I’m a sucker for a good quote. The ability to sum up an idea or concept succinctly is a very compelling thing. Words are powerful. String the right words together and they have the ability to heal, to hurt, to motivate and turn something on inside the soul. To me the digestion of words is therapy. When I just can’t, words help me do. They help organize my thoughts and emotions and motivate me to act. I have collected a few insanely well-written sentences and included my not so dynamic ramblings about why they are fuel to me. “Creativity is a highfalutin word for the work I have to do between now and Tuesday.” –Ray Kroc I am often thought of as a “creative”. What does that even mean? On most days I feel like Ray Kroc hit the nail on the head. Plus, I like that really successful people use the word “highfalutin”. “Leave it better than you found it.” –Bruce A. Nordstrom This is a dang good way to allow yourself room to breathe. The redesign of a room can be rather suffocating at the start. The expectations of what you can and need to do can out […]

It is my belief that the “Craftsman” is becoming an endangered species. A nose to the grindstone, unassuming species, adorned with tool belts slung across their shoulders or hung around their waists, their name is “Craftsmen.” By nature, they are accommodating and analytical, and they produce highly precise and accurate work; but they have been hunted to near extinction by an aggressive and unhappy race of new consumers. Now they can be found wandering around alongside the giant panda, the Grus Americana whooping crane, and other endangered species. A person of this species is highly skilled at working in the manual arts and is motivated by the mastery of his trade. He is an artisan with distinctive, technical, tireless skill. He builds the infrastructure of our daily lives through the trades which include electrical, mechanical, framing, HVAC, finish carpentry, stone masonry, plumbing, and more. We believe these are jobs and people we must value. Let’s get to the “how do you kill them” part. To kill a craftsman, you’ve gotta hit ‘em where it counts. A true craftsman is highly skilled and innovative. He puts his soul into everything he touches. He deserves our respect. So, load your ammo and […]

Water.  She’s a sneaky beast.  Most of us think of her as someone we want to vacation with, relax next to or drink to hydrate.  We don’t think about water as an enemy.  We don’t comprehend her immense and widespread power which can crush cities and destroy lives.   When I was just two weeks home from the hospital after giving birth to child number 1, Hurricane Ike landed on the coast of Texas and aggressively wreaked havoc through the Midwest, causing devastation as far north as Pennsylvania.  I will never forget that early Sunday morning in September 2008, when the rain fell in St. Louis as a waterfall might from the sky.  It never stopped. After five straight hours, we had enough rain to raise our river levels to a disastrous flooding stage, and it brought with it a shitload of trouble to my door.   At the time, my brother-in-law worked for the St. Louis County P.D;  Luckily, he was in charge of shutting down and diverting traffic around one of the main arteries in our city.  He happened to be working four blocks away from our company front door.  Realizing the area was beginning to flood with […]

Recently, I’ve been up late at night. Thinking. About you, the consumer. What can a small business like mine do to set themselves apart? How do we tell you, show you, that we are unique or different? How do we communicate to you that we are #nothingordinary? I can honestly say that some days it feels like an almost impossible feat. Right now, in fact, I can imagine it to be a little like hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) barefoot with no supplies, all 2,650 miles of it. Everyone is competing for your attention. Companies like Google and Facebook have entire armies of people dedicated to the acquisition of your attention. Entrepreneurs like me, well, we have ourselves. So here I sit, on a Tuesday night, kids tucked into bed, a full day of work complete and my job (well my second job) is to figure out what I can do for you. What can I do to be relevant and helpful? What can I do to get you to keep coming back? If I think about why you seek us out, what you need from us, the answer is easy…information. Lots and lots of information. We have to […]

Famously Sought-After Design By Grounded Professionals  In a world more and more focused on personal divides, sometimes it’s something as domestic as home design to remind us that we all have more in common than we think. Sometimes the very idea that we are each unique, and want that uniqueness reflected in our spaces, is the common thread that binds us together. So it’s not really surprising then, that the resource you and I use for design inspiration and professionals would be the same tool used by famous Hollywood actor, Jenna Fischer. When St. Louis native, Fischer, wanted to surprise her sister with a complete living space renovation, she turned to Houzz.com and local expert, Jenny Rausch, Designer/Owner of Karr Bick Kitchens and Bath, to make her unique renovation dreams come true. Fischer’s sister, Emily, and her family live in a St. Louis home that originally belonged to their grandparents. Chock full of wonderful family memories, the home was a diamond in the rough with its cramped, closed-off floorplan and outdated kitchen. Once Jenna brought Jenny from Karr Bick on board, the two were able to communicate design ideas and vision cross country using the tools on Houzz.com. Jenna wanted […]

