The Green Door in Bel Air just reopened two months ago after having been closed for almost two years. 

    The shop has been opened since 2013, and is owned by the Michie sisters, Maureen and Kate.  

  The store has a retail section, where decorations, clothing, jewelry, and even small air plants are sold. Furniture,  pieces that have been redone and made to look new, line the walls. These pieces are also used as color inspiration for customers placing orders. Maureen and Kate get many orders from people who bring in old furniture that they want painted.  

  Another part of the shop is the DIY workshop. Maureen holds classes, sometimes three times a day, for do-it-yourself projects.  The classes range from chalk painting, to painting your own piece, to craft classes for kids.  

     Maureen says, “The Green Door is a family run business run right here in Harford County, Maryland. We do a lot of DIY workshops with chalk paint, anything from paint to plants. We have a retail shop that’s over three thousand square feet. We’re very hands-on and family-oriented. We’re known for our eclectic finds, our antique furniture, and our painted furniture.” 

     The Green Door also has the largest selection of Annie Sloan chalk paint on the eastern coast. Annie Sloan chalk paint is the original decorative chalk paint, developed in 1990. It can revitalize furniture, floors, ceilings, and walls in order to produce a matte, velvety finish. There are 44 colors in the palette, all mixable. Rarely does it require any preparation, such as sanding or priming, and can be used indoors or outdoors, on almost any surface. 

     “We are the only store that stocks and sells Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Harford County. Chalk paint is life-changing when it comes to fixing up eclectic furniture, and Annie Sloan’s is not only the original, but it is the absolute best.” says Maureen. 

     Freshman Sydney Stoneback recently started working at the store.  

     Stoneback says, “I really like working there. You do a lot of craft-type things, and you make decorations. You can either work in retail or you can work in the events. In the events, about ten people, sometimes more, make a craft or whatever the class is featuring that day. In retail there are three different sections, with a lot of refurbished furniture on display.” 

     Recently, a third part of the shop was opened, allowing for more room for retail sales. Clothing, like scarves, ponchos, t-shirts, shoes, hats, and other accessories, became available, along with more room for home decorations.  

     “I make some of the crafts, I help get the materials for the workshops, and I really enjoy being there. It’s not all just one type of thing. There are so many different options of what you can do, and there’s always so much to do all the time that you really never get bored.”