WOODEN pallets are a common sight at local hardware stores and after fulfilling their use of transporting items they are commonly discarded. But what if these pallets could be repurposed into furniture and other items?
It was this idea that led Leshana Theodore to create her business, Leshana's Pallet Designs.
She chatted about her journey to this unique venture during a recent interview with Newsday.
Theodore left Trinidad for the US at age 11 and had a passion for fashion. She attended the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York and worked as a stylist for celebrities like Britney Spears, Mary J Blige, Serena Williams, and Kerry Washington.
"I have always been an artist. Always been creative."
[caption id="attachment_1043985" align="alignnone" width="1024"] A couch from Leshana's Pallet Designs with decorative pillows. - courtesy Leshana's Pallet Designs[/caption]
She moved back nine years ago with another passion –contributing to her homeland.
"So much learned from being abroad and I wanted to invest in the country that I love. I am literally in love with Trinidad. It's me."
She opened up a personal styling boutique, Styles, which was later rebranded as Therapy Styling. But she did not feel like she was being properly stimulated.
[caption id="attachment_1043983" align="alignnone" width="720"] A coffee table from Leshana's Pallet Designs. - courtesy Leshana's Pallet Designs[/caption]
She next took to the screen as host of her own series, The Leshana's Before & After Show on TV6, in which she would style women in Trinidad and Tobago and "make them feel great." The show ran initially for a 12-episode first season, but into the second season, she felt that people did not really see her vision.
"That is what happens when you are visionary.
"I feel in Trinidad that is one of our flaws. We need to see it happen abroad first before we understand it."
Theodore recalled that she had to "fight" for sponsorship of the show.
"Everyone should be in this and understand we need something positive on local television. And to make the women of TT feel amazing."
[caption id="attachment_1043987" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Celeb stylist and TV host Leshana Theodore switched her passion for fashion to the food business, and is fnding new purpose with her pallet furniture design. - Courtesy Leshana's Pallet Design[/caption]
She lamented that it started to feel too much about the money and became stressful.
"I decided to step back. Took a break."
She then decided to exercise another of her talents and opened a food business.
"I'm a really great cook. Indian, Nigerian, Thai. Eclectic cuisine."
Unfortunately, she stopped her food business when the covid19 pandemic hit. She took another break and finished her PhD in entrepreneurship and innovation.
Furniture frustration
Last year while studying she went looking for an apartment and found a beautiful one. She then went looking for furniture to furnish it. But when she visited a furniture store she was disappointed
