Five Questions: Andrea Daley

Andrea Daley, the owner and operator of Restoration Specialist located at 253 Fourth St. in Troy, is on a mission to have all of the historic doors in the city restored to their original glory.

Q: How would you describe this mission of yours?

A: My mission is to bring awareness and attention to all the magnificent entranceways that Troy has, and I need to do that in two ways: by teaching others and by just being out there fixing them. It doesn’t have to just be old doors. It can be any entranceway that needs attention. If people don’t do something with them then eventually they’re going to get to the point of no return and be replaced with metal and plastic doors — things that are just so out of character with these beautiful homes.

Q: How did you get into the restoration business?

A: I started by doing porcelain restoration, which my mom taught me, and object art restoration. For the most part, I’m self taught and took airbrush courses, as well as other little courses I found interesting, in addition to my background as an artist.

Q: Why did you choose to become so active with the Little Italy neighborhood?

A: One of the reasons was that I bought a home in that area and also have my showroom there as well as my studio for teaching. The people there are just so great that they are really starting to bring life back to this area.

Q: What made you start writing a book about your restoration of doors in the city?

A: The idea for that came from the education that I take called landmark education, which focuses on making you stretch and go beyond your comfort zone to help make a difference in the world. It puts you out there in your community and anyone who takes this type of education really ends up doing great things for their community.

Q: What do you do in your free time?

A: My free time is taken up with 21 grandchildren, 10 of which are under 10 years in age, and six children of my own, so every couple weeks there is a birthday or parties to go to.