40: Maggie’s Values For Welcome Home Co

Intro:
Hey, you’re drinking house coffee – unfiltered conversations brewed at the intersection of real estate life and coffee shop service. We’re Maggie and Rich – local business owners and friends sharing stories and welcoming you to pull up a chair with us. The door’s always open. Let us pour you a cup.

Maggie:
What would you do

Rich:
If you were? Already late to podcast. and you just left the restaurant store and you had already waited in line and been checked out. And not only were you checked out, but they checked your receipt. Secondarily as they do before they let you leave typically. And everybody passed you on I said you’re good to go. And then you for no reason at all other than it’s your general habit

Maggie:
Got

Rich:
All the way outside and decided to check your receipt and found mistake. They had only charged you for one. of the two cases that you purchased

Maggie:
This is my real unfiltered honest answer I’d be like this is my lucky day.

Rich:
Wow. Okay. All right, that’s fine. Well, you know what? I did. I went back inside. I took the one case I went back inside and I had them wring it up. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait in line. There was an empty one. I just went in and yeah,

Maggie:
Especially if there was

Rich:
Only good to go but it’s like a 40 days is on sale first was cool and then it was like But you know, it’s like a $40 item. Yeah, almost 35 pounds. But I’m like, oh gosh,

Maggie:
Why did I check my receipt I

Rich:
Noted everyone was cool. And I was like and I was even watching them kind of ring me out and I was like, I didn’t notice anything. I just

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
You know sometimes like oh that should have been a unit not a case or whatever. Yeah

Maggie:
If they made a mistake in my air in my air, are you better believe I’d be going back and be like you charged me for two cases and I only got one I

Rich:
Often do that, right? Yeah, so far is fair. I had to go back you guys. Give me when I’m you know, when you’re when we’re wrong and we’ll go back so Yeah.

Maggie:
That was a good story that happened today.

Rich:
Yeah. That’s why I will actually

Maggie:
No worries.

Rich:
Yeah, how are you?

Maggie:
Pretty good.

Rich:
Cool.

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
Cool.

Maggie:
What have you been listening to?

Rich:
Dude, I got a song live in rent free in my head right now. Hmm, it’s called. Actually don’t know what it’s called. It’s a it’s a t Swift song. It might be called the man is it called the man? Yeah, you know,

Maggie:
I was the man.

Rich:
Yeah, and

Maggie:
I’d be the man

Rich:
I never like that song but because as you exactly that’s the part that’s in my head if I was a man then I’m like that’s a catchy line. It’s because it was on her tiny desk concert. Oh and I was in the I was in a store and it was on the radio.

Maggie:
And I was like,

Rich:
Oh that recognize this song now.

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
So

Maggie:
Have you watched the music video for that song?

Rich:
No, no.

Maggie:
She’s dressed as a man.

Rich:
Oh gosh,

Maggie:
The whole video. It’s like it’s so good. Like they it’s very believable too with like face Prosthetics and everything.

Rich:
Oh

Maggie:
Like it’s very believable.

Rich:
Yeah. No, I’m new to that song so

Maggie:
You should next time we record. I want you to watch that video and let me know what you think

Rich:
Word. I’ll check it out.

Maggie:
Mm-hmm.

Rich:
What about you? What even listening to

Maggie:
Oh, I thought you never asked so. I have been listening to Queen. lately

Rich:
Cool,

Maggie:
So I Brandon right now is in Switzerland and he texted me a photo of the Statue of Freddie Mercury this morning. And I was like what there’s a statue of Freddie Mercury in Switzerland

Rich:
Statue.

Maggie:
Did you know that not me either? and I was having a conversation with someone in the Gen Alpha. category And for those of you who don’t know Jen Alpha, it’s a youngster. And

Rich:
Thanks for clearing that up for

Maggie:
They didn’t know clean. And so I had to play some of the Queen music for this Jen Alpha and so like all of today in my cars. I was driving here as I was going places. I’ve just been listening to all the like classic Queen songs and Don’t Stop Me Now we’re gonna have a good time. It’s just so good and I forgot how good Queen’s music was

Rich:
Did you spend a while they grow up listening to

Maggie:
Them when I was in high school my choir saying the Bohemian Rhapsody.

Rich:
Wow.

Maggie:
So I’ve known the beginning and raps. He’s like Pretty well, because

Rich:
I was probably a lot of fun.

Maggie:
Yeah, it was a lot of fun and the the Freddie Mercury movie that came out recently like within the last couple years was really good highly recommend watching that.

Rich:
Yeah, I

Maggie:
Maybe it was like past five years or so.

Rich:
Yeah, that’s been you know, you know all their clip radio hits. Yeah, no what you hear but like I never got into

Maggie:
Them. So yeah

Rich:
Didn’t know there was a statue Switzerland. I don’t know. I don’t know if I know the song you just were saying but

Maggie:
Don’t stop me now.

Rich:
Yeah. It’s not the one I thought you’re gonna say.

