Janet Parkinson was at a crossroad in her professional life.
She had sold her decorative glass business and was starting to do interior decorating and colour consulting. Her life took another turn when her mother’s health started to decline. To provide care and support, her mother moved from Moose Jaw to Saskatoon.
The move wasn’t easy.
Parkinson’s mother’s home needed renovations and touch-ups before it was presentable to put on the market. And there were decisions to be made regarding what things to throw away, give away and sell. Moving often means downsizing. Parkinson was involved in all aspects for her mother.
Parkinson’s mother passed away in February 2018, leaving her daughter with wonderful memories, and an idea to make moves easier for people like her mother.
called Changing Spaces by Design.
“I was reflecting later in 2018 and I thought, ‘Wow what a journey that was.’ I would do it again in a heartbeat for her, and then I thought about everyone else out there.
“How do they make that transition from their homes of 30, 40, 50 years? Who does it for them? Is it family; is it friends? We all have different lives, but we are not all fortunate to have family available to accommodate that transition and move.”
Parkinson knew she could help and started a business called Changing Spaces by Design. She would help clients close one door and open another as seamlessly as possible. It’s never easy, given the emotional attachment people have to their homes and the treasures within them.
“I thought maybe I can offer that service from getting the house ready for sale, throwing out things, selling things and giving away things.”
She would apply her career in interior decorating to do a floor plan for the new home. That way she could determine which pieces of furniture would fit and which wouldn’t.
If clients don’t have a Realtor, she can recommend one. She said everyone she works with is insured, trustworthy and provides high-quality work.
She was like a wedding planner, but in moving. “I would do everything; all you would do on the day of the move is move out. I would be the co-ordinator of everything. I would work with the movers to get your new home set up. Your pictures will be hung, your kitchen plates and towels and everything would be in place for you, with a map of where everything is — like a list so you aren’t totally lost. Really all you would have to do is walk in, pull the sheets back and get into bed.”
Parkinson said the process begins with a meeting with the person moving and ideally with at least one family member. She does what she calls a discovery at the person’s home.
“I need to be in the home to determine how long the whole process is going to be. We are not talking about taking the time to pack and move things and sell things or give away things. We are talking about the emotional aspect. I would access and determine how the client is feeling about this whole process.”
She said a key is knowing who made decision for the move. “Is this the client’s decision? All of those are really important factors in how I would handle a particular situation.
When it is their decision, they get to decide when and where. When the decision is made for them, it is a very difficult transition and has to be handled with tender loving care.” After that, the decluttering process begins. Parkinson said clients don’t have to take the complete package.
“The form that I have goes through all the services. We think of all the things you have to get done.” She said her business isn’t just for seniors, but they are her focus. “My demographic is the senior community although it could be anyone. If someone is transferred, they can phone me up and say, ‘take care of it because I have to be at work Monday morning a week from now and I have so many things to take care of. I don’t have time to pack.’ Of course, I would want to take that opportunity to help that client.”
She said she knows from her mother’s experience how stressful decisions on moving are. “I want to alleviate the stress that goes along with moving for seniors. With our parents, we just want to be there for them, we will be there for them and have been there for them. I don’t want people to be afraid. There is a service out there that can help you get through this.”
-Cam Hutchinson