Zelie design business finds footing
As one of many new local businesses in town, Cindy Slayback of Haute Designs Kitchen and Bath said Zelienople is a welcoming place for new small-scale endeavors.
“We're just thrilled to be here,” Slayback said. “We love Zelienople — the local community has been incredibly supportive of us. We like to participate in all the different activities here in Zelienople and are happy to be part of the community.”
Slayback, a former flight attendant who changed careers to follow her passion for design, brought Haute Designs to Zelienople into the historic Hartmann's Drug Store building in December 2020.
She and her business partner, David Hall, officially opened the store in late spring to bring design and installation services to the community. Haute Designs specializes in kitchens and bathrooms, but can work with any interior project.
“We do everything from design to installation,” Slayback said. “We carry five different cabinet lines, we have custom cabinet makers that we work with, and a custom person who does architectural features with us, like doors and beams. We're a full-service interior contractor.”
Slayback said the space at 105 N Main St. is a mixture of old and new, and exemplifies the type of design work she brings to her customers.
“We have the original tin ceilings, and all the original brick is exposed. It's a really cool space,” she said. “We have the beautiful old elements of the building, and we've mixed some more modern things with it.”
The opportunity to be innovative is one thing Slayback loves about design.
“I love being creative, but I love to see people really happy with their space whenever it's done,” she said. “It's very rewarding to be able to help somebody love their space and love where they live.”
Slayback is a member of the Zelienople Area Business Association. She said that she's looking ahead to this weekend's Zelie Fall Fest, which will bring visitors into Zelienople and showcase local entrepreneurship.“We're definitely looking forward to having more people get to know that we are here and what we do,” she said. “It's a really great business community, a very close community, and (ZABA) does a lot to support one another. You feel like you're part of a family here, something that's bigger than just your own business.”Further ahead in the future this winter, Slayback hopes to hold an official grand opening event for the studio as well as begin offering a new service — cooking classes in the front display kitchen space in the studio.“Everybody's so excited about our cooking classes,” she said. “There's a few things that have to come together, but we'll be able to entertain different business groups here, and we're hoping that everything will be ready by the holidays. Everybody's really, really excited.”