Maggie:
Oh

Rich:
That’s opening words in other words, so Um, yeah. Well, hey I can relate to our Our Generation. So

Maggie:
Yeah. Well you’ve never heard of Queen.

Rich:
No, I’ve heard of them. I have heard

Maggie:
Of them and

Rich:
I have to imagine that. If you have played some of those most recognizable

Maggie:
Iconic song. Yeah,

Rich:
They would have been like okay, I recognize.

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
That yeah, I know. I know that song.

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
You know.

Maggie:
Can’t let this email has a lot of Queen music in it. You ever watch the movie A Knight’s Tale.

Rich:
I don’t I don’t know

Maggie:
Ledger.

Rich:
Like maybe that’s an old one.

Maggie:
Yeah.

Rich:
Maybe on TV or something.

Maggie:
Oh

Rich:
God. It sounds

Maggie:
It. It’s a nice tale like you know how it takes place in like Those times of doing is it like a rom-com? Yes. Yes, ROM come for sure classic rom-com, but the entire soundtrack is Queen.

Rich:
Okay. I’ll ask Christine.

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
Feels like once she would

Maggie:
Have yeah.

Rich:
Maybe she would have seen I don’t know.

Maggie:
Anywho

Rich:
Cool cool.

Maggie:
That’s what I’ve been listening to.

Rich:
Wait, I mean hard to go wrong.

Maggie:
Yeah.

Rich:
Bombs, I’m slow to catch on a t Swift. Maybe I’ll finally Queen era.

Maggie:
I mean you are. In who was I was talking to a friend recently and she she’s meant she new you in high school.

Rich:
Don’t call me cramps. Oh my gosh,

Maggie:
And she didn’t call you Gramps. But she said that you were like you like haven’t changed you’ve had a beard since high school and you haven’t changed since high school. Like you are the same.

Rich:
I am wearing the same clothes that I yeah.

Maggie:
Yeah, but she’s like Like lovingly referred to you as like somebody in like a nice way like oh, yeah. He’s just just remember him being like always skating and like always having a he’s had a beard for his like as long as I’ve known him.

Rich:
That’s funny. That’s true. I have pretty much ever since like see like junior senior year started growing that thing pretty much never stopped. Wow. Okay, cool. Yeah, I think I’ve been pretty consistent.

Maggie:
Stead fast

Rich:
Why not? Yeah. Why not? Why ruin a good thing? That’s real Grandpa Vibe. We already talked about this but now I’m finally hit my stride.

Maggie:
Well now it’s verified.

Rich:
Yeah only took 15 years. Well, what do you what are you telling us about today, Maggie?

Maggie:
Today we’re talking about some welcome home call values and I’ve been doing right a long hard think thought process about the direction of my business and where I want to be in the next few years and not to sound cliche, but I think Going back to your values is is really important and I’ve just been doing a lot of reflecting about. what direction I want to take my life and how I want to live the next like 10 years or so. Of my career and even if I’m not in real estate anymore or even if I’m not staging anymore, like what what do I want? What kind of impact do I want to leave?

Rich:
Yeah

Maggie:
Kind of Legacy. Do I want to leave

Rich:
That’s staging

Maggie:
So what’s that? I

Rich:
Can’t imagine the future in which I welcome home cause not

Maggie:
Well, it’s actually I’m I’m open to evolving. I think it’s important to have that mindset in this in this climate that we live in now this isn’t the 40s and 50s anymore where we just like Get married at 18 and just like live our lives and do one thing for the rest of our life. Like

Rich:
I think yeah, I think it’s career in one place.

Maggie:
Yeah. I think it’s important for me as someone who is creative somebody who Has ADHD somebody who? Also just struggles with a lot of like imposter syndrome all those things and I also struggle a lot with commitment to one particular thing. This has been the one thing that has been constant in my life are like my values.

Rich:
Yeah and

Maggie:
So for today’s episode I wanted to like touch on some of those and why they’re important to me and Maybe like if you you can interrupt me and like ask any clarifying questions, this is just sort of it’s not my Manifesto.

Rich:
Yeah, right

Maggie:
Like you had but maybe you could call it that if you want to but it’s not. written down in in like paragraph form.

Rich:
Yeah, it’s

Maggie:
More bullet points.

Rich:
It doesn’t sound so obnoxious probably.

Maggie:
Well. It’s I don’t have to you don’t have to read it 10 times in order to like understand it,

Rich:
Right. Yeah, no grammar to parse out cool excited to hear so it probably no most of them.

Maggie:
Oh my values

Rich:
Not off the top I had but like Yeah, I know I said yeah, I’m probably I’ve Got a Feeling there’s a pretty familiar.

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
Knowing he was as I as well as I do.

Maggie:
Yeah you yeah for sure. You probably do.

Rich:
Well. Let’s see. Maybe I’ll be surprised.

