Today we’d like to introduce you to Christie Kelly.
Hi Christie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up in Cambridge, Minnesota, I always loved homes and design. But for college I took the direction of getting a degree in communication and professional writing with an emphasis in public relations. (I graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth.)
I worked in communications/customer service for a few years before I got married and had children. We happily made the decision for me stay home with the kids.
Then, 10 years ago, the unthinkable happened: my husband passed away unexpectedly. My oldest was nine and my youngest was 13 months at the time. I’m sure it goes without saying that was a hard, but with close friends, family, and faith we have been so blessed and worked through many tough times.
Luckily I was able to continue to be home with the children. And one of the other things that helped me get through was we had just moved into a fixer-upper.
I was able to distract myself and pour out energy (and love!) into our home. Every inch needed to be worked on and I did much of it myself. If I couldn’t do it myself, I had friends or family that helped.
As the kids grew older and my daughter went to kindergarten, I decided to take home staging courses. I registered my business, Victory Home Staging, in February 2020.
Since the pandemic hit just weeks after that, it was more like later of 2021 when I really started working the business.
One of my favorite things about design is the people I get to meet and learning their stories. I enjoy guiding them through the process-and hopefully relieving some of their stress along the way-whether they are selling their home, starting a vacation rental, or making their space truly reflect themselves!
I recently have became engaged. My fiancé has 3 children. So now it is “just the 10 of us” …and our 3 crazy dogs!
PS I love hunting for vintage items (I resell River Alley Shoppes in Taylors Falls, MN, a quaint little river town). And I recently opened my first vacation rental in Cozumel, Mexico!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Struggles with my business I basically come in the fact that there’s a learning curve in what to offer people, how to charge, and just the fact that I love so much what I’m doing sometimes it’s hard not just to do it for free especially if it’s someone that I have ever met before. 😍
Also, just being OK with putting myself out there! And lastly, not trying to work 24 hours a day. ☺️
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in not being cookie cutter. For the houses I stage with full furniture I often source new pieces for each one of them. Or if I’m designing a room, I like to push the limits a little bit to get the owners out of their comfort zone so the end result makes everyone say “wow!”.
I also understand that selling the home or even remodeling/redecorating can be an emotional journey. Sometimes more than others of course -but I enjoy working one on one with people so I think what sets me apart from others: I am truly there to make a new friend, support them through the process, and have fun along the way!
What’s next?
I am planning on continuing to grow my business. I would like to do more of vacation rental design (because I like to be super creative!). I would also like to own more vacation rentals of my own. My ultimate dream would be to design boutique hotels!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://victoryhomestaging.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/christievictoryhomestaging?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christievictoryhomestaging?mibextid=PtKPJ9
- Other: https://www.airbnb.com/h/ladulcevidacozumel
