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From Trash to Treasure
She finds art in other people’s junk.
Story and Photos by Dale-Marie Bryan - Farlington, Kansas
Everything old is new again, once Mary Fenoglio gets her hands on it. She takes discarded items, like vintage doors and forgotten barn boards, and transforms them into one-of-a-kind furniture and accents.
Mary, also known as "Zoomer" for her past love of racing her ’57 Chevy, makes and displays her work at her rural home south of Pittsburg, Kansas. Surrounded by bed frames, porch posts, rusted window grates and tin signs, her workshop/ showroom is easy to spot.
"I find my treasures at flea markets, auctions, estate and garage sales and antique stores—plus, friends donate to my stash," Mary says. "My husband, Kenny, helps me transport materials home. He never asks how much anything costs anymore...only how much it weighs!"
Curious passersby often stop to check out Mary’s latest creations. Seasoned carpenters, including her son, Wayne Zellmer, marvel that she never uses blueprints. "If I took the time to draw it, I’d be out of the mood," she says. "When I can’t sleep, I design in my head. Or, I just walk around and look at my material, and designs come to me. Then I just start building."
"Since I was 5 years old, I’ve loved making things—starting with most of my childhood toys," the self-taught woodworker says. "Later, I built this and that for my home, and if something was broken, I’d fix it. I sided my house with a hand saw, and I cleaned 2,000 bricks... just me and a hammer.
"Really, my ‘junk’ saved my life," Mary notes. "I started building as a way to deal with pain from a car accident I had 8 years ago. When I’m creating something, I feel better. And when people see what tossed-away items can become, it gives them hope, too."
Her biggest challenge to date? An overhaul of two huge garage doors. "A couple asked if I could make an entertainment center out of them. I stared at those doors for 2 weeks, wondering if I could do it," she recalls. Then she remembered her mother’s motto: "Can’t" never did try!
"The piece turned out to be my most ornate ever. The lady almost cried when she saw it," Mary shares.
"I had a lot of fun making ‘Big Bertha’ too," she says, waving toward her latest project—a 16-foot-tall replica of a kitchen cupboard that greets people at the foot of her driveway. "The hardest part was finding a guy with a forklift to help me move her."
Part of what makes Mary’s born-again products so unique are her special mixes of paints and stains. "Those and the ‘surprises’ I add," she points out. "I’ve turned a red high-heel shoe into a cabinet door handle. And a metal mailbox became a utensil holder on a snack bar."
Word of her genius with junk has spread rapidly since she began fashioning her furniture 3 years ago. Customers from as far away as North Carolina and Oregon have purchased recycled china cupboards, vanities, desks, bookshelves and more.
"Before I start a project, I like to find out the background of the building material I’m using," Mary notes. "That way, I’m inspired by the piece’s previous life. Also, I can share its history with my customers."
What are Mary’s plans for the future? "I know my sawing arm won’t last forever," she chuckles, heading back to her workbench. "But I hope to keep inventing furniture and playing in my junk as long as I can."
Country Woman Magazine
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