Maggie:
So I welcome home Co. if you were to go on my website, there’s a phrase that would you would read and it would be we want to create beautiful functional spaces while maintaining practical sustainable habits. Create beautiful spaces. Sorry create beautiful functional spaces while maintaining practical sustainable habits. so I’ve always been somebody who is affected by the environment around me and I’ve always been the type of person even as a kid to want to like create and rearrange and make my space feel. Like cozy and comfortable. So and I think it really started to. like really take shape when I was a senior in college and me and my girlfriends shared an apartment together and we all painted our rooms and like my room was like two different colors and it was like it was just it had like a futon in it. It had like it was just I created like a little mini living room within my room of the apartment. And I had borrowed. A sofa and coffee table and loveseat and chair. From my sister and brother-in-law and because they were in they they didn’t need it at the time. They were like in transition living with somebody else and so they had this furniture. So it’s basically like free storage for them and like free use of furniture for me. So I was able to have like really nice adult furniture. and we hit and my my room it’s painted our apartment fire engine red on the inside and and it was just like we just thought we were so cool because we were just living this like college life, but we had this like adult feeling apartment.

Rich:
Yeah, that’s right. That’s really cool. I’m imagining it. Yeah, like what was what was the where was it red?

Maggie:
Oh the whole the living room the

Rich:
Shared spaces

Maggie:
Like all the shared spaces were like fire engine red. It was bright red. Yeah,

Rich:
It’s a five.

Maggie:
It was a Vibe wouldn’t do it today.

Rich:
That’ll wake you up.

Maggie:
But it was it was just a fun. It was a fun bright space. Yeah tall it was tall like the windows were tall. It was read but it was bright like the space was and our apartment was an old bank. So there was like a bank vault inside and it had it was above a bagel shop and it was in a really cool part of part of the city than walking distance to the bars and like all the like other apartments and stuff. So it’s really really fun place to live with my girlfriends and so as I would so like my it’s when I think about this and I didn’t occur to me until just now that a lot of the furniture and things that I had in that apartment as a senior. Was all upcycled. and repurposed or borrowed Because we were broke we didn’t have a lot of money as college students. I was saving for a car. So I wasn’t really spending a lot of extra money on anything and anything anytime I bought something it had to be secondhand so I could afford it. So. When I think about my staging business today, like welcome home code today. It’s just interesting to me that. as a young adult 2021 years old as I was creating my like individuality with like furniture and and in my spaces it was it started with that sustainability like that’s always been. Part of me in some way.

Rich:
Yeah, that’s interesting to trace back.

Maggie:
Yeah, but

Rich:
It sounds like primarily like Financial sustainability,

Maggie:
Correct? yes

Rich:
Just couldn’t afford you had to

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
Have furniture but you

Maggie:
Yep

Rich:
Didn’t need brand new stuff or do you think it was the opportunity? I don’t know. I don’t know how much you can trace this back but like you knew your relatives had hmm Furniture available.

Maggie:
Hmm,

Rich:
Right? So were you like

Maggie:
To me? I like sought it out.

Rich:
Yeah, but you okay. Whether that’s was it the specific items that you you wanted. Yeah, you’re like, oh, hey I

Maggie:
Need a cow

Rich:
Need for sure. No, they’ve got that thing. They’re not using I like it. And so let me grab that.

Maggie:
Yep.

Rich:
Possible.

Maggie:
Yeah. cool And it just worked out but if it didn’t work out to borrow that specific thing I probably would have gone to somebody else. But like hey, do you have a sofa I could borrow or hey, do you have this I can borrow because I wanted to have a nice apartment and I I have Bougie tastes and I had a beer budget.

Rich:
Yeah. Were you like this as a kid at all too? Yeah has seen I don’t know what kind of like living spit you have a big family. So yeah, like your own rooms and all

Maggie:
No we did not we did not have we do not I’ll have our own room.

Rich:
So how did this manifest like as a young person yourself?

Maggie:
Um I’m not quite sure. I just have always. I mean, I witnessed my parents grape to pennies together and be able to make something at a nothing like I know my dad worked several jobs, my mom worked several jobs and at the same time and so I watched how hard they worked and we’re able to like like provide for our basic needs and everything, but I’ve always but I’ve always wanted when it comes to like. fashionable things I’ve always looked for. a cheaper way to obtain it because Like nothing, we never purchase anything like full price though. Everything we had was either donated or secondhand or hand me downs. So I just learned at a young age to not pay retail for things and So when I was able to get my first job as a teenager, I wanted cool clothes, but I didn’t want to pay full price for them. So I got a job at American Eagle Outfitters so I could get the cool clothes for cheaper

Rich:
Right the discount.

Maggie:
Or I would go to the Abercrombie & Fitch Outlet at The Colony Center mall, and I would buy things that had stains and or rips or holes in them and learn how to repair them. Well, so I still had like the cool kid clothing. and then as an adult when I was Furnishing my own apartment or place I would like take Pottery Barn catalogs and make little vision boards of the things that I liked about a space. And then I’m like, why don’t I just go work at Pottery Barn so I can get Pottery Barn furniture for a cheaper. And so that’s what I did. I just walked into Pottery Barn and applied to work there and talk to the manager and he hired me. And that was that and so that you know fast forward that was in my mid twenties. So it’s yeah, so I don’t know that answers your question, but it’s led me.

