Excelsior Springs, Mo. – The Jade Hummingbird owner, Mikala Pennington, restores and refinishes furniture and décor pieces.
What started back in high school with a pair of vintage army trunks found at a garage sale has become a full-on business for Mikala. Almost a decade after those trunks found their way into her life, things started to change. While working full-time and being a caretaker for her mother, Mikala designed and built her own wedding arches with the help of some friends. The next thing she knew, she and her husband were buying a “cheap orbital sander from Walmart” to get started, and Mikala shared she had “been infatuated ever since.”
Mikala told the Citizen she makes “because it gets me out of my head and lets me pour love and life back into something that was going to be left behind or forgotten. It’s fulfilling to see it come back to life, but I do it for a multitude of reasons, like making extra money to go towards our future home remodels, as well as chasing an early retirement for my husband and me.” She went on to share that she has experienced a “major life perspective change in the last few years,” and that has become the biggest reason she feels the need to “make every minute count.”
The name “The Jade Hummingbird” has a special meaning to Mikala. She has always loved the color green, hence “jade,” but says, “Hummingbirds are kind of a family thing.” She shared, “I can remember my grandpa shushing me and telling me to be still on the back patio while we watched them buzz all around the feeder. To me now, I look at them and think, ‘Don’t miss out on the beauty of the bird by getting caught in its rush.’ Life is supposed to be slow and full and lived. So that’s the goal. Put together, ‘The Jade Hummingbird’ was just too good to pass up.”
You can find Mikala and her furniture pieces on her Facebook page, The Jade Hummingbird. She lists all her pieces through Facebook Marketplace first, and soon, she will be placing certain pieces in Solana downtown! She also takes commissions at her own discretion, depending on her schedule. If you’re interested in a custom piece, you can contact her via email at tjhfurniture@gmail.com.
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