Paint Any Surface with No Prep

Vintique Charm locations in Claremore and Owasso offer the popular Annie Sloan® Chalk Paint®.

Sheila Giannelli, owner, Vintique Charm, shows the variety of Chalk Paint® available.

Sheila Giannelli knows how to face a challenge head on and come out on top. The owner of Vintique Charm, located at 321 W. Will Rogers Blvd., spent her early years living in Claremore before getting ­married and becoming an Air Force wife and mother of three.

    The life of an active duty family involves many moves, and some of them are to remote locations, like Alaska. Sheila lived at the base there while her husband deployed to Afghanistan. Nearing the end of his military career, she received word that her father was battling brain cancer. Knowing that she wanted to be close to her parents while they took on this challenge, she moved back to her ­hometown of Claremore.

    After a brave battle, her father succumbed to the ­disease, but Sheila decided to stay put. “Claremore is such a great place to raise a family,” she explains. “Everything you need is right here.”

    After her husband ­accepted a job as a ­government contractor, he ended up back on familiar ground – Afghanistan. With a strong entrepreneurial spirit, Sheila made the decision that it was the perfect time to open her own business. “I have always been involved in ­businesses of some type,” she says. “I liked the freedom that I found by being an ­independent business owner in multi-level companies. It gave me the ability to be able to move my business with me wherever we ended up.”

    This initial experience led her to become involved with Annie Sloan® Chalk Paint®, and eventually, the doors of Vintique Charm opened. The Claremore store will celebrate its first anniversary on September 7. “This has been a really crazy, fun and cool ride for me,” laughs Sheila. “Nothing ­having to do with this has been planned. Everything, including opening my second location in Owasso, has just fallen into place. Everyone has embraced this concept and loves what the stores have to offer.”

    The stores take a familiar “booth” concept, but with a unique twist that customers find inviting. Walking through the store, it is ­impossible to know where one vendor’s area stops and the next begins. This is due in part to the fact that Sheila handpicks each of her renters, so everything sold ­complements the other items. “I know my customers well enough to know if they are attracted to one type of ­product, then I know other items they are likely to ­purchase as well.”

    Another distinction of Vintique Charm is that 90 percent of the items sold in the store are “Made in the USA.” As a former military wife and proud American, Sheila believes in supporting American companies. Even the majority of her boutique clothing items are made in Oklahoma or in the USA.

    Of course the main focus is the Annie Sloan® Chalk Paint® line of paint, ­developed over 20 years ago. This unique product is ­especially popular because it allows users to paint on just about any surface with no prep work. Painting on metal, concrete, terracotta, walls, floors and even kitchen ­cabinets is a breeze using this paint. Classes are offered at both locations so customers can see all the fun possibilities Chalk Paint® has to offer. Seeing really is believing, and you will be amazed at all the amazing projects you can ­create using this product.

    Both Vintique Charm locations offer similar ­products, and all must meet Sheila’s high standard of excellence. “I just love that I am living the American dream. I love that I get to involve my three children into what I do every day, and I love being able to meet people and provide them with fun, quality products. Every day gets better and better and I like just ­sitting back and watching it happen. It’s been a great ­experience!”

    Vintique Charm is located at 321 W Will Rogers Blvd. in Claremore and at 117 S. Main in Owasso. Hours for both locations are: Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and closed Sunday and Monday.

For more information, contact

Vintique Charm

(918) 923-6222