Rich:
Yes you

Maggie:
Like circling back to like my values. It’s always been. Coming from a place of like saving money or getting a good deal. because even when it comes to my real estate clients, nothing makes me happier than saving somebody money. No matter what it is whether it’s getting a house for less than the list price which is nearly impossible in this market. So don’t even try but like helping them get their home inspection. a little bit at a discount because I’m I know the home inspector and like he’ll work with them on things or Um reducing the like getting a reduction because of you know, something negotiable or throwing something in to the offer that so they don’t have to pay for it later like a lawn mower or a snow blower or something like that like just finding ways to save people money. Even if it’s little I’ve always gotten Joy from that. It’s always brought me joy. so Yeah, saving money is is definitely something. That I want to do. I mean even take my laptop, for example, my laptop died a couple months ago and I was hemming and hawing over buying a new battery for my laptop

Rich:
Versus replacing

Maggie:
Versus replacing it

Rich:
When we were trying to convince

Maggie:
You and TJ were trying to convince me to buy a brand new laptop.

Rich:
Yeah,

Maggie:
But what I ended up doing is just replacing the battery. Yeah, because I didn’t it’s just class it. Literally that is that is me like if it still works and functions why throw it away. Yeah, my laptops almost 10 years old, but it still works and still does its job like that’s I think I’m so resistant to that because it’s such it’s such a huge part of our culture. It’s so ingrained in people to just throw things away and buy something new and that like going back to my values is something that Is part of the sustainability aspect of it is? not creating waste like saving money, but also not creating waste which is a very delicate. A thing to balance.

Rich:
Well, we know you’re a real one because at 10 years in so most people could be convinced to replace a laptop. You know what I mean. Now, we have Max and we know they really work. They go forever. Mine is also a 20 minus 2015, so it’s coming up but But you know, we we it’s 10 years it like no one would say, okay, it’s unreasonable for you to replace your 10 year old MacBook Air when it’s having issues, but you’re like, well what if it’s actually a small issue and then you you opted for that now who knows how long yeah and continue to last you and and how good do you feel because you made that decision and like I said, that’s a real one. So

Maggie:
I’m yeah and I will I expect by that I

Rich:
Had no, you know, it wasn’t I didn’t care ultimately right? But I just how how classic.

Maggie:
Yeah, and I think that does definitely go back to like Maggie as a kid who’s always like trying to save and trying to make things for less and So I’m not. I don’t know how to like accurately describe myself because I I don’t want to come across as someone who’s like a cheapskate

Rich:
Right?

Maggie:
Because I’m not I’m actually pretty bougie sometimes but I do like to save money on things and you know, I’ll spend money where it counts. But I’d rather not

Rich:
Yeah. Yeah, that’s fair. That’s cool. And I I think that’s the perfect combination right because everyone would well, okay, I can’t speak for everyone but who who wouldn’t I’d be interested to meet that person who wouldn’t want like the Finer Things,

Maggie:
You know

Rich:
It as a general thing. I think most of us do we want the nicest nice or version whatever like new or but but someone who but most of us can’t it’s Out Of Reach for the average person, you know. And so you’re like no. No, I can appreciate the Finer Things, but my experience has led me to this like understanding of how to try to get things. For Less, you know this guy and that’s that’s different than than being like cheap or settling for. The the less fine. Yeah, fine things, you know, I would I’d rather trust someone like you with with a with a process. To to get what I’m looking for then. Then someone is going to cut corners on quality. Yeah, but that’s that’s maybe that’s maybe that’s my personality and I’m projecting it but like it’s we’re talking quality. And quantity. Yes, not you know one over the other person. Yes,

Maggie:
I would say another. values would be The Details Matter,

Rich:
Right

Maggie:
So even with my staging business welcome home Co I pay attention to the details and things because I know it makes a huge difference to the end consumer the buyer of the house and I know it makes a big difference to the owner who owns the house. when when it comes to those little details and so and I think I gave an example in a previous episode of replacing Hardware in a bathroom because it was like outdated and I just think it it looked so much better.

Rich:
Just

Maggie:
Yeah photos and just for the overall look and aesthetic. And that wasn’t something that I had to do, but I knew it would make a big difference. And

Rich:
Perfect example. Yeah,

Maggie:
So The Details Matter and when it comes to sustainability, this is a huge this is the I think the biggest or the core. like value of mine is I it has to be sustainable I believe in. the sustainability of things when it comes to its end-life whether it can be recycled or whether it can be repurposed. if it all possible with my inventory at welcome home Co I do my best to shop. vintage or secondhand or flea market first, that is my first The first place I look for something is actually Facebook Marketplace if I’m looking for something specific. I’ll look on Facebook Marketplace or Um Google

Rich:
It addictions.

Maggie:
Yeah, because It’s not and I will say it’s not going to be the quickest solution. It’s just not.

Rich:
Yeah, nor the most gas from

Maggie:
Yes.

