My family moved into a newly built home when I was nine years old. I remember sitting at the kitchen counter as a teen on my first-ever laptop perusing home listings online, daydreaming about one day owning a home. I would stare out the car window on my way to daily dance classes admiring the beautiful houses in the suburbs. I studied ballet and modern dance throughout my entire youth. For a long time, I believed I would end up dancing full-time for a professional company. After graduating high school, my dear, supportive parents bravely sent me to San Francisco to study dance year-round. I was quick to adapt to my new surroundings in urban life, and I absorbed that iconic, free-spirited city faster than face lotion. The cost of living there snuck up quickly, and I found myself balancing dance training and a part-time job in retail. Dance was suddenly not my only focus and money mattered.
I took a seasonal Visual Merchandising position at Williams-Sonoma’s flagship store which led to me assisting their corporate Visuals department. I loved it. My adolescent knacks for collaging and fort-building were married with my instinctual organization skills, and like a dancer, I was following instruction and putting something together to inspire an audience. I also had to be nimble for certain tasks like window installations and maneuvering merchandise. I ended up working for the WS brand for seven years while still dancing for various small companies in the Bay Area as well as the San Francisco Opera. I went to and worked at Burning Man, as well…multiple times, directing teams for installations and participating in large-scale productions. I matured in one of the most colorful cities in America, and it was a f—ing blast.
Once the tech industry got a hold of San Francisco, I decided to relocate and start fresh in the lush and green city of Portland, OR. I took a position in a local Williams-Sonoma store (where I also met my now fiancé) and started my freelancing career. I eventually would fly city to city for the home decor manufacturer Roost with a team of talented stylists. We would transform their showrooms and market exhibits every six months at a whirlwind pace. It was a true test in stamina and time-management among many other things. To put it mildly, I learned a tremendous amount over the course of what ended up being a six year run of almost non-stop travel. Not surprisingly… I got burnt out.
By that time, I had basically stopped dancing professionally due to time away and had to find ways to earn more money. One of which was assisting some friends in developing a vacation rental design firm. We had a name and concept ready to go; it just needed a bit more tact. While researching local competition, I discovered this thoughtful, established home staging agency called Spade and Archer. Hoping they might need some extra help, I reached out. The next day, I was on the phone with Justin Riordan who had an offer for me to apply for a Junior Design Manager position. Realizing the perks of a steady paycheck and the chance to actually have benefits and paid time off, it was a no-brainer. I applied.
Two months later, I was offered the position and became a home stager. I started in April of 2018 and transitioned from freelancing to my first-ever full-time job. I hurried through five months of Design Manager training to keep up with the busy schedule, hurdling installation labor and sales while learning the Spade and Archer standards. All of a sudden, Justin presented an opportunity for me to join his Seattle office which was another no-brainer. My loving partner and I, after just having moved into our own Portland apartment together, packed it all up and reset three hours north. It was such an emotional shift, but was well-worth it as I ended up growing very fond of Seattle and my new co-workers. Oh, what an adventure it is to work for Justin… Not even five months later, he announced the next great company expansion into Southern California.
When I first interviewed, I expressed that I would love to one day live in California again. My fiancé is from an area north of LA, and we both were itching for a little more Vitamin D. All that in mind, I signed up for the opportunity and would be one of two staff members to relocate and help open the new LA office. After 364 days in Seattle, my fiancé and I were on the road again to our next apartment together in SoCal.
Now, since our recent opening in sunny California, I hold the role of Director for Spade and Archer’s Los Angeles office. Being offered such a notable position is a huge honor and a big responsibility (which I’m humbly still recognizing every day). Los Angeles home staging is no-joke, and there’s a lot of territory to cover. We have put in countless miles driving across LA, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties to connect with new prospects. As we begin with a more routine schedule for installations, I’ve found myself reflecting on all the adventures over the years and chuckle at the memory of me as a kid at the kitchen counter on that laptop. I get to work in the real estate industry for an exciting company that puts all the skills I’ve harnessed on display. Though I’m not actively dancing anymore, I’m extremely grateful for the time I dedicated myself to it and the work ethic and strength it gave me. It’s that experience that got me here ultimately. It’s the fact that dancers never quit — we simply pivot.
