Jim KellyFounder

After restoring a small, dilapidated storefront with an apartment upstairs, and with no takers for the retail space, Jim decided to open a business himself, catering to people who were restoring old buildings and houses, as he had just done. He dug up some old house parts, hung out a sign, and opened the doors. The year was 1977, and the sign outside read "Rejuvenation House Parts."

Jim completely immersed himself in the store. He had a knack for finding great old stuff that people wanted and as the years passed, if he couldn't find something, he found someone who could make it. With his scavenger's talents, he collected the parts, the people, and the know-how to run a successful business, catering to a growing population of restorers, remodelers, and renovators.

Jim's innate business philosophy, gleaned from his days of working in his father's family business, still permeates Rejuvenation. "I learned from my father that you didn't have to leave your values at the door," says Jim. "You could be ethical and make a good product and treat people right, and still make a good living. In my own company, I took it for granted and assumed I could do that, too."

Jim has received many honors for his entrepreneurial achievements, and since moving his "office" from Portland to eastern Oregon, he can now add "pretty good with a tractor" to his growing list of accomplishments. Jim still revels in the beauty of Rejuvenation's lighting and house parts - his "ranch" house, with its many Rejuvenation pieces installed throughout, is proof of that.