Rich:
So

Maggie:
Yeah, and you you have to be patient with with if you’re if you’re looking for something specific going Facebook Marketplace or searching for it secondhand is not going to be a quick fix, but if if I think if you adopt a mindset of a slower pace and like a curation of things of sustainability I really think that like if you can adopt that mindset, you’ll be a little bit. More satisfied with what you can find because if you’re looking for something quick and you need something. Right away. Then going full price retail is probably going to be your only option. And we’ve all been there. So there’s no judgment. If if you do that, it’s just It’s I’m aiming for that to be sustainability. Like buying it secondhand. I’m aiming for that to be my first choice all the time

Rich:
Right

Maggie:
Because there’s a serious impact of what’s called fast furniture, which is very similar to the fast fashion, which is cheap clothing that’s only worn for a season and then it gets thrown away and then it’s end up in a landfill. Far far away and it’s just not it just doesn’t decompose it just like piles up with all the rest of our garbage and fast furniture. I want to show people what’s possible in a home without spending a ton of money or buying things that are throwaway or that will end up in a landfill one day because furniture today is not designed for a longevity or to be recycled. So It ultimately just ends up in a landfill and so by shopping at a state sales or on Facebook Marketplace or on resale sites for vintage furniture. Then which I will give some resources and towards the end. is a way that you can help have a greater impact on the planet and like Who doesn’t want to have an impact on the planet? You know, we all these big companies are talking about going green and being sustainable by this date or that date in the future. And if if you can make an impact today by just buying something secondhand on Facebook Marketplace instead of purchasing it as a quick fix on a bigger Box Store. having all the packaging that it comes comes with it having to dispose of that all the styrofoam all the cardboard boxes like everything that’s in in a package to keep it safe in transit half the time it ends up broken anyway, and then that piece gets either in a landfill along with the packaging and then they send it to you again, and it’s just it just creates this Perpetual cycle of throwaway culture that I personally have a very hard time with and I struggle with when I see tons of garbage and tons of packaging and and things that just just it’s it’s unnecessary. So and we’ve all been there. So there’s again there’s no judgment because like we have all been there but I am in my business really making it my mission. to lean towards not really purchasing anything. new and and leaving that as a last resort. We’re making buying something new Last Resort.

Rich:
Yeah. That’s fair. It’s cool. Sometimes like in with when you have a business you it creates a lot of opportunities that you don’t necessarily get to have as a with your personal bank account, you know. Yeah, and I mean, I guess there’s different ways of running in business but best advice is separate your business and your personal finances, right and have kind of like your business stuff and you know a business is just like the the money coming in is usually higher amounts. I mean the money going out is also higher amounts, but there’s a lot of things you can choices you can make that wouldn’t necessarily be feasible to make in your on your personal budget. but like the business with a different scale can create new opportunities to to consume differently or or give back or like support organizations that you personally value but like You do it through your business which is still representation of of your you know your values so it’s

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
I’m relating to that. Yeah, but

Maggie:
Yeah.

Rich:
Yeah fast furniture

Maggie:
Fast furniture and there’s an article which I’ll leave in the show notes. It was written by Francesca Perry and the Articles titled like Fast fashion fast furniture is a problem for our planet. And the author talks about concept called circular design and describes it as the concept of circular design has gained increasing traction over the last decade in circular in a circular system Furniture products would be made without virgin materials be designed to last longer and be fully reusable or recyclable. Thus forming a closed loop. and talking about

Rich:
That’s cool

Maggie:
Like and when in reference to products made without virgin materials, she’s referring to like deforestation and how there’s a huge problem with lumber prices and like forests just being torn down because for the use of furniture and other goods and I’m not gonna like go into the entire article, but it’s definitely worth a read and something to think about the next time you are purchasing something like for like if you need a new dining room table. All I ask is simply rather than searching on one of the bigger box furniture stores, either whether it’s an Ikea or a Target or an Amazon or a Pottery Barn all of which places I shop. But I’m slowly trying to stop shopping. They’re all together. That’s my little like asterisk. All I ask is that you simply go to Facebook or go to Craigslist or a website or a local estate sale and look there first and just peruse around and see what’s available because chances are you are going to find something that might not be as expensive as what you would pay for something brand new. at one of those bigger name stores but you may be spending like a little bit of money, but it would be you would be keeping. packaging materials out of the landfill you’d be helping save trees and you would just be reusing something that Generations before you got to enjoy on a table like you can talk about it could be a conversation piece at your next dinner party or Thanksgiving or holiday or whatever and you can be like, yeah, I got this table at such and such and you know, it’s a cup. So there’s there’s just so much more to it than just saving money. It’s it’s all about for me at least like having a greater impact and if more people chose to buy things like that second hand. I think it would have such a bigger impact on the wider Furniture Market and would force retailers and places to They rethink the way they are manufacturing their goods and selling them to people. You look like you’re about to say something.

