Today we’d like to introduce you to Alison Royer.
Hi Alison, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I graduated from SDSU with a degree in Gerontology but knew upon graduation that I wanted to get into a creative field. I started working as a design assistant and after a few months, I knew this was going to be my career path! I went to school at night at IDI in Newport Beach to learn the fundamentals of design while I was gaining hands-on experience during the day. While I was loving my job assisting on high-end residential projects, after visiting model homes for inspiration, I became obsessed with the idea of designing Models. I made a move to one of the top Model Home firms in Orange County and quickly moved up the ladder. Our team designed countless model home projects for some of the top home builders in the nation. Through the years I moved firms a couple of times and also worked on residential and staging projects on my own.
Like so many people in 2020, I started to evaluate my career path and while I loved my job working at a Model Home firm, I decided to start my own business. I partnered with my long-time friend and business partner that has worked on and off with me over 10 years doing staging and design jobs. In just 2 short years our interior design and staging business has grown quickly and we have been fortunate to gain consistent clients and even begin working on a new show with HGTV.
I believe that our hard work, quality designs, and a desire to form meaningful relationships with our clients sets us apart within our industry. The ability to combine years designing residential homes, model homes and understating real estate marketing gives us a unique niche in the home staging and model home arena.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
“Nothing worthwhile comes easy”! Starting a business during a pandemic and all the uncertainty that we felt was challenging for the both of us. We were constantly hitting obstacles that made us question if we were even going to make it. Small things like collecting inventory, figuring out how to price projects that kept us competitive but covered our expenses, and slow periods between jobs when we were not bringing any income in were stressful to say the least! Not to mention, we have 7 kids between the two of us, so building a business while trying to balance that work/family dynamic is a challenge we face on the daily! If anyone has that figured out….please share! haha
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Interior Design, Model Home Merchandising and Real Estate Staging.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I have always been an entrepreneur at heart. I started my first business at 12 called “Ali’s Babysitting Club” (based on the teen book series of the ’80s!) I got on my bike and left probably 100 flyers on doorsteps. It was a hit…even though I was so young, people trusted me! From then on, I worked almost every weekend and continued until I was 15 when I got a job at a local tennis club. Even though I was in high school and played sports, I worked almost full-time hours (after school, weekends and always during the holidays). So being driven and working hard has always been in my blood.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.avenueainteriors.com
- Instagram: avenueainteriors
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/avenueainteriors/
Image Credits
First photo, Katie Oswald Apartment 5 Creative second and third, Millennial Media Group
