Meet Suzy Salerno | Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Suzy Salerno and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Suzy, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My kids are getting a little older and are both heavily involved in sports. My husband also works in the hospitality industry, so our schedules were just CRAZY! My mom was hoping to retire soon, so we thought that it would be a great idea to open a family business where we could work together and create our own schedules.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Both Kathy and I have always been “artsy.” Personally, I went to school for interior design and minored in art history. Kathy has always been crafty with quilting, painting, and owning a floral shop. We knew we loved Board & Brush when we first attended a workshop. It’s so rewarding–whether you are crafty or not, your piece of art in the end is “Wall-worthy” and you cannot wait to hang it on your wall or give it as a gift. That’s one of the best parts of owning this franchise! The joy on people’s faces when they finish their project…they don’t think they can do it, but they did!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We need to go to Captiva Island. That is my family’s Happy Place. South Seas and any of the local restaurants or bars are great. It’s quiet and peaceful there and the beaches are amazing!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mom, Kathy, runs the business with me! It’s certainly a team effort. We both have our strengths and weaknesses! Mom works on the ordering and accounting, payroll, etc. I tend to be the customer service, social media expert, email responder and marketing person. Running a business is MUCH more difficult that one would think! You need money to make money and you can’t just start a business and think it’s going to take off. You need to get out there and work to get your name out there. It’s stressful, but rewarding.

Website: www.boardandbrush.com/portstlucie

Instagram: @boardandbrushpslfl

Facebook: @boardandbrushportstluciefl

Other: portstlucie@boardandbrush.com