OUR STORY

In 2010, Michelle Dolon and her husband, John Dolon, learned they were having a baby and decided to return to his home state of Indiana. She had spent the previous twenty years living in Los Angeles (where she had moved from her hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma) working in the film and beauty industries. In the evenings, she scoured flea markets and thrift shops for inexpensive furniture that she could upstyle and use to decorate her apartment on a budget.

TOXIN-FREE PAINT

When her son was about to arrive, she began putting together a nursery on a budget, built around a crib and dresser her husband had as a child. In need of a new look, she hunted for a healthy, toxin-free paint that was  Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) free and would be safe for her son (in case her decided to gnaw on it) and their pets. She also wanted a subdued and muted shade of cottage blue.  At the time, options were limited.

ETSY SHOP

Now searching for a way to earn an income as a stay-at-home mom, she opened an Etsy shop and began selling “upstyled” thrift store finds across the country. She discovered milk paint when she was looking for a way to recreate a weathered, “old-world” vibe for the furniture.  Since she still couldn't find a paint in the muted and uplifting tones that she preferred, she began taking the steps to create her own brand of products, using the nickname her husband had given her years earlier - Junkyard Goddess.

JUNKYARD GODDESS MILK PAINT

After years of working to bring her dream to life, Junkyard Goddess Milk Paint launched in 2015 out of her basement. Today it is sold across the country online and through independent retailers, and is featured several times per year on zulily.com.