for remodeling vintage homes. And of course, he does new construction, too.
Tractor Supply, normally our source for fencing and feed for the farm, yielded a great wooden barrel to serve as the bathroom garbage can.
Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro, Alabama is a great source for unusual finds from exotic fabrics to a Chinese dragon or a colorful rug.
Van Dykes Restorers is a great source for reproduction antique hardware and trim like my lion corbel, lion door knocker and lion pulls. They put out a great catalog or you can order online.
Victorian Homes Magazine printed some of my first inspiration photographs in an article entitled “Through the Eyes of an Artist,” Victorian Homes, Feb. 2011. This back issue is available for purchase online.
Through the Wardrobe 