Meet the Owner: Lucia Provenzano of Shabby to Chic

Antique lovers walking into Babylon Village's Shabby to Chic might be surprised by a few things – the amount and variety of things to see in the storefront. For owner Lucia Provenzano, the store is her opportunity to take something old and give it new life.

"You can be inspired by anything," Provenzano said, noting how she has taken some items such as an antique iron and reinvented it using beautiful, high-quality jewelery for the everyday girl. "You can't give up on your dreams... just a lot of willpower and determination."

Dreams are exactly what Shabby to Chic is all about – taking one thing and giving it new life.

"It's a girly girl store," Provenzano said with a smile. "Sometimes I just surprise myself here."

Provenzano said she has seen enough antique items come through her doors, looking outdated and past their primes, but leave after being reborn as a new item with the flair of a fresh item.

"It's all about utilizing your old items," she said, noting an old shoeshine box near the counter of her store. The box, formerly used for keeping businessmen's fancy footwear fresh is now dazzled with gemstones and jewels, vintage china and personal painting.

"It could be a jewelery or accessory box now," she said, opening its storage doors. "Or whatever anyone wants it to be. There's so many uses for this."

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Provenzano said she has designed other items similarly in her store, including an old lampshade into a beautiful wall-mounted decoration, complete with top-of-the-line jewelry. Other local woman also sell their items from within Shabby to Chic – chandeliers hang from the front of the store, glistening with silver, others deep blue with turquoise jewelry replacing a formerly bland item.

"I love seeing things come back to life," she said.

Provenzano also works on interior home design, a speciality of hers, and has been helping some residents redesign their interiors following Hurricane Sandy. Most recently, Provenzano has teamed up with former Long Island Home Recreation owner Patty Vorillas to sell game-room items as well.

Provenzano opened her business in nearby Amityville back in 2009. While the village's Broadway main street treated her well, Provenzano said it was local atmosphere of Babylon Village that always had her looking to the east.

"Babylon's always had the quaint shops in the neighborhood... it's all about the area," she said, noting she how she would look at the village constantly for the right place to move in.

The move came in 2012, when Shabby to Chic opened its doors at 45 East Main Street, taking over a former long-standing thrift store's location.

"I love it here," she said. "And I want to stay as long as possible."