A Humorous Discovery

So I have made this humorous discovery that I have been talking about the subject of LOVE lately - a lot.

As a matter of fact, last week I noticed this ongoing issue just as I was finishing up last weeks blog.   Oops.   But it was too late to change direction.   Hmmm.   What does this mean?

Well, I suppose because it just feels so much better than the alternative, right?  For so many reasons, we are all exposed to way too much hatefulness these days.    And it just makes me cringe. 

So we gotta do what we got to do to stay focused on the loving things in life.   (Now is the time to begin humming Dionne Warwick's 1965 rendition of the above song!)

I really enjoy social media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest) for the inspiration and connections it provides.   And thankfully, you do too, because you're reading this blog.   


But I try to be careful in not getting caught up in reading….and certainly not participating in all the hateful posts and mean-spirited comments that are freely tossed around.  

The news gives me a stomach ache, and I occasionally have to turn off some of my favorite Netflix binges because the shows are so darn dark.

I want more happy endings!   So can’t we all just stop with the hateful nonsense?   And instead work on creating that loving feeling (The Righteous Brothers, recorded for Top Gun in 1986 -- now I got you humming.)   

How about sharing the Love instead?  After all, love is always available, as available as the air that we breathe.   It is what connects us to other people and makes life worth living.

Love is really at the root of our entire business and drives everything we do.   Kelli didn’t create a clothing business 30 years ago because she thought it was a good business move.  

_{^{K. Renee was founded by Kelli and Jeff Schulz in Gladbrook, Iowa in 1989 and worked privately with clients in a free-standing space built on their farm.   Three years later, Kelli opened her first storefront in Ames, Iowa.   In 1999, (pictured above) Kelli and Jeff stormed into Des Moines!   The business has withstood the test of time, floods, economy dips and everything in between.  Why?  Because of the love for what we do and what we provide for clients prevail.}}

She did it because she had a passion for wardrobing her clients, so they always felt beautiful and confident.  

We didn’t open a home division in 2012 as a way to drive revenue, we did it because we understood how meaningful a beautiful and comfortable home would be for those we would be lucky enough to share our passion and talent with.  

And to really be able to share our love of beautiful and comfortable homes, we had to find, source and invest in quality, unique home furnishings, and accessories that would do your home justice.   

Beyond the business side, our core values also drive us to share our love with those that are not as fortunate as you and I.    K. Renee encourages and has made a commitment to our team members to support their causes and passions as best we can.

Most of you know, our own Frank Vaia.    

Not only is he a fab dresser and personal stylist, but he is a community activist.    He seems to donate whatever spare time he has to a multitude of important causes that set out to create a more loving world.  

His latest undertaking is co-chairing The Celebrity Server Night benefiting the Young Women’s Resource Center along with the beautiful Beth Coonan.

Frank is one of those iconic Des Moines figures that I had known of over the years, but one of the first times that I actually met and got to know Frank (before we were lucky enough to have him join the K. Renee team) was at this same event back in 2014.    

As a team, K. Renee has been faithfully attending the event, but this year we decided to up our game.     Three of our stylists, Lisa, Emily, and DJ are going to be Celebrity Servers (they are rock stars, aren't they?)  with the sole purpose of making sure the guests seated at the K. Renee sponsored tables will have an extra-special, fun, memorable evening on Monday, October 1.   And all of you are invited to join in the fun - and share some love by supporting this great cause.

How do you do that?     Follow this link and register at our tables (directions are on the link page).   Tickets are only $45 a person which covers the cost of your meal and the Centro servers that will be assisting the celebrity servers!    And anything you choose to leave as a tip will be considered a donation going directly to the YWRC.  Kelli, Jeff, and I along with the rest of our team will be seated as well!    I really hope you can make it!  

The other way that our business shares the love is by being a 50/50 organization that donates 50% of our profits back to our community in a variety of ways.

One of our favorite ways to do this is our Holiday Home Transformation.  2018 will be our 5th year of sharing this gift.  (Link to last years video:  https://vimeo.com/24763626)

You, our customers, have led us to all of our past deserving people or families through your heartfelt nominations.    And we need your help again.

We usually don’t kick this initiative off until the first part of November, but this year we want to ask for your nominations now.    Why?   Because the more time we have, the more we can potentially do.   

Here is how this works... over the next few weeks, please think about someone in your life (acquaintance, family or friend) that you believe is deserving of some extra love and a home space that will offer some much-needed beauty, peace, solace, and hope.  And you know... will never be able to achieve this on their own.  

We would love to hear their stories through your eyes by writing us an essay (however long that you need) and submit it to design@krenee.com.    

It’s all about the power of love (cue humming of Huey Lewis and the News 1985 version.)

Have a spectacular week!  I promise, next week, I will move onto something new.  

Julie