It’s a new year and I am constantly reminded how much I love my job! Kuzak’s Closet is booming and I can’t wait to see where 2015 will take the company! With all of the exciting projects going on I am trying to find balance and continue to deliver my standard quality of service while delegating more and more duties to my staff. With the demand for services as high as it is I can only grow with the help of others.
January is always a busy month but this year we were booked out earlier than usual (starting last November). We’ve had 2 great estate sales and an estate liquidation along with dozens of organizing sessions. I am actually looking to expand my organizing staff so if you or someone you know if interested in a job please check out the job posting here.
Speaking of staffing, things have changed a bit with my current staff. Al De La Rosa, one of my estate sale specialist has decided to retire after 2 years with the company. We were all sad to see him go but happy for him to have more free time to pursue his passion and creativity at Alberto’s Garden Art. Jennalynn Sallings, a very familiar face in the cashier seat at our estate sales is back after a 6 month hiatus. It’s been great to have her enthusiasm and spunk back! Billy Save, my right hand man, had heart surgery in early December and much to my shock is already back at work. He still needs to take it easy but we are glad to have his smile and his hauling expertise back on the job.
Today I am looking back at the highlights from January. Organizing is my passion and I love to see before and afters, this year has already been full of them in both the home organizing services and the estate services. Thank you all for being apart of the journey that I am on!
I’ve been in so many kitchens and closets so far this year I can’t keep them straight. Taylor and I have been teaming up for most sessions so we can service more clients at a time. She has been a great partner in crime and has turned into a great professional organizer. Most days we have 2-3 projects going on so if I cannot manage something she picks up the pieces for me. I’m lucky to have her and hope that I don’t burn her out too much before we can hire some additional help.
Today I am going to break up the wrap up into two parts, the home organizing projects and then the estate highlights. We organize homes just as often (if not more often) as we organize and set up estate sale and liquidations. I noticed that last year we didn’t feature as many home organizing projects as we should have so I kicked off this year with gorgeous photos from the custom home that we unpacked and organized in Atherton at the end of 2014. Here is a pic of the closet, stop by the blog to see the rest of the house, it looks amazing and is a true illustration of what an organized home with Kuzak’s Closet looks like.
This next project stands out in the mix of projects on the calendar because it was such a big undertaking for us and our client. If you follow Kuzak’s Closet on Facebook and Instagram you know that we have been working in Santa Cruz over last few weeks. Taylor and I headed up this transformation and we had the help of Christopher, Ese, and Yovan to help move everything out, sort the items, and assemble the new storage pieces. In the end the before and afters tell the story better than I can, visit the post here to read more.
In the estate world things are totally nuts! Today alone I have 5 estate consultations with families, it’s crazy to think how much things have changed. It was not too long ago that I had 5 estate sales in an entire year! Kuzak’s Closet has gained a great reputation with our shoppers, families, and realtors and I am so glad all of our hard work has paid off. Our first liquidation of the year was totally insane, we had over 70 people waiting to get in. We ended up liquidating the 5 bedroom home in Los Altos in just 7 hours, wow! I love the thrill of the hunt and the element of surprise at our estate liquidations, don’t you? We have 2 liquidations next week (Santa Clara and Mountain View) so get ready!
Only our email list is allowed into our estate liquidations I love that. I know everyone by face and most people by name and the types of items they buy. It’s a great community that I am so thankful for, it just proves that people are genuinely good people.
Our first estate sale of the year was for one of our favorite shoppers, her name was Judy and she left us too soon. We had a huge task ahead of us for this project, we had to relocate the contents from her stuffed condo to the recreation room at her condo complex. I had 9 people on staff to help with the transition, organizing, and merchandising. It was a long long day but it looked beautiful in the end. The shoppers came the next day and had a great time buying pieces from Judy’s collection. It was more emotional for me than I thought, Judy was such a neat lady and she would have loved to see her treasures organized and merchandised in one place. Here are some of my favorite pics from the sale…
Last week we organized a giant estate in Portola Valley with a gorgeous view and an amazing collection of tools, mountain rescue, and home decor. Our shoppers came in packs and seemed to really enjoy the property and the treasures inside. I was afraid people would complain about the parking and the remote location but that was not the case at all. My staff worked their buns off for 2 weeks to set up this sale and they were totally exhausted by Sunday night. Ese and Yovan especially couldn’t wait for a day off, they are so amazing.
Unfortunately I had another estate job scheduled for Monday so they had to wait until Tuesday to rest. We liquidated a small estate in Pacifica in 3 hours and enjoyed the local views and coffee while we were there. As we are growing we are able to take on liquidation projects outside of our normal scope of work which is nice, it is a treat to get a chance of scenery from time to time.
You may have noticed a few emails or Facebook posts about private furniture sales this month. It is something new that I’m trying and thanks to you it is working. I have so many inquiries from high-end home owners looking to sell their designer decor when they are moving and redecorating and instead of turning them to a local consignment center I can now offer a virtual sale, pretty neat!
I was poking around to try to find some personal stuff to add from this month and the reality is that any bit of free time that I have has been spent in my hot tub. It was the best purchase that I could have made, it’s so relaxing and a great way to unwind after a long day. My favorite feature is that technology is not allowed so there are no distractions like texting or emails.
I know February is going to be totally nuts so I hope you stay tuned! Many of you will be working with us on organizing projects in your homes and others will be shopping at Kuzak’s Closet estate sales. Either way, we look forward to seeing you and making you smile! Have a great weekend and I’ll be back on the blog next week!
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