“You do not have to spend a lot of money to have a lot of style,” said Constance Swanlund, owner of Bad Blanche Collection and Bad Blanche Furniture Gallery.

“I was combining designer-dream pieces from the best shops with ‘flea market’ finds in the early 1970’s,” she said. “My friends and family loved my decorating style. They always wanted to know where I had found my home décor treasures.”

In 1984, Swanlund opened her first store, Bad Blanche Collection, in Winslow, on Bainbridge Island.

“For many years the store was one of Bainbridge Island’s best-kept secrets,” she said. “Affordable, unique and one-of-a-kind treasures made Bad Blanche Collection a point of destination for those seeking to decorate their home with a style of their own.”

In 1992, the strong success of the Bainbridge Island store inspired Swanlund to open her second Bad Blanche Collection in Poulsbo. Poulsbo, a strong tourist town, was a great challenge and a huge learning experience. She concluded that clients would still want the unique, the one-of-a-kind. She kept the same flavor as her Bainbridge Island store. However, she learned that buying for tourists was one of her greatest challenges.

“Throughout the growth and many changes of Bad Blanche Collection, the common thread has always been ‘great find’,” she said. “We are now searching the world and bringing in containers to satisfy the needs of our discerning buyers. They want to find the treasure that shouts their own personal style of home decor.”

In fall of 2002, Swanlund opened her third store, the Bad Blanche Furniture Gallery, in Poulsbo.

“The gallery has been a terrific success,” she said. “It offers a huge selection of new and antique furniture and home-design accessories. All in all, this has been a wondrous adventure. Retail is a hard business. It takes long hours, but the ride is definitely worth it!”