Rich:
I’m just thinking through that. I mean, you know, it’s kind of a no-brainer. It’s yeah,

Maggie:
It’s

Rich:
So easy to find. Decent stuff or really nice stuff. used obviously for less and well, I less less for what it is. Usually right usually right? That’s why we we do that. We try to get a used price on something. But yeah, there’s such there’s such good stuff out there and I mean, you know, we’re not trying to be Judgy, definitely not trying to be judgy. I’m also thinking of like the people who don’t care about the environment. Yeah, you know

Maggie:
And

Rich:
I am probably that type of person more than on the other end of that like I don’t I mean, how can I

Maggie:
But I don’t talk about it’s not on the Forefront of your mind. It’s not something I talk about. Okay is really

Rich:
All that is because it’s not like my choices and my behavior doesn’t reflect someone. Yeah, I recycle like Almost okay. I recycle most of what I can you know through my household garbage or in the business? And we’ve done we kind of done that from the beginning we’ve gone back and forth on it in terms of how how committed we are to it. Abby’s really actually big on it. So her being there sort of yeah, the initiative is there but I support it and I follow through on that, you know, yeah. I’m not going to not recycle because I don’t care.

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
Versus her ultimately I do care and I You know, I remember calling out a friend recently on throwing away an aluminum candy even and

Maggie:
Yeah and horrible person.

Rich:
How did there the worst no one that I no one? No

Maggie:
One in this

Rich:
No one in this room though.

Maggie:
No.

Rich:
Um, so like there’s

Maggie:
It’s a it’s hard to recycle. Like it. Yeah, it can be and not to go on another tangent but like half the stuff that we recycle only like 0.5% of it actually is recycled.

Rich:
So maybe like there’s a lot of reasons to not care potentially or there’s a lot of reasons to not want to invest in this way of of living

Maggie:
My point. Is that like yes half the stuff that we put in our recycling bin doesn’t actually get recycled. But one thing you can control is Buying something like you can control what you buy

Rich:
And that’s the point right? I mean, yeah yours yours. You’re just taking my point running. Okay, that’s exactly where I was going.

Maggie:
Okay,

Rich:
Which is totally fine. I’m just I’m backing up what you’re Ultimately, we’re saying I guess I get something out to two different thinking of like two different things one right? I’m thinking. I agree with you. I I kind of like our your passion for this resonates with me. I Largely do the same thing when I can do I do it more because I know you than I would have otherwise, maybe I don’t know. But like there are people out there who they hear people talk about things. Where they’re justification for something is oh save the environment say yeah the car or like climate change or whatever right? And you know, they kind of tune out when they hear that kind of talk because it’s like It’s a political. Yeah framing or some other things

Maggie:
Overwhelming.

Rich:
Okay. Sure. There’s a lot of Institute out on that and I’m just thinking of those people who don’t value that and I’m like at the end of the day. We’re not like a podcast that’s here to talk about that kind of thing necessarily or even that’s not part of our you know, you and I are leading this movement to do this and that so yeah, that’s not the point because we’re just trying to say every one of us can can actually Make choices that have with it will have an impact even if it’s a very localized short-term or or ultimately long-term, but with like just this one choice, you know the impact of that. It’s like it’s it’s not about it’s not about the bigger. Politicalization of these things. We’re not doing this with an agenda as I think I mean you you might have an agenda and that’s

Maggie:
Why I don’t have but

Rich:
You’re not bringing here and trying to trying to have this whole Okay, I’m just about

Maggie:
Well,

Rich:
Let me just finish this thought and then and then if you want if you like,

Maggie:
I

Rich:
Don’t think there’s pushed back. I’m not there’s yeah, there’s nothing I’m I’m disagreeing with you here on

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
I’m just I’m imagining this segment of people who

Maggie:
They

Rich:
Hear things like this because I listen to a lot of NPR right and they talk but I’m not like liberal person or or Democratic in my political leanings per se right, but that’s a very much

Maggie:
I I open the way and I am liberal

Rich:
Sure,

Maggie:
Right that’s just a differentiate where we both stand on things,

Rich:
But I’m not anti.

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
A lot of the things but I I listen to that but I also Um, it’s very much like the agenda on so much of what especially our local NPR station, they literally produce programs on the climb on like climate things Earthwise and other things that are like locally produce, which is cool. So that’s something they champion.

Maggie:
This is gonna get me down a whole rich, but I don’t understand though is like for those people who for whatever put political affiliations aside. Why wouldn’t somebody want to protect our Earth it’s a place where we live. It’s

Rich:
That’s that’s

Maggie:
Our greatest system. It’s our environment. It’s our air quality. It’s our soil quality. It’s our What we eat what we produce why wouldn’t somebody want to protect that

Rich:
That is a phenomenal question. And I don’t know it shouldn’t have to be political. I don’t I agree. I agree. I’m I’m just trying to bring that all the way back around to say like that’s kind of my point. That’s my point too is

Maggie:
We should be stewards of the

Rich:
Earth are simple things that affects this is what I don’t understand same thing as I don’t understand about people who tune out when they hear language like this because I’m like, this is just common sense stuff about how to how coexist.

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
Planet, you know for now and later

Maggie:
Like there’s so I I know other agenda that I have other than protecting the planet. and and the future generations of people yeah and leaving a legacy of of good. Yeah.

