PORT GAMBLE — “Trust me,” Barb Villanueva warned. “When I’m painting, everyone is painted: my hair, the dog, even my driveway.”

Villanueva opened a “new” upcycled boutique shop — called, not surprisingly, The Painted Lady — at 32319 NE Rainier Ave., on March 20.

The site was formerly occupied by No. 9 Books.

The Painted Lady is one of two new shops in the historic town. Butcher & Baker Provisions, an artisanal cafe, is scheduled to open in April in the Automotive Station building. Another commercial property is available for rent: the 1890 Hovey House, 2,089 square feet.

One step into The Painted Lady and visitors discover interesting items ranging from French Country to rustic flair.

“We’re the only one in Port Gamble that has anything like that. This town needs a little more variety.” She said The Painted Lady will do just that; as pieces sell, the shop will change constantly.

Although The Painted Lady does offer some items on consignment, they take great care to provide one-of-a-kind items made by local artisans varying in style, functionality, and price.

“Most of the pieces are mine,” Villanueva said. She worked in the restaurant industry for 38 years, but has practiced the art of updating and upcycling all her life.

“I learned that from my dad. He came from the Depression generation where nothing got thrown away,” she said.

“Whatever it is, I see something I can utilize. I’ll take anything.” She pointed to an art piece — made from broken windshield glass — hanging in the window.

The shop features antique furniture, vintage clothing and accessories, and unique home goods, and displays different themes in each room of the 1,800-square-foot Victorian house.

The main room, decorated in a delicate Victorian-feel, features tea-stained paper roses made from antique book pages and maps. The checkout counter is derived from a repurposed barbecue. Here, Villanueva mixes raw woods and metals with bright colors and filigree to create a unique shopping experience.

“Trust me,” she assured. “For a customer to go in and just enjoy the shopping experience, there’s so much behind the scenes.”

In what Villanueva calls her primitive room, shoppers will find furniture with raw woods and heavy patina. Old typewriters and antique seal-fur mittens rest on the surfaces of the dark wood filing cabinets stamped “Property of The Seattle Times.”

“Some of these items are pre-19th century. They are certainly one of a kind,” she said.

In this room, paint is scarce; Villanueva said she’s applied beeswax to most of the “raw” pieces to bring out the grain.

She said, “People just die for this kind of patina.”

In the French Country-themed living room, the sun gleamed through the bright window highlighting the watercolor palette. Here, the colors contrast with the creams in the room.

“You add that coat of paint to it and it brings life to anything,” she said. “I like a lot of creams. It mixes best with different varieties of patterns, styles and colors. It’s fresh.”

Although paint is great, Villanueva said, the more rust the better.

In the kitchen area, an industrial 1920s galvanized ice box sits on top of the freezer.

“Galvanized is a hot item right now,” she said. “It really just depends on the season.”

Although re-purposing is a considered to be a “hot business” right now with the growing popularity of Pinterest and rummage sales. Villanueva said it’s not as easy as it looks.

She said, “It’s a lot of work. You have to be passionate and committed to what you do.”

As a longtime participant in the trade, she said she has quite a collection of items filling two storage units, a double car garage, a 900-square-foot loft, and parts of her own home.

“My husband and I literally moved a whole house in here by ourselves,” she said.

Married since 1994, Villanueva and her husband, Roy, pick, arrange and participate in shows together.

“If I saw a rusty bucket, that’s all it is to me,” he said. “It really is a positive thing what she’s done in here.”

The shop will host local artisans and feature art, hand-crafted bird houses, and vintage clothing. To put her own “spin” on things Villanueva even has a vendor bringing in her spinning wheel to give demonstrations for shoppers. She’ll also sell hand-spun yarn.