Breaking Barriers

What a crazy week it was!   The highlight of my week, of course, was our Luxe Interiors + Design event kicking of our spectacular new Bernhardt Interiors Boutique.   A niche destination within our K. Renee showroom you already know and love!

What can you expect?   A carefully curated selection of transitional to modern pieces from the Interiors line (exclusive to K. Renee in Central Iowa) styled with the K. Renee touch.

It is really quite lovely!   What is also lovely is that we broke some additional barriers (those silly walls) and also revealed our K. Renee gallery of inspiration.    

^{The walls are now gone that separate the end unit from two additional suites!}

How is this space different?    Within it, you will see “scene” installations of inspiration featuring items in an exciting and unexpected way.

Expect to see all of these spaces change frequently (that way, you have to come to see us for a dose of inspiration more often.)  Of course, when we do an event, we go all in!   Inspiring florals, Cyd’s Catering, live music, and my favorite part, the panel discussion featuring creative and successful entrepreneurs.

^{Photography Credit:  Alexa Karen}

We set the scene so our panelist could sit around a table and intimately address our audience of 75 or so.   The discussion did not revolve around K. Renee and our home boutique but each woman’s journey as an entrepreneur, the challenges, and advice to their younger self.

From each woman, I took something powerful that resonated with my own personal growth.  

^{Panelists: Barb Kniff, Katie Patterson, Kelli Schulz, Shannon Sharpe, and Nichole Staker
Photography Credit:  Alexa Karen}

Just a couple thoughts that stood out were when one panelist shared that she had to learn to stop dreaming about the day when problems were solved (because that day never comes) and instead starts each day with “what problem will I get to solve today.” This little shift is so powerful.   

The other thought that stood out was when another panelist shared that she drew her inspiration for the future from the talented young people she was surrounded by.  And I agree.   In any generation, there are superstars.  Those of us who have “made it” do not write the book on what a success path should look like.   And we love it when we find young people that want to rewrite the book and find their own unique path to success.

And on that note, I want to share a little bit about two new young faces you will now be seeing on the K. Renee team.   

The first is Paula Reicks.    You will find her carving her career path as the sales manager and a stylist in our Clothing boutique.

Her goal has always been to pursue a career in fashion.   A fashionista at heart!  Although she envisioned working as a clothing buyer in a large corporation, Paula found herself excelling in retail management.   Before coming to K. Renee, Paula has managed several retail stores including Michael Kors, for the last three years.  

I had the pleasure of meeting Paula back in 2017 and her talent, drive and passion always stuck with me. I knew when the time was right for another growth spurt at K. Renee, she would be who I would pursue.  You can only imagine how happy I was to discover that we stuck out in her mind as well.  

Paula married in 2016 to the handsome man she has been with since she was 16 years young.  In 2018, Paula and Derek welcomed a baby girl Fiona, who is 7 months old and the light of their lives.


Paula says,  “I still have to pinch myself sometimes to make sure that this is all real! In my career as a leader I have had a chance to learn from many amazing people but to have this opportunity to learn from Kelli, Julie and the rest of this amazing team is just a dream come true.”

And then there is Dana Luke.    Many of you may remember Dana from a few years back. She was a valued employee of ours who was called to move to Omaha.  As you can imagine, we were sad to see her go but supportive in her pursuing a new phase in her life.   We told her she was always welcome to come back to her K. Renee family.     While in Omaha, Dana gained more home design experience as a home bedding buyer for a large corporation and then further stretched her wings by joining a full-service design firm in the mountains of Colorado.   While there, she worked extensively on residential interiors and home staging.   

Lucky us... she recently moved back to the Des Moines area and rejoined our home design and styling team.  To say the least, we are happy to have her back where she belongs.   

Dana Says: "God is so faithful and will never leave or forsake us. He has a plan and will always go before you and bring the right people to walk beside you."

I want you to meet these two outstanding women, so on Thursday evening on June 20th from 6 to 8 pm, you are invited to get to know these exceptional young people in a casual environment.   We will have a fabulous dessert, wine as well as some gifts to thank you for coming out to give them a warm welcome.   Dana will be greeting her guests in our new gallery space while Paula will be available in our clothing boutique.   

 

Have a wonderful week.  I hope you make it by soon to explore all of our new spaces.

Julie