Meet Monserrat Celaya | Furniture artist & small business owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Monserrat Celaya and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Monserrat, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I am very inspired by architecture, the unique things I see everyday, the people that I meet and life experiences. Those are a couple of things that inspire me to create new things and opportunities to show my art, my talents and my creativeness. I love to stand out In what I do.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Being able to have a career where I can be creative is something that I didn’t imagine I would ever experience, especially in this economy but I am very proud that I didn’t walk away and I kept going even through the hardships. I have been a furniture artist for the past 4 years, I specialize in refinishing vintage furniture and creating statement pieces. Starting was definitely not easy, my dad had just lost his job and I had only been doing this for 2 weeks with no experience at 19 years old it was very scary. We started from zero and we made it work, after that we didn’t look back. There were so many obstacles along the way, one of them being that at the beginning people were refusing to buy from someone so young because there was “no way that paint will last, she’s too young to know what she’s doing”. It was pretty hard but I still had people who would buy from me and would cheer me on. I learned to stop listening to people criticize me over how young I was or for painting furniture and I focused on bettering my skills and getting myself out there. I didn’t know anyone in the furniture world and it was difficult to get tips from people directly as no one was really interested in helping me out. After 3 years I met my now close friends Thalia and France-lee who are also vintage furniture and rug dealers and we’ve really helped each out and connected with so many other people in the community. I like to think that I am helping the planet in some way by keeping furniture from ending up in the landfill. I also like to be different and play with color, cause inspiration in people to be unique and creative with these pieces of art. This is truly a passion for me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would start by taking them up to Telluride where they can ride the gondola and look at the incredible views of super tall trees, the markets and great shops. I would then take them to a little hike where we end up sitting in these benches and enjoy the amazing view and feel a wave of peace. We would eat at a steakhouse and eat lobster and steak. The second day we would drive down to Glenwood and have fun at their amusement park and enjoy some food overlooking the mountains. The third day we enjoy a walk and shop around town, eat yummy food and have ice cream and topping it off with a relaxing afternoon at the hot-springs. The forth day we stop in silver throne and do some shopping at their shopping center, eat some fast food and watch the sunset at point Dillion park dock. Fourth day we start driving back and stop a vail for some skiing and some drinks. Fifth day we come back to town and spend some time at the botanical gardens, take pictures and head over to the zoo afterwards. We end the visit eating at Tokio for some delicious ramen and sushi and we say our goodbyes!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my success to both my parents. My mom who kept persisting in me giving furniture refinishing a chance and my dad for being there and helping this business grow. If it weren’t for them believing in this I wouldn’t have made it this far. This business definitely takes a lot emotionally and its good to have my parents there supporting me.

Website: https://www.vintagegemsdenver.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vintage_gems_denver/