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Daily Inspiration: Meet Ricci Taylor

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ricci Taylor

Hi Ricci, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Back in 2015/2016 I was living in Denver and decided to get my real estate license. I was new to the industry and needed to make extra money. I wanted to make sure my “side gig” was still in the industry. I had started to witness staging happening more and more and saw the value in it. I also knew I would be good at it. I have always loved design. In fact, as a young girl I would also rearrange furniture and if asked what I wanted for my Birthday I usually would ask to redecorate my room. So I started slowly collecting decor and would store it in my garage. I started by taking courses and offering free consults and would give home sellers tips and tricks on what they needed to do to get their house sold. Soon my services were being requested enough that I had a decision to make. And so, a brand was born. Yes, my side gig had become a company and in 2016 I launched Everly Design Co. With a passion for real estate AND design, I saw the value in giving purpose to a space while also creating emotion and an experience to everyone who comes through the space. I was instantly in love with home staging.
As Everly grew I started offering more services and in the first few years actually rented furniture from a furniture leasing company in Denver. Once I had staged 250 homes I knew I had another big decision to make – it was time to grow. Here’s where the story really begins…
I had the crazy idea to expand in 2020 (no, I had no idea COVID was coming). When I have a wild idea the first thing I do is always call my best friend (who dreams just as hard as I do) and my Dad (who always brings me back down to earth). I told Kelley (my bestie) I want to expand to Atlanta – which is our hometown. We’ve known one another since the 4th grade and after being in Denver for over a decade, I was feeling the pull to go back home.
Kelley instantly was like “Yes! Let’s do it!” My Dad, needed a little more coaxing. I sat down with a few larger scale staging companies to see their numbers along with mine to show my entrepreneurial Dad the potential and he pretty quickly was on board after that! We made a plan and the rest is history!
Everly got it’s own warehouse space and Atlanta business license and by January 2021 we opened the doors. We started small – just me Kelley and my Parents (aka our mover and shakers because they literally moved the furniture) + a truck a trailer and enough furniture to stage one home. Just shy of 4 years later we have a custom 20 ft box truck we named Adele, A logistics and operations team of 5 and a stager team of 5. (no my parents do not still work for us but they continue to still be our biggest fans and avid hardback book buyers)

We stage over 350 homes a year and have doubled our sq footage in warehouse space. From one home of furniture in house to now over 75. This allows us to offer more services than staging! One of our main mottos is “collaboration over competition” – we say this because we allow other stagers, home owners, realtors, whomever to lease furniture from us. We also launched a prop shop at the beginning of this year for a stoppable warehouse for the movie and film industry – catering to the set designers and shoppers of ATL!

If you would have told me 8 years ago I’d be working with my best friends, in my home town, with an amazing team that has become family….I would have probably said “this is just the beginning” haha but I do still have to pinch myself daily.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’d be lying if I said yes. I think with all entrepreneurship there are bumps in the roads. It is impossible to not have struggles or else however would we grow? I am kind of a perfectionist so I am always finding opportunity for bettering myself and my company. I honestly love snuggles because I love to be challenged.

Some of the more memorable struggles – Working with my parents during year one (mostly a blessing but bumpy days for sure) …Adele our truck being hit in a high-speed chase (yes everyone was safe). Putting a sofa through a wall (I swear that thing had a mind of it’s own). Break-ins / Theft of our staging (more than I’d like to ever admit)…and one that people don’t usually acknowledge: growth is a struggle. Growing too fast is a struggle. Sometimes it is just as important to slow down.

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 am the founder, creative director and co-owner of Everly Design Co – an Atlanta Based, female owned home staging and furniture leasing company. We specialize in vacant home staging for the real estate industry. We also offer short term rental staging, model home staging and long term rental staging. We also offer furniture leasing services for other stagers, homeowners, realtors and of course, our Prop Shop for the creatives in the film and tV industry that is starting to boom here in Atlanta. Our style and knowledge of the real estate industry sets us a part as we stage to the buyer demographic and carry a very wide variety of styles of furniture, art and decor. Our Motto will forever be collaboration over competition and I think that spirit welcomes all creatives through our doors – which leads me to Shoppe Everly! A program we launched to help showcase local artist in our stagings. We currently have 6 amazing artist we feature in our homes and our hope is to continue to grow the local art and decor we use in the homes we stage.

I am most proud of my team. My work family. The amazing individuals who have literally grown this company from the ground up. They are the backbone, the heart and the soul of Everly and I could never, would never do this without them.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
We love what we do and who we get to do it with.

Pricing:

  • Walk and Talk Consult $350
  • Furniture Leasing Minimum $500
  • Delivery Minimum $500
  • Vacant Staging Starting at $3000
  • Not necessary to share any of this

Contact Info:

Image Credits
All photos were taken by Keith Hirsch – Owner and Founder of Simple Creative

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