It’s Showtime

Chalk Talk, an established but newer business for Bakersfield, has captured the attention of do-it-yourselfers for the last 3 years. This family-owned business has based its success on the wildly popular Chalk Paint®, Decorative paint, by Annie Sloan. It’s a simple, versatile and easy product that makes re-doing, renewing, and re-purposing possible, turning a novice to an expert in no time! Its slogan, “No stripping, No sanding, No priming, No Kidding!” tells it all. It was created over 25 years ago in England and came to the States about 10 years ago. It has continued to grow into an international commodity and now you can get it here in Bakersfield. You can take an old vintage piece, your outdated bedroom furniture or even your outdated oak cabinetry and turn it into a new updated look without the arduous process or the prep we’ve had with other paints.

BJ, the owner of the shop, first discovered this paint in a small shop in Visalia; Embellish and Restore. As a matter of fact the only place you can purchase this paint is from a small business. The philosophy of Annie Sloan and her company believes in supporting local communities and having someone there to help instruct and direct customers how to use the product as it was intended. When she found it, it took no time for her to see the possibilities with a product that can do so much. Realizing she had to drive to Visalia to get her “fix,” she quickly saw the opportunity to bring this national phenomenon to Bakersfield. And now she teaches numerous workshops and creates custom pieces for her Bakersfield clientele.

Teaching was not new to BJ, as she had been an RN for over 25 years teaching others in her profession. Now, she teaches her new love of restoration with the same caring and passion she had for her patients. Being an avid follower of “Fixer Upper” she has hired her own carpenter to create the farmhouse décor that the show is famous for and bringing to Bakersfield her favorite look at an affordable price. While she attended training at the home offices of Chalk Paint®, she continues to learn new techniques, and adds new products that take this paint to the next level for decorative professionals. There is always something new at the shop and seeing is believing, so come for a few moments and see what the buzz is all about!

Here’s a great activity you can share with your kids… and it’s free! Quality Home Services FREE Kids Workshops offer fun and useful number of cool projects for your little project helper to enjoy. The workshops are great for 5- to 12-year-olds, and they teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety and at the same time they help to instill a sense of accomplishment. If your little builder is under 5, that’s fine, too, but you’ll need to provide a little more supervision. We see parents getting into the fun, too, no matter the age of the participants. The workshops create quality, one-on-one fun time between you and your children or nieces, nephews. The Kids Workshop will be located in the Kids Korner area between buildings 3 & 4.

The Kern County Sheriffs Department Child Identification Program is a community service initiative dedicated to providing parents and guardians with critical information in the event that a child goes missing. It’s also fun and fee. The Child ID table will be located in building 1.