3-25-2024 4:51am

Boyertown Grad and Retired Art Teacher Renovates Home; Will Be Featured on TV

Lesley Misko Editor

by Kim Frain

Are you a fan of Magnolia Network, shiplap, renovations shows? You are in luck! One of our very own, Boyertown resident, Debbie Spleen, will be featured on the popular Magnolia Network show, Beachfront Bargain Hunt Renovation.

Debbie (BASH class of '78) recently purchased a fixer-upper townhouse in Ocean City, NJ. Her realtor suggested that she would be a perfect candidate for the show that was looking for creative homebuyers willing to be filmed during their renovation process. After completing the application process, Debbie was approved and ready to get started.

Her contractor was set and they began the extensive renovations in late January. Her son, Ryan, and grandchildren, Riley and Jake, were on hand to help with demo day. Her mother, Sue Spleen, and friends, Diane McGlinchey and Kim Frain (both BASH '74), Sharon MacMinn (BASH '80), and Carol DeHaven (BASH '79) and her husband, Brian, stepped in to help with some of her design decisions and give her a hand with renovation projects as contractors' hammers pounded and saws whizzed in the background. Debbie is also grateful to electrician Jim Gilbert for donating his services.

Debbie’s creativity thrives on projects she can lean into with her background as a long-time Boyertown art teacher and her business, FUNiture, "up-cycled whimsical furniture." She has a willingness to step up and try any project herself, from shiplap installations to laying tile in her bathroom.

As work continues, stay tuned for information on when her episode will be airing. Currently, final filming is planned for early April, and the episode is expected to air in the spring. We wish Debbie success in turning her fixer-upper into a gem of Ocean City!

Magnolia Network is the previous DIY network. You can access Magnolia Network on DIRECTV channel 230, Comcast channel 1493, or stream it on Discovery+ and Max (formerly HBO Max).

* Kim Frain is a 1974 graduate of Boyertown Area Senior High (BASH). Following graduation, she worked at BASH for 39 years, most of those as Administrative Assistant to the Principal.