Rich:
Great agenda and what I love about your approach to it is The is like it’s not about all that you possibly could do and you need to do it or you’re the worst right? It’s it’s exactly the Opposites. Like hey, there’s actually really simple accessible things you can do to change your way of thinking about this or change certain patterns of behavior and you know, maybe influence a friend or two around that same kind of thing. It’s like all our Collective little efforts are what’s ultimately gonna make

Maggie:
Exactly

Rich:
The difference, you know, and that that makes it accessible and brings it home and that no

Maggie:
Pun intended.

Rich:
And that’s exactly where I was. Where I wanted to land, that’s where I wanted to land with. What I was starting to say is like it’s like you don’t have to have an agenda. You don’t there’s no it not an agenda here. You know that has this like thing

Maggie:
Right

Rich:
Behind it. We’re trying to Make you think you know a certain way certain way other than to say like like Common Sense. Yeah

Maggie:
It to me. It’s common sense like All asking is if you are going to buy a piece of furniture. Check check your local garage sales. Check your Facebook Marketplace and all these These are the resources. I’m going to mention in a second before. You hit. Add to cart on a bigger store and submit your order on something that’s going to come with a ton of cardboard and styrofoam packaging and you might possibly have to reorder it because it will come broken. That’s all. What’s happened,

Rich:
Honestly and it’s like such a hassle and like I’m

Maggie:
Wasted and yeah. You can just when you give something that’s been loved preloved a new home and you know, pass it on. Yeah, so Okay. I know this might I said I’m going to make try not to make this overwhelming or whatever because these are things that you can control so ways to start. Number one join a free quote unquote free group. on Facebook I’m in a group called Community shares and it’s for my local town. I think it’s called like Scotia Glenville Community shares.

Rich:
Is it the same as like a buy nothing group?

Maggie:
And language it’s so it is the same thing as a buy nothing group. However, I am not in a buy nothing group. I used to be and I’m not anymore because I was kicked out.

Rich:
As you were trying to buy everything no.

Maggie:
No. The reason I was Christina is in one and I know

Rich:
It’s calls and

Maggie:
I will I will give me 60 seconds. I was kicked out of the group because I posted something for a client that lived in in the village and didn’t have Facebook and it was a coffee table because again, it was a free piece of furniture and I thought somebody could use it didn’t want to ending up in a landfill. So I took a picture of the coffee table and I posted it out on the buy nothing group and And the admins saw that I posted it and they were like this doesn’t belong here because it’s it’s not in this location and I replied to her and I was like, it’s for a client of mine. whatever and they deleted my post and kicked me out of the group for that. So the admins of the one hyperlocal to us are are on a bit of a Power Trip

Rich:
Hardcore, dude,

Maggie:
And they’re very hardcore. so I’m not allowed back in that group, but the Facebook Community shares page is way more relaxed and way like the admins in that group are like way nicer and they they don’t like police things as heavily as but I have heard other cities around the area like around the country another states have amazing buy nothing groups with like people who are just in it to like for the greater good of people and not in for like policing people and having like power over a small group. so that’s my own little that’s my personal experience with with the group.

Rich:
Right?

Maggie:
So be that as it may you could create another thing you could do is create an estate sales.net account. And it’s an app or a website, but the app is also called the state sales.net. You can create an account and type in your ZIP code. And look up estate sales that are coming up locally in your area and they post photos of what is there and I have sent links to you and Christine multiple times of things that I think that you would like or that would be used for the shop and they post the address of the of the estate sale 24 hours before the estate sale starts and you can favorite and like things and save things and if you’re looking for a state sales in other areas, like every time I go on vacation, I check out estate sales where I am always wherever I’m going and that’s fine. I’m always looking at a state sales wherever I travel and I’ve been able to bring back some really cool pieces from other from other areas. During the summer the spring summer. there are area wide garage sales. Mine has one every year my neighborhood has one every year. You can go to flea markets. You can go to I mean their whole areas of like County like Saratoga County garage sale, and it’s like at like some Fairgrounds somewhere so Look up those events in your local area and save them and look if you’re looking for something specific. Dining room chairs or a coffee table or a bookshelf or whatever you will definitely find something at your local flea market. if you have to buy something brand new. My suggestion would be to shop your local boutiques or go on a verified resellers website. So local boutiques for us would be like be inspired. She has a lot of beautiful decor and like rugs and textiles things like that shout out to And from Be Inspired, I almost said on Anna but I was like the Ani. I know I always I was like tripping up my words. It’s not that I didn’t forget her name but Annie

Rich:
Stories, her story is great. We used to share our second location of story used to share a space.

Maggie:
Mm-hmm

Rich:
In in Schenectady. She just moved from there.

