IOWA (KMTV) — Think of your favorite shows, movies or music videos. They very well could feature something sourced in Iowa. In this Positively the Heartland, we're bringing the background - forward.
- Three decades ago, Marilyn Krehbiel made boxes covered in vintage wallpaper. Then, customers started asking about buying just the paper.
- Today, Marilyn and her daughter, Hannah, run Hannah's Treasures - where their primary customers are set designers.
- Beyond paper: Taking original vintage-inspired designs, they're now moving into creating fabrics and more.
Continue reading for the expanded story.
Marily Krehbiel, founder of Hannah's Treasures, reached for two rolls of vintage wallpaper.
"And so, they bought this really cute paper... and then, they also purchased all that I had left of this wallpaper."
She shipped the two patterns from Iowa to a studio in California - having no idea how the wallpapers would help set the scene for one of the most belted-out songs of 2022: Taylor Swift's Anti-Hero.
"We kinda want to play it cool, so we don't always ask. But, sometimes we do find out," Hannah Early, Krehbiel's daughter and business partner, explained of that surprise element.
Early said, in the movie The Help, their wallpaper was so distinct, it acted as a character itself. They've caught their wallpaper in shows including Only Murders in the Building and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, as well as Miranda Lambert's video for The House That Built Me. The list goes on.
They specialize in 1920 to 1970s wallpaper.
"This collection has about 14,000 (to 15,000) rolls of authentic, vintage wallpaper," Early confirmed.
It's organized by pattern and origin - could be London, Philadelphia, or Peoria. They've traveled around the world rescuing wallpaper for 30 years.
Krehbiel's favorites are the rare finds.
"These are works of art," she said - holding a roll from the turn of the century.
Their business has been an evolution. When her daughter was young, Krehbiel made decorative accent boxes using vintage wallpaper. Her pieces were featured in magazines and were also sold nationwide.
"And then, people started taking an interest in the wallpaper itself, asking, 'Can I just buy the wallpaper?'," Early said of the times as they changed.
Today, homeowners and interior designers aren't their usual customers.
Early explained it this way: "Movie sets and set designers. So a lot of people who are putting stuff up to look like period - like something in the '40s, a movie set in the '50. They want actual wallpaper, rather than just something that's been manufactured to look like it. So they really like the authentic wallpaper that we've collected."
Though, the mainstream may be what's next, as they've created fabrics from their original designs - all inspired by vintage wallpaper.
This website is the starting place for all of it - the wallpaper, digital scans and fabric.