A Touch of Whimsy

On April 27, 2011, a tornado hit Rachel and Stephen Vincent’s newly renovated home in Pleasant Grove. Only one other house on their street, located a mile and a half away, was left standing.

The newlyweds, married in May 2010, had to replace everything but salvaged what they could. They had put the finishing touches of a restoration on the house about a month before the tornado.

Sometime in May, the couple noticed their home’s old porch swing that had fallen during the storm. Rachel knew that if they tore it apart, they could do something with it. “We love rustic stuff,” she said.

She and Stephen decided to use the swing’s planks to make a three-paneled picture frame. Soon, they were making more frames, and Rachel was painting. She and Stephen traveled to Atlanta at the end of the summer to show their wares at Scott’s Antique Market, one of the biggest in the South. Before long, they were bringing tables and headboards and more to the market.

In February 2012, the Vincents leased a space in downtown Homewood, and A Touch of Whimsy opened on March 30.

“I don’t even know how it really happened,” Rachel said. “All the stars aligned. I love to paint and to design, and I really wanted to do it.”

Rachel had always said if she had her own shop, it would be on 18th Street in Homewood. The location next to Penzey’s Spices is also convenient for Stephen, who is a first-year pharmacy student at Samford University.

Rachel’s family is the “do-it-yourself” type, and she has always loved anything to do with art and creating. Stephen has learned to build over the past year using reclaimed wood.

“It’s all math,” he said. “I made a table out of wood from a 1930s gym floor, another with wood from a barn—anywhere I can find wood.”

The couple grew up in Pleasant Grove, so seeing the effects on the community has been difficult.

“It’s tough to be there and see it every day,” Rachel said. “We had 57 trees in our yard that fell down or had to be cut down, but there are still trees all over.”

They said they would love to live in Homewood one day.

“I love the community. It couldn’t get any better. Everything is available to you,” Rachel said. “And it’s safe.”

A Touch of Whimsy sells beds, frames, tables, benches, mirrors, Rachel’s paintings, smaller gift items, butcher blocks, pottery and more. Rachel buys some items wholesale at a market in Atlanta, and some pieces are consigned. They also love doing custom orders for people.

“If we don’t have the exact piece, we can do that for them,” she said.

Rachel hopes the shop will grow and that she can please the community. She is excited about where it is headed.

“It’s been a blast for me,” she said. “It’s kind of a dream come true.”