But that is exactly the case for Dare Leffel, a senior at Salem High School, who volunteered to help Salem’s Biscuits & Bubbles with their recent renovation. The facility is located on Main Street in the heart of downtown, and offers pet supplies, grooming and doggie daycare services.
For Mike Gibson, the school’s art teacher, the opportunity is one instance of what he hopes will become a cycle of students becoming involved with local businesses to showcase their work outside of the classroom.
“They sent me an email and asked if I had any students who were interested in painting a mural for the business,” Gibson said. “As soon as I said it, Dare said she wanted to give it a try. I always thought it would be a good experience for the kids to work on something of this magnitude.”
“She’s a top of the line artist,” he added. 
The store opened in 2009, and Blair Johnson, the owner, began renovations three months ago, adding additional square footage with new walls and flooring. Johnson said he wanted create a centerpiece for the newly renovated daycare section of the store when he decided to ask Gibson for assistance. From there, he knew he wanted to create a vacation scene, and with a little inspiration from his mother, pulled an idea from his childhood.
“When I was little, I had one in my room. From a young age, I liked them. it’s the centerpiece,” Johnson said. “I’ve already had hundreds of people say this is truly awesome.”
“I knew what I wanted when she talked to me about it,” he added. “I gave her minimal directions, and this was all her. She added in all the palm trees on her own and the lighthouse. She did it all.”
What was once just a wall is now covered in tropical greens and blues, with dogs depicted playing along the shoreline.
Though Leffel said she didn’t originally intend to paint her own dog, the more she sketched the design, the more the face of her dog “Autumn” began to appear.
Just penciling the design onto the wall took nearly an entire day, and painting it was a month long process. She spent her weekends and everyday after school working on the project.
Leffel, who has worked with a variety of art mediums, said she will be attending Virginia Western Community College in the fall.
“It’s cheaper and will help me experiment more with what I want to do,” she said.
Gibson hopes more local businesses will consider SHS art students in the future. Johnson said he may ask the school for help painting another renovated room in the near future.