Maggie:
Yep

Rich:
To her open the new one. Yes,

Maggie:
And I haven’t been there yet, but it’s on my life. I want to check out

Rich:
But so yeah, she’s got stuff. That’s like the rugs eventually are like vintage. Yeah, that’s kind of repurpose. But everything else is, you know, basically new. Affordable but like nice but it’s low. Yeah, you’re supporting local at that point and that’s

Maggie:
Or you could go. Just if you’re looking for like smaller Goods, you can go to Schenectady Trading Co and they have some like Artisan Goods. That would be something to check out and local makers local makers. Yeah apply that place and I would also recommend checking out cherish and that is spelled c h a i r i s h like a chair you sit in. It’s cute. Yes, super cute. It’s a curated market for the best in vintage and contemporary furniture decor and art so you can actually search on cherish key terms for things and they have like verified resellers. It’s kind of like Etsy, but you can and you can also find furniture and rugs and things on Etsy as well. And

Rich:
Not that cheap though.

Maggie:
No, not that cheap. But again, if if you’re gonna if you’re if you have a budget for something and you’re willing to spend a pretty penny on something why not first try finding it secondhand, that’s just my perspective because coming from somebody who used to work Furniture retailer Pottery Barn. Easily could spend 3,500 on a brand new dining table. If that’s in your budget, why not look for something secondhand? That’s still amazing quality.

Rich:
Yeah for

Maggie:
Maybe 1000 or 1500 dollars. It’s still less than what you would pay at a bigger place like that. And then the last thing I wanted to share was books. I plan on checking out and book there’s only two The first book is called broken mending and repair in a throwaway World by Katie Craig trageddon. I hope I didn’t mispronounce her name tregeden who’s bought t r e g g i d e n. The book is broken mending and repair in a throwaway world. And the second book that I want to check out that I plan on checking out is called radical matter rethinking materials for a sustainable future by Kate Franklin. medical matter by Kate Franklin and that’s all I got for today. Hope I hope this helps you understand a little bit more about my values as a business owner of Welcome Home Co.

Rich:
That has helped me immensely.

Maggie:
You heard it here first.

Rich:
No, I guess that I am. Nothing shocking for me today, but it is. Is a I was cool to hear. more behind the scenes of somebody’s business and great resources to share actually pretty excited

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
Maybe I’ll pick one up books up. All right.

Maggie:
What are you looking forward to?

Rich:
What am I looking forward to? Like I thought of this earlier this always happens to me.

Maggie:
I can tell you what I’m looking forward to do. I’m looking forward to the finale. of blind

Rich:
Well,

Maggie:
Well the finale is already on but I’m looking forward to the reunion. which at when you when you hear this episode we’ll already be aired but it’s a

Rich:
Yeah,

Maggie:
It’s that trashy Netflix show that everyone’s talking about

Rich:
Just I’m happy for you that you have something like

Maggie:
Thanks.

Rich:
Um, I’ve been excited about spring. springing in because there’s fun stuff that happens in the spring like the Troy and garden tours always cool and just warmer weather. I like hate the cold so always down always down for that. um while I have you on the line, I wanted to say this last time we were recording but I didn’t have the chance because we were rush we were kind of rushed but there was an episode like there was an episode of couple back where we’re okay. We were talking about how I was I was talking about how to move my storage unit.

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
And And then I’ve I didn’t. I was listening back to that with like Christine and Rachel and I was just hearing it like I was hearing it. fresh and there was a part where we’re going back and we’re talking about you know, you said you go to the gym.

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
So you can maintain your your life style around staging and and it sounded like I was sounded like I was Doubt like

Maggie:
Downplay.

Rich:
I don’t know what I was doing. But yeah, I was like man’s play that’s later why you’re work is not as difficult as what I had just experienced in my one-off.

Maggie:
Oh

Rich:
Attempt of moving this like a storage unit stuff

Maggie:
And I

Rich:
Was listening back. That’s like that sounds so lame. It’s I sound so dumb and I didn’t mean any

Maggie:
I didn’t

Rich:
Like yeah, obviously,

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
Obviously, so I just wanted to call yeah myself out for that because he’s like, whatever I said, I didn’t mean to say it that way. I don’t think but it’s like sounded stupid. Like I was like minimizing you’re you’re accomplishment says you’re homes danger. Yeah, so I’m shout out to you and and all That you do and how much harder you work than I do physical basis. Yeah, for sure. It’s a liberal of Love. Yeah,

Maggie:
We do what we love

Rich:
So just for the record stretch, you know any anything. Well, thanks for tuning in this here episode. I believe that it’s 40

Maggie:
Episode 4 episode 40

Rich:
And we just want to thank you for being here with us this long. Maybe you’re tuning in like more recently or maybe been with us the whole time don’t know but but if you’re hearing this, we appreciate you and

Maggie:
For sure.

Rich:
You’re enjoying. Everything we’re bringing you if you got any ideas or questions Maggie and I are kind of breaking out more on how we’re approaching our topic. So there’s hopefully creating more room for those kind of things. So hit us up.

Maggie:
Yeah. How’s coffee? com for specific questions about what we talk about here is you can talk to me about sustainability. You can send Richard coffee questions. We’re here for it.

Rich:
All right, Joe

Maggie:
Later.

Rich:
Peace.