Couple moving on to new enterprise
Five years ago, Janice and Brian Britza opened Mod on Main, a store specializing in antiques, shabby chic and collectibles in Monongahela. Now they are ready for a new venture that focuses on life coaching.
A view inside Mod on Main
Exterior of Mod on Main
Monongahela residents Brian and Janice Britza consider themselves serial entrepreneurs. It’s a trait that prompted them to move from the waterfront area near Pittsburgh to Monongahela five years ago and launch a new business enterprise.
At the time, Brian Britza had seven years of experience as a planning commissioner on the Homestead Borough Planning Commission, which he left as assistant director. Janice Britza worked as an interior designer.
Soon after moving to Monongahela, they opened Mod on Main, a store specializing in antiques, shabby chic, collectibles, Americana and industrial motif items.
“We made a conscious decision to open the business because we saw the trends,” said Brian, whose bachelor’s degree in marketing helped identify areas of potential business growth.
“At the time, there was a lot of television programming dedicated to repurposing used items, which is part of our particular business niche.”
The couple had the advantage of being able to start with a sizable inventory. In her work as an interior designer, Janice amassed a surplus of items and artifacts, and when the couple met, their first dates took them not to restaurants and cultural or sporting events, but to estate sales, something they both had an interest in. As a result, their inventory grew even more.
“Five years ago, we already had a viable online presence, but decided to move to Monongahela and open our shop,” Janice said. “The town is a great destination for people from Pittsburgh to West Virginia who come to visit Monongahela’s large concentration of antique shops.”
Now with a half a decade in the business and with a current inventory of more than 3,000 items, the Britzas recently made a decision to migrate into yet another business venture.
“It was never our intention to do this into retirement,” Janice said. “The shop is very demanding, and our original plan was to move into other business areas in five to eight years. We’ve never been fearful of change.”
Currently transitioning into a new business venture that focuses on life coaching, the couple is liquidating their inventory and distancing themselves from their store on a leisurely basis. Still open for walk-in traffic on weekends and by appointment, they also have a strong online presence and sell their inventory globally on both Esty.com and Chairish.com.
Already, a restaurateur, several antique dealers and an artist-in-residence program have expressed an interest in Mod on Main, a nearly 2,000-square foot space on the first floor alone.
“We have an excellent location with a river view that’s only 22 miles from Pittsburgh and within walking distance of the aquatorium,” Brian said. “Our location is also a prime site for river recreation enterprises such as kayak rentals. The potential for what the space and town can become is exciting.”
Using income from current online sales to support their new life coaching enterprise, which is still in the planning stage, the couple expects to be out of Mod on Main by the beginning of autumn. As to the future, Brian plans to continue working as a member of the Monogahela Planning Commission “to make a positive impact on the community.” Janice plans to tap into her experience as an interior designer and apply principles she’s learned and developed to life coaching.
“The basic premise of our new venture is to help people work through processes and procedures to become successful in their personal and professional lives,” she said.
For more information on Mod on Main, phone 412-476-0755 or email modonmain@gmail.com.