When Janel Moreno opened Homestead Design Co. in May, she became a shining anomaly in the local business world. Homestead Design Co. is a retail business as well as a home improvement and renovation business owned by a young Hispanic female.

“I think I’m the only female in home improvement in the area, and I’m 37, so I’m one of the younger ones doing this,” Moreno said. “And I’m Hispanic, so this isn’t something you see every day.”

Homestead Design Co.’s renovation division welcomes small and large projects in Sandusky and Ottawa counties and beyond. Moreno can help a customer refresh a room or build a room.

The retail shop offers home décor including new products, handmade items, handpicked vintage and upcycled merchandise.

“Anything I can find to repurpose is pretty awesome," Moreno said. "I have a couple relatives who flip homes, and I like to find things through them. It helps the environment and keeps things out of landfills. If you can help save anything, reuse it.”

Moreno travels throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania to handpick vintage items for her shop and garner new ideas.

“I keep the store fresh all the time. You can take 20 minutes out of your day, 20 minutes to yourself, and stop in. It’s nice to have something like this here in town,” she said.

Homestead Design Co. also offers a line of all-natural home cleaning products, including laundry soap, disinfectant cleaner, toilet bombs, ecofriendly sponges and marble and granite cleaner. The only personal care product the shop currently carries is bamboo toothbrushes.

“We do anything from the ground up,” she said of her renovation division. “One client owns (football star) Rob Lytle’s childhood home, and I’m redoing her bedroom for her. I redid the closet system, and now we’re moving on to the rest of the room. I’m working with another client who wants a bedroom added to her home.”

Moreno brings her knowledge and resources of custom color and décor to design her clients’ visions of their homes and then works with local professionals to bring those visions to life.

“I bring samples of paint, fabric swatches and wood stains. I take the orders, and I have a couple of guys work with me,” she said.

Homestead Design Co. has allowed Moreno to fulfill her passion for helping customers create beautiful homes, and the business has also helped her create connections throughout Northwest Ohio.  

“You never know what’s going to come your way every day or who is going to reach out,” she said. “It’s an adventure. It’s something new every time, and I get to create relationships with people in the community that I would not have met any other way.”

Homestead Design Co. is at 1610 West State St. For more information, call 567-280-7231 or visit the Homestead Design Co. Facebook page.

Contact correspondent Sheri Trusty atsheritrusty4@gmail.com.