Barn House Boys key to success

The Barn House boys are an institution here in the Pacific northwest hosting idyllic and fabulous sales on their farm in Washington. They specialise in primitive, vintage garden items and cottage-inspired home décor. 

They are two 'grown A$$ men with a little bit LOT of "crazy" (their words not mine) and they very kindly agreed to answer a few trade secrets with me. They both love what they do, they are honest and true to themselves which is really refreshing in business.

Hope you enjoy reading this!

How did you end up creating 'The Barn House Boys'? 

BH: After we moved to Washington, Joe was pretty much at a cross road with his career.  I told him that it was the perfect time to pick something he LOVES and turn it into a business.  He is very talented in many different areas, but his A-D-D often gets in the way.  After about 2 years of playing in a few different arenas, the Shiny Vintage world caught his attention for long enough to make something stick.  That is pretty much how Barn House was born. 

Joe had selected a bloody-fucking AWFUL  name the first time around (that nooooobody is allowed to EVER discuss again in life), but we eventually found a name that fit our vision and lifestyle: Barn House 

After a while, we became The Boys (because there are so few men in the biz)…then The 'Barn House Boys'…but I still prefer The Boys of barn House. 

*You can read about how it all began in detail here.

Which designers, stores or movements inspire you?

BH: The well-known stores/designers are always the most obvious to be inspired by – The new look of Restoration Hardware is amazing and the colors are killer!  No Doubt!!!  But, we find a lot more inspiration from our peers.  

Hanging out with The Tarte People or The Seabold Vintage Family or at our other close friends homes/farms and talking about all of “The Crazy” in our heads is what elevates us all.  

If Cindy of Tarte says she wants to ride into our Summer show on a Pink Elephant wearing nothing but a Tiara and 8” stillehtos -- then Right-The-Fuck-On!!  But don’t think we are not going to TRY one-up her!  LOL.

When we are all together in our own Private Idaho with our close friends,  that’s what we talk about all night long…how we can elevate/inspire each other to the maximum.  That is very concrete and substantial.  

None of us have millions of dollars to work with, but if we did, it would be EPIC!

Why did we move to the Pacific Northwest?

BH: I (Jermonne) came up several times for my other gig.  On one visit, I was on a chezzy dinner cruise on the Columbia River and I called Joe and told him we MUST plan a vacation to the NW.  We ended up coming up a few months later and driving 2,000+ miles around WA/OR camping, white water rafting and more.  During that trip, an opening became available up here…we slept on the offer to move for a while, then a few months later we are living our new-found dream together.

How do you find so much stuff?

BH: That is mostly a secret, but I will say is that Joe is a consistent over-shopper / hoarder that hides things from me so I don’t know the magnitude of his sickness.  

Thank God we have 5 acres.

Is it becoming harder as people catch on?

BH: Well, this market is pretty saturated with VERY talented other hoarders.  Most of them are our friends.  It’s funny to go somewhere like an Estate Sale and see Randy (Madison Parks Antiques) or Sue & Joe (Bella Shabby) and say to ourselves, “FUCK, they are going to get all of the good shit!”  

BUT, we love them for it!!  The early bird gets the worm.  If Barn House Joe is in line before you…just go home, don’t even waste your time unless you are looking for sloppy seconds!

What advice do you have for people trying to find their own treasures?

BH: Keep it simple.  Destination Barn House or shop Barn House online ;o)

OR, get your hustle on and pound the pavement every single day searching for the things you love.  But if you don’t have that kind of time, visit Barn House. 

Who has been the most helpful in establishing you guys?

BH:  That is easy!  The Barn House Family (our special invited guests), our friends in Blog Land and our local Antique Stores (Monticello Antique Marketplace, Camas Antiques, and many-MANY more local stores). 

Our network here in the Portland area is like no other.  We are VERY lucky to have so many wonderful and positive and TALENTED people in this area.  We all support each other religiously.

What is the toughest challenge you’ve had to face?

BH: #1 - The NW weather!  We have had 15+ shows here in the Pacific NW, and not one has been rained out.  We are not just lucky, we are very blessed!

The other dumb shit is not anything we sweat about.

Do you still love it as much as you did in the beginning?

BH: We changed our formula up a bit this year.  We decided to have OUR blog reflect more of who we are and our history.  We decided to express ourselves in our authentic voices.  We decided we have no room for ANYthing other than good in our lives.  Everything else needed to go.  We are more happy than ever!

So there we have it. They say it like it is. No BS from the BH :). That's probably a big key to their success...as well as their aesthetic expertise and ability to host 'crazy assed' events!!!