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Brightwaters residents Erica Bohrer and Shannon Heaney never thought they’d be running a publication together.
They just liked old homes.
Bohrer, a first grade teacher, said she looked at nearly 20 homes in Brightwaters before finding her 1927 colonial on Plymouth Avenue last year.
And Heaney, a guidance counselor and married mother of two who moved to Brightwaters in 2009, admitted that she wasn’t sure where she was going to end up, but was focused mainly on finding an “old fixer-upper.”
“We actually ended up with an accepted offer in Huntington,” Heaney said. “We had the inspection, and there were a lot of things wrong with it. We had to ‘break up’ with the house.”
However, a new listing “popped up” shortly thereafter, a house built in 1918 on Richland Boulevard.
The rest is history.
Bohrer and Heaney both grew up in nearby Lindenhurst and happen to work for the same school district. Bohrer, who also maintains a successful teaching blog, had the idea to start OldHouseCharm.com, which is now growing in local popularity.
OldHouseCharm.com has been operating since January and currently has a dozen posts. It chronicles the two women’s “journey in bringing our old homes back to their original charm,” the homepage reads.
Collaborating with Heaney was a no-brainer, Bohrer said.
“I had the idea to start a home décor blog, but I realized I can’t manage two blogs and teach first grade full time,” said Bohrer.
It was then that she asked Heaney to join her.
“I always wanted to do something in that realm,” Heaney said. “And when Erica brought me in, I was giddy. She’s like the social media guru, and my experience is more [the process of] fixing up my house.”
The two take turns adding content to the blog. Heaney’s last post, “Have Fun Planting Succulents,” showcases her passion for, and know-how, in gardening.
Bohrer has been mainly focused on redecorating, incorporating vintage-correct colors and accents to bring the house back to what it might have looked like in the early 20th century.
Bohrer indicated that she hopes advertisers will eventually take an interest in the blog.
“Right now we’re just doing it for a hobby,” she said.
The two hosted a garage sale at Bohrer’s house this past weekend. As onlookers perused the front lawn for treasures, Heaney’s daughter Morgan manned a lemonade stand.
It was a quintessential scene of community life in Brightwaters.
“Everyone is very friendly here,” Bohrer said.
