This week’s Tuesday Tip is a little different.

MegMade is turning 13. ❤️

And whenever an anniversary like this comes around, I can’t help but think about where all of this started because it definitely didn’t start with a showroom, a design project, a television show, or some big business plan.

It started with one old dresser.

Thirteen years ago, Joe and I were expecting our first baby. We needed a changing table, didn’t have a lot of money to spend, and found an old dresser that someone had discarded.

Most people probably would have walked right past it.

I couldn’t.

I could already see what it could be with a little work.

So we brought it home.

There was sanding. Stripping. Painting. A lot of mess. And a whole lot of figuring it out as we went.

But when it was finished, I loved that we had taken something someone else was done with and made it beautiful again.

That feeling stuck with me.

So eventually we sold that dresser, found another piece, refinished it, and then did it again.

And again.

Pretty soon, our apartment was filling up with furniture. People were coming over to shop. Our garage and storage spaces were filling up. Joe and I would spend our nights working on pieces together, usually with Law & Order: SVU playing in the background.

It was messy and busy and probably looked a little crazy from the outside.

But we loved it.

And then came the name.

Joe was always telling people, “Meg made this,” or “Meg made that.”

One day, someone finally said, “You should call this MegMade.”

And suddenly, this thing we had been building had a name.

Not long after that, we signed the lease on our first little warehouse.

ONE STEP TURNED INTO ANOTHER.

That little warehouse eventually led us to our Chicago showroom on Elston.

And over time, people started asking us to do more.

It wasn’t just, Can you refinish this dresser?

It became, Can you help me figure out this room?

Then, Can you help with the rest of the house?

And before we knew it, MegMade had grown from refinishing furniture into designing rooms and homes.

But even as the projects got bigger, the thing I loved about it stayed exactly the same.

Seeing the potential.

That’s what vintage furniture taught me from the very beginning.

Not everything needs to be brand new to be beautiful. Sometimes the piece with scratches and a little history is exactly what a room needs.

And sometimes the best homes aren’t filled with things that all came from the same place. They’re a mix.

Something old. Something new. Something passed down. Something unexpected. Something you just fell in love with.

Finding the gold has always been at the heart of MegMade.

AND THE DREAM KEPT GROWING.

After years of refinishing, designing, and renovating homes, we got the opportunity to bring what we love to television with Renovation Goldmine.

Seeing our work on television was pretty surreal.

We had spent years doing this work behind the scenes finding pieces, designing rooms, renovating homes, working with clients and suddenly we had the chance to share that process with so many more people.

It’s a chapter of this story we’ll always be incredibly proud of.

And life kept moving right along with the business.

Our family eventually made the move to Northwest Indiana.

Then in April 2023, MegMade grew again when we opened our second location in Munster, while continuing our Chicago showroom on Elston.

Two locations.

More projects.

More people.

More ideas.

And somehow, through all of those chapters, our boys have been right there with us.

They’ve grown up around furniture and fabric samples, showrooms and job sites, client meetings and moving days.

And this year, our family grew again when we welcomed our fourth boy. ❤️

When I think about that first dresser now, I don’t think Joe and I could have possibly pictured the life that would grow around it.

MegMade has never just been our business. It has become part of our family story.

SO, WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS HAVE TO DO WITH TUESDAY TIPS?

Usually I’m here telling you where to hang your curtains, how to choose a paint color, or what I think your room might be missing.

But after 13 years, I think one of the biggest things I’ve learned has very little to do with decorating.

You don’t have to know exactly where something is going to lead before you start.

We certainly didn’t.

That first dresser wasn’t part of a 5-year plan.

We didn’t refinish it thinking it would lead to a warehouse.

We didn’t open the warehouse knowing there would someday be a Chicago showroom.

We didn’t know people would eventually trust us with their entire homes.

We didn’t know there would be a television show.

We didn’t know we would move our family and eventually open a second MegMade location in Indiana.

We just kept taking the next step in front of us.

And I think there’s something really freeing about that.

You don’t have to have every detail figured out before you try something.

You can learn as you go.

You can change your mind.

You can dream bigger as you grow.

And sometimes, the thing that looks a little crazy at the beginning ends up becoming something you couldn’t have planned even if you tried.

AND MAYBE THAT’S WHY I STILL LOVE AN OLD PIECE OF FURNITURE SO MUCH.

Because after 13 years, we’re really still doing what we did with that first dresser.

We’re looking at what’s already there and imagining what it could become.

We do it with furniture.

We do it with rooms.

We do it with homes.

And, apparently, we’ve done it with this business too.

There’s so much possibility when you’re willing to look a little closer.

Sometimes the gold is already there. You just have to see it.

13 YEARS LATER ❤️

When Joe and I look back at all of these years, the biggest thing we see isn’t a showroom or a television show.

It’s people.

The team members who have poured so much into MegMade.

The clients who trusted us with pieces that have been in their families for generations.

The people who invited us into their homes and let us help create spaces where their families would live their lives.

The people who walked into our showrooms looking for one piece and came back years later for another.

The people who watched Renovation Goldmine, shared our posts, told their friends about us, or have simply followed along as this whole crazy thing has grown.

And, of course, our family, who has grown right alongside it.

You are all part of the MegMade story.

Thirteen years is a pretty special milestone, and we don’t take for granted that we get to keep doing something we love because you continue to show up and support us.

So truly, thank you.

And because we want you to celebrate with us, our 13th anniversary sale is LIVE now!

Now through October 19, when you buy one piece, you’ll get your second piece 30% off.

Consider it our way of saying thank you for being part of these 13 years and the perfect excuse to finally grab those pieces you’ve had your eye on. 😉

We hope you find something you love and enjoy celebrating with us.

Here’s to 13 years of seeing the potential, finding the gold, taking the next step, and dreaming about what could come next.

We’re so grateful you’re here for it.

Meg + Joe ❤️