Our Story
“Everything about Patina is FOUND, FLAWED, and FABULOUS”
- Owner Nikki
Owner Nikki stands outside Patina in beautiful downtown Onekama, MI.
Patina opened in 2019. The tagline FOUND, FLAWED, FABULOUS describes the upscale, resale gallery.
Everything is FOUND at estate & garage sales, thrift stores, the side of the road... just about anywhere. It is all about the hunt to find something unique, interesting, from another time or place. FLAWED often means character. It is all simply FABULOUS.
“I love when multi-generational families come in and all find something interesting to talk about. Hearing their surprise at finding something unique, expressing curiosity or having the spark of an idea keeps us doing what we love to do”
Nikki Schneider
My Dad was a junker when I was a kid. I found it embarrassing. But it was in my blood… because I became a junker. I actually prefer the term forager. I was born a creative and never found satisfaction in corporate desk jobs. I am grateful since retiring in northern Michigan 6 years ago that I have discovered my true self.
I see possibility in the EVERYTHING (which is a huge problem; as I try to navigate my overstuffed barn) Anything can become something else.
My “art” started as play one day. Turning an object upside down or sideways. Splashing paint around, covering it up, then eventually sanding it off. There is no right or wrong in art. Imperfect is perfectly fine. These were important lessons.
I am inspired by nature, texture, whimsy, rust, the odd, unexpected and unwanted. I grew up in the era of matchy matchy. I try to convince our mature customers to let that shit go. My goal each day when I go to “work” is to INSPIRE to be INSPIRED.