"I thought, I could go and do something I didn't really feel passionate about and struggle with it and with the economy just kind of have it up in the air, or I could just go for it and do what I've always dreamt about doing," says Kirsten Blowers.
Blowers chose the second option.
Three weeks ago, she opened her first home store, Riffraff.
Economist Kathy Deck says entrepreneurs like Blowers aren't afraid to take a risk.
"Often you find an entrepreneur who would get involved in a business in a recession is a very bold person. They're someone who doesn't necessarily listen to all the conventional wisdom," Deck says.
Blowers is able to save herself money because she buys pieces at upscale consignments and then paints them herself.
She depends on word of mouth and Facebook for customers.
"It's funny, but being a college student, Facebook has saved us and it's free, so that's like the best advertising."
Deck says the seeds of the next boom are always sown during the bust.
Blowers will likely be one of many young entrepreneurs turning an idea into a reality.
"We always have new jobs and new companies being born, even as we see some of the old ones dying away," Deck says.