Andover business owner tries to remain positive through forced closures and move

Gerrie Clevenger is the kind of a person who tries to think positively, but she’s been tested quite a bit lately.

First, Clevenger moved her Kansas Plaster Paint franchise to Andover just before Christmas and created the Kansas Plaster Paint & Art Studio, which is a boutique and a space to offer classes and showcase artists.

Then in early February, after the business had been open about six weeks, a flood happened at the strip center where it was near Central and Andover. Clevenger was forced to move again because she was going to have to completely move out of the center for some time.

“It’s kind of like a hidden blessing,” she said.

“Our space is bigger, we have a bigger studio now, and we have storage. It’s better for us because we were really cramped.”

The new space at 610 N. Andover Road has 2,300 square feet compared to 1,600 square feet at the previous space, which is about a block away.

The new store was open only about a week in March when the pandemic hit.

“We opened one week before we had to shut down,” Clevenger said.

“It has been very, very, very hard,” she said. “I’ve just got to take it one step at a time and get through this.”

Now, the store has reopened, but Clevenger wants to make sure people know.

It’s open only on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Clevenger is going to have a grand opening on July 24 and 25.

She said she’s been buoyed by how Andover residents came together to help all the businesses affected by the flood, and Clevenger said she’s hopeful because “the warm welcome we got the very short time we were there was amazing.”

“It’s been my dream, so I’ve just been trying to hold in there and make it happen and not let it get to me.”

This story was originally published June 30, 2020 at 2:28 PM.