Meet Katie Gamero of Poppie & Kate in East Valley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Gamero.

Katie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After relocating from the Bay Area, my husband and I purchased and began renovating our first home in Arizona in 2007. As a young couple with one income and a growing family, I had to get creative about updating and decorating our first house, slowly but surely turning it into our home. I so enjoyed the process – dreaming, designing, DIY’ing and styling that space – and was more than thrilled to break ground on the construction of our “forever home” in 2015. This new build became the heart of our family; every room has its function – unique to our family’s needs and lifestyle. I took so much pride in the space I had created but never imagined I could harness that passion and turn it into a professional endeavor. As family and friends joined us at our home for gatherings and celebrations, I began getting requests for me to help them with design projects in their homes. I think it was palpable just how much my home meant to me, how authentic it felt to our family, and visitors were rapt by the number of projects we had done that looked impressive and expensive, but were actually inexpensive DIY’s and/or alternative options.

One afternoon, after hosting a brunch for 35 teachers from our children’s preschool and receiving so much positive feedback on my home and hosting details, a good friend of mine and fellow bruncher, who happened to work in the marketing and PR field, suggested that I stop designing and DYI’ing “just as a hobby,” but rather turn it into a profitable business. At first, I was flattered, but a little bit skeptical. How could I, a formally trained school counselor and now stay-at-home mom, possibly start an interior design business? I didn’t have a degree in design. I didn’t have any knowledge of how to start a company. I started wrestling with the idea, knowing that my youngest would soon be in school, and I would have more time to devote to a new career pursuit. Before long, that same friend encouraged me to stop worrying and start doing. With that, she offered me my first gig. She and her husband had just purchased a new office space and we’re going to hire an interior designer. With all the faith in the world in my ability and all of the encouragement anyone could ever need to start a business, they hired ME. I was thrilled and anxious and excited and honored all at the same time. That one project (which to this day, I am so proud of and is one of my favorites) quickly led to another, and another, and another. In the meantime, with her unending support and encouragement, Poppie & Kate was born.

Just like my home, my business continues to feel authentic to who I am. It has grown organically, and I continue to define my brand – helping others to unearth their OWN style. Though we don’t all know it, we all have things that speak to our soul and to our own unique needs as individuals and families. I love helping people find inexpensive and creative ways to design the home or office of their dreams, without compromising on function or budget. As I note on my website, your home should be your safest place – a place that grounds you and speaks to all who enter who you are and what matters to you the most. I am so grateful for this small business of mine – for my girlfriend who pushed me to chase my dream, for all of the things I have learned thus far, for all of the friends and clients that have entrusted their homes and businesses to me, and for whatever the future of Poppie & Kate holds.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I feel so lucky and so grateful that, so far, it really has been a smooth road. I think that is mostly due to the fact that this business started organically, helping a friend do something that I already loved doing. I’m also a firm believer that timing is everything. I was entering a new season of my life, with all of my kids going to school full-time, and perhaps subconsciously, I was longing for my next endeavor. So, in many ways, it all happened at the right time. That said, there have definitely been challenges in learning how businesses operate, how to market and define myself and my brand, how and at what pace to expand, how to navigate the social media world as a business, etc. But for now, I am just enjoying the learning process and a steady business pace, which has grown mostly through word of mouth.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Poppie & Kate story. Tell us more about the business.
In general, I think there is a large subset of people who find the world of interior design to be very intimidating. I’m learning that there are plenty of people who watch a ton of HGTV and want their home or office space to be beautiful and functional, but either don’t know where to start, don’t have the confidence or don’t believe that they have the budget to hire a designer and achieve their goals. Those are the people that I want to reach. Just as I did in my own home, I help people discover their own authentic style and find creative-but-affordable ways to achieve the look and functionality that they want, while keeping the process personal, relatable and unintimidating. I want people to feel comfortable with every decision they make, and ultimately, to feel like their home or office has been transformed into something that THEY are truly proud of and want to spend time in with their family and friends. The truth is, my proudest moments as a designer are those moments when a client finally sees all of their own hopes and dreams for a space realized. I see myself only as the facilitator – I want the space to be their own, not mine. I think my clients appreciate the fact that I work alone – that every project I take on is my priority and that I don’t settle for anything less than their complete pride in their new space. Clients have told me that they‘ve loved working with me and felt as though they were working alongside a girlfriend, and that’s the greatest compliment.

Is there something we can do as a city to improve the outlook for businesses like yours?
I love working here in the East Valley and in and around Phoenix. There are so many unique pockets of the city, and the area is so fast-growing. I have had to opportunity to work on both much older homes and brand-new construction, and I love the diversity. My home town of Gilbert and the surrounding cities are also so family-friendly, community-oriented, and unpretentious. I am able to create dream spaces for parents and children and grandparents and family-business owners, just like myself, and I feel so lucky to get to do that and to benefit from word of mouth advertising that has been the key to my success. I think Phoenix and its surrounding area is a fantastic place to work and to start a small business like mine. Just like my girlfriend told me, I would encourage anyone on the verge of chasing that dream, to stop stressing and start doing.

Pricing:

• Free 30-60 minute in-home consultations upon request
• Hourly-based fee, with a 4-hour project minimum

Contact Info:

• Website: www.poppieandkate.com
• Email: poppieandkate@gmail.com
• Instagram: @poppieandkate
• Facebook: @poppieandkate

Image Credit:
Whoa Nellie Photography (Nellie Welter), Andrew Neugebauer

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.