Hello friendly faces! It’s that time of the week! We’re back with a new CNSM Meet a Mom spotlight brought to you in part by Mary Gifford of Gifford Law. We are excited to introduce you to two North Shore moms, close friends and now business partners, Abby Provus and Stacy Bankier of H.O.M.E (Home Organization Made Easy)!
CNSM caught up with these super adorable #mombosses about how they formed an organization practice that is now five years strong and what you can expect the process to be like when you call them up S.O.S! Welcome, Abby and Stacy!
Abby & Stacy
Please introduce yourself. Where are you from originally? What city do you live in now? What brought you here?
Hello! Nice to meet you, we are Abby and Stacy. We are the founders of H.O.M.E (Home Organization Made Easy)!
Abby: I was born and raised in Highland Park and still live in highland park today. Stacy and I love that we have this local business that serves Chicago, our HP/DF communities and all of the surrounding suburbs.
Stacy: I grew up in Highland Park as well but now live with my family in Deerfield. Clearly Abby and I were meant to connect as we were both drawn back here after college.
– Abby and family
You’re a mom. Tell us about your kids.
Abby: I have a 17 year old son who is a junior and a 15 year old daughter who is a freshman. They are both at HPHS and getting ready to finish up their school year and head to overnight camp for the summer.
Stacy: I have 2 daughters; 19 and 15, and a 10 year old son. So it’s one in elementary school, one in high school and one in college. It’s a little crazy but it’s fun!
– Stacy and family
What are one or two fun facts to know about you?
Abby: To be honest, as much as I am totally organized and love organizing other peoples homes, I am an extremely messy cook/baker. You would not want to walk into my kitchen when I am in the middle of it all.
Stacy: I have 12 ear piercings and 8 tattoos. Don’t let stereotypes fool you, super organized people can still be wild.
What are your favorite North Shore local places to spend with the family?
We both love Greenwoods, Guild Hall and Deer Path Inn for great family dinners and date nights and Little Louie’s and Three Tarts for lunch.
What are you currently…. reading? listening too? watching?
We are both extremely obsessed with everything Kelly Corrigan and Glennon Doyle, if you haven’t listen to or read either of these women we highly recommend them.
What gets you through a tough day?
Abby: I would for sure say that a great cup coffee is essential for survival. I would add in a good walk outside and some time with the people I love.
Stacy: Time with family and friends always makes me feel good, but I also love my alone time with reality tv. I watch The Real Housewives in every city.
Please introduce H.O.M.E. How long have you been in business and what made you go into this line of work?
We met at Yale where we studied labeling and file folding. We then got our PHDs at Harvard in Organizational Studies with a focus on decanting pantry items. Just kidding! We celebrated H.O.M.E’s 5th anniversary last summer! It’s been an incredible 5+ years and none of it could have been planned but we are thrilled at how much we have accomplished for our clients and are excited about our new projects! As background, we were both independently and uniquely drawn to organization projects for our friends, families and workplaces. And those who we had helped always commented that we should start a business. A mutual friend introduced us, and the rest is history!
What is your absolute favorite thing to organize or project to work on?
Ahhh this is too hard of a question to answer. It’s like asking us who our favorite child is. The answer is, it’s the one that’s standing in front of us. Basically we fall in love with each job/project and find ourselves talking about the spaces for days after.
What would you tell someone who is considering hiring H.O.M.E.?
We want our clients to know that everyone thinks their own home is the worst, and none of them are. There is never anything to be embarrassed about. We promise the experience will be fun and easy. Making the commitment to do this can truly be the hardest part. All of our clients would tell you… it’s SO worth it!!!
When clients come to you for help with organizing, what is the process like from start to finish?
We begin all projects with a free in-home consultation. We discuss the space, or spaces, that the client would like organized and make a plan. We take pictures and measurements and come up with a date to begin the project. We then purchase everything needed for the client and come back to implement our systems.
We also facilitate all purchases and returns and submit a detailed invoice at the end of the project.
Confidentiality is a top priority and we never discuss who we work with. We have built our business on our happy clients referrals to their friends and family.
Describe a project that you’re super proud of.
Abby: We had a client that moved in over a holiday weekend to their new home and found themselves overwhelmed. We came in and unpacked them top to bottom and got them settled. This was a large job but we were able to leave the family feeling like their new house was their home.
Stacy: A newlywed reached out to us struggling to make his home work for his newly blended family. We helped reimagine their finished basement and created an incredible walk-in closet. We loved being able to give them an organized space to help them start their new life together.
What else would you like us to know about H.O.M.E.?
Abby: No project is too big or too small. We look at each project as a challenge.
Stacy: Often our clients are nervous or worried to get started, but we come in and can already see the “after”. We believe your home should be the place that lifts you up and we want to help each client love their space.
How do our readers get in touch with you to start or learn more or book a consultation?
visit www.homeorganizationmadeeasy.com, follow us on Facebook, and Instagram @home_organization_made_easy. Message us, we can’t wait to hear from you!
About our Meet of Mom Sponsor
A very heartfelt thank you to CNSMoms’ Meet a Mom sponsor, Lake Forest mom of three and owner of Gifford Law, a solo Estate Planning Firm (wills and trusts). Mary, we appreciate your support of local moms in our North Shore communities! Learn more about Mary by visiting her Meet a Mom spotlight here! Contact Mary directly here: [email protected].
