Town & Country

6 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY JUNE 16, 2018 G I M L I F O L K L O R A M A A U G U S T 5 - 1 8 , 2 0 1 8 #myfolklorama TICKETS NOW ON SALE folklorama.ca •Pre-arrangedcounsellingonrequest •ServingtheInterlakedayornight Ph.204-467-2525 1-800-467-0024 THEONLYFUNERALHOMEOWNEDANDOPERATEDBYTHEBARDALFAMILY Pulling Up Stakes Lifa home decor shop seeks buyer for building B Y J I M T I M L I C K A trend-setting Gimli- based business is preparing to bid adieu to the Interlake community that it has called home for the past five years. Lifa, a family-owned paint and home furnishings store, has been located on Gimli's Centre Street since 2013. Recently, its owners decided to put the stately looking building it's located in up for sale and consol- idate operations at their other location at The Forks in Winnipeg. Co-owner Carol Magnusson, who oversees Lifa's day-to-day operations, says the decision to close the Gimli location was based largely on changing personal circumstances in the lives of her and sisters Lisa and Leslie, with whom she founded the business, and the fact it was becoming increasingly difficult to manage both sites. The Gimli location will continue to operate until a buyer is found for the building. Magnusson says the decision to sell the building that had been home to their business was an extremely dif- ficult one for her and her sisters. They spent their sum- mers in Gimli at the family cottage when they were young and have always felt a strong connection with people who live in the community. "We've really enjoyed being in Gimli. The com- munity has been wonderful. They've really supported us over the years, not just the cottagers but the whole community," she says. "It was a very hard decision to sell the building and close this location. We've got nothing but gratitude for the community and the surrounding communities for their support the past five years. It's been such a great experience." Home decorating has been something of a passion for Magnusson and her siblings for most of their lives. Their father, Jens, owned his own home decorating business in Selkirk for nearly 50 years and all three of his daughters worked in the industry at one time or another. "It was all of our dream to have a store like this and bring our ideas to life," Magnusson says. One of their first ideas for Lifa, an Icelandic word meaning 'to live,' was to introduce chalk paint to the Manitoba market. Chalk paint gives surfaces a matte look and can be used to breathe new life into old items such as furniture or cupboards. It has become a go-to choice for many do-it-your- selfers because it requires little prep work, is far less likely to drip than other types of paint and contains few volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It was still something of an unknown quantity when Magnusson and her sisters decided to make it one of their featured products. "It's really taken off with chalk paint," she says. "Peo- ple who have worked with it have seen how beautiful it is to work with and how it can transform something old into something new." So much so that Lifa now offers chalk paint tutorials at both of its locations for people interested in learning more about what it is and how it can be used. "People want hands-on experience," Magnusson says of the classes. "We show people how to use the product so that they are confident when they start their project and know what they're doing to create their vision. It's not just about taking paint and painting a piece of fur- niture. It's recreating the piece. You can give it a differ- ent personality by using different techniques." Despite the preponderance of big-box home retail- ers, Lifa has managed to carve out its own niche. Mag- nusson attributes this to one of the guiding principles she and her sisters set when they were starting out — that every home is unique, and its furnishings should reflect that. To that end, they have scoured locations across North America looking for furnishings that aren't read- ily available elsewhere, from lighting fixtures to one-of- a-kind works of art. The store also offers used furniture that has been lovingly reconditioned. "It's really about the love of home. I like to say it's the bits and pieces that make a home," she says, laughing. "I think that's what makes our store unique. We don't bring in items that you can easily find in other stores like the big boxes. We try to source unique and harder to find pieces." PHOTOS BY DARCY FINLEY Unique furniture and decor items can still be found at Lifa on Centre Street.

• Cover