By SAMANTHA HURST / Special to the Reporter

ALABASTER – Suzanne Edinger loved a fixer-upper long before they dominated HGTV land.
How many women, after all, claim their best Christmas was the year their husband bought them a table saw?
Edinger is the proprietor of The Blue Building in Alabaster. A place lovingly described as eclectically elegant because of the rooms are filled with painted furniture and nostalgic pieces.
“At some point, I realized that I could really make use of things other people might throw out,” Edinger said. “They just don’t make furniture like they used to, so why not slap new paint on it and bring the pieces back to life?”
Edinger turned her passion into a profession in 2009 when she took ownership of The Blue Building in Alabaster.
With 25 dealers and 300 regular consigners, she has faced no struggle to fill every nook of the 8,000-square-foot building.
“We’ve gotten tons of customers who come in and marvel that it goes on forever,” Edinger said. “You kind of wonder through and it feels like you’ll never run out of new rooms to explore.”
Edinger finds many things through estate sales, as well as numerous consigners who love the hunt of a new treasure. She said with many baby boomers downsizing homes there are a lot of people who really want their cherished odds and ends to find a new owner who will love them.
“I think a lot of people who come in are regularly surprised by the things they come across that will remind them of their youth,” Edinger said. “These items bring back a flood of memories for people.”
The beauty in this vast mix of items is that most anyone can find something that fits their esthetic. If you can’t, Edinger will help you sand it, paint it and prime it to a new look.
“People are looking for used items that they can get at a great price so they can make them into something new,” she said. “There are so many people out there interested in DIY as a hobby.”
Edinger spends much of her time outside The Blue Building working on furniture just so she can interact with those DIY enthusiasts. The shop’s blog also includes detailed how-to directions for creating home décor out of wooden pallets or how to paint fabric sofas.
The Blue Building is located at 210 First St. N. in Alabaster. For more information, and pictures of inventory, visit shopatblu.com.