Being interviewed by Lyndsie Barrie of YYC Fempreneurs was the best way to kick off summer!
Thanks for letting me share my fempreneur story, Lyndsie 😊
Keep scrolling for a quick recap of my episode, and make sure to check out everything that YYC Fempreneurs has to offer!
The Then
Some people know that they want to be in design from the get-go – that wasn’t me.
However, looking back on my childhood, there were a lot of memories that I feel influenced my love of design early on, the biggest being my dad’s frequent room rearranges and love for space planning.
“Got it from my dad!”
I also caught a lot of my femprenuer spirit from my mom, who was a total boss babe in addition to being a best friend and mentor.
As many of you may already know, my journey to design was certainly not linear.
From thinking I wanted to be a vet (then quickly realizing that was a no-go after fainting during a surgery) and working at different marketing agencies, to then launching my very own agency (that I ran for 9 years), the route I took to get to Unshelf zigged and zagged pretty extensively.
The How
After being in the marketing industry for over a decade, I was completely drained, and the intense burnout I was feeling started to make me fall out of love with what I was doing.
Design and decor was always a part of my life through small projects and my own house flip, but it wasn’t until I took the reigns on my then boyfriend’s (now husband) house flip that I really thought I could feasibly turn my passion for design into a full-time gig.
After taking a few courses and a (say it with me)… covid pivot! I was ready to take the plunge.
I finished all of my decorating courses, closed my marketing business, and 2 years later, I owned and operated Unshelf full-time.
The Now
Today, I offer an array of design, decorating, and occupied staging services including:
Not to mention, I’m opening a store!
Located in the Center On Eighth building off of Blackfoot, Unshelf Boutique is a retail consignment decor store and is the first of it’s kind in Calgary.
3411 8th street SE, Calgary AB
This store will be perfect for individuals who enjoy changing their style more often, my staging clients, and, quite frankly, people who aren’t overly excited about meeting strangers in classifieds.
I’ve really worked hard to create a quality shopping experience through curating trendy pieces and pre-designing trendy vignettes. Lyndsie actually said it best in our interview, and this is ultimately the goal I have for the store:
“To not have to sift through all the junk to find the gems… to walk into a store where it’s just gems”
I’ll also be utilizing the store for some really fun events, including design workshops.
Keep your eyes peeled for news about our grand opening, currently scheduled for October 14!
Don’t forget to check out all of my design and staging services! If you have any questions about the upcoming store, please reach out 🙂