Some Dads can fix a leaky sink and fashion space suits out of duct tape.  Others cure acne and lube a car motor with Windex.   My Dad, however, has 180 uses for the ever- so- glamorous joint cement bucket.  I am not sure I realized it until recently when I found myself in need of some extremely large containers to mix flavored water for a party I was hosting.  The first thing that came to mind was to hop in the car, go to Home Depot and buy a 5 gallon bucket with a lid and “ta-da” a cheap and easy way to mix and transport massive amounts of water for a large crowd that I decided to infuse with lemons and limes (that’s another neurotic blog post for different time).  As I proudly carried in my 3 shiny new buckets the girls in the office asked, “What on earth made you think to buy those?”   I looked at the buckets and half a beat later decided it was just genetics. Let’s step back in time about 35 years.  My Dad is in construction (hence my professional choice I suppose) and he drove a big yellow van (then a big white […]

We have a confession to make. The new Wonder Woman movie is hitting theaters this week and, here at Karr Bick, we’re kind of geeking out. Our fearless leader, Jenny Rausch, has been a fan since she was 5 and got her first pair of Wonder Woman Underoos. So superpowers have become sort of a thing around our showroom. Collectively we use our powers to create “nothing ordinary” spaces. And have no fear, we’ve replaced our underoos with some super cool gear. Click here to visit our “nothing ordinary” shop.     Read Becky’s “nothing ordinary” story and discover her superpower             Read Jill’s “nothing ordinary” story and discover her superpower         At Karr Bick, we strive to continuously recognize the personal and professional “superpowers” within ourselves, our colleagues and our clients. We believe this is a key ingredient in our success in creating “nothing ordinary,” out of this world spaces. Meet our cast of characters: Jenny Rausch, designer, and owner: “I like to think my superpower is recognizing other people’s strengths,” says Jenny. “In fact, even a weakness can be cultivated for good because our weakness can be the core of […]

Adam is our Wendy's husband. They have two very tall almost adult boys and love to listen to live music and camp. He is also affectionately known as “our granite guy!” I would say Adam certainly challenges me. We come at most profound discussions from divergent planets. But somehow we remain good friends, are respectful of each other's limits and make endless attempts to listen to one another's point of view. This is really quite spectacular given how intensely demonstrative we both can be. He is in active pursuit of the live music experience. He rides his mountain bike (that does not have gears) all over the Midwestern woods and backcountry. He reads Steven King and Hemmingway and Bradbury (someday I will get him to read my favorite) but also finds The Onion a good read. Here is Adam in all his complexity, in his own words:

Jill is a 45-year old married teacher. She would tell you she has two bonus children and a dog through her marriage to Chuck. Jill was my original inspiration for the #NothingOrdinary line. She is by every definition an athlete. At one point I had these Karr Bick Logo beach towels as a giveaway. I gave one to Jill, and she started sending me pictures from her races and triathlons of the towel on her bike or sitting with her gear. She would say, "I am representing today!" Seeing how early she got up every morning and how aggressively she chased her goals inspired me. I felt part of it all somehow because my towel was part of it. Fast forward to this idea we’ve adopted into our Karr Bick culture: every single day we strive for #NothingOrdinary. I realized it extends to all things and all people. Jill was 100% #NothingOrdinary in her pursuit of running a race in all 50 states, in the way she vigorously chases goals, and in the way she loves and takes care of the people around her. I wanted her to be able to wear a reminder on her sleeve that what she does is nothing short of extraordinary. I also wanted to reminders of what it is I strive to be. Never stop trying. Never stop fighting. Never stop challenging yourself. Do not stop trying to shift the world or bring the magic. Me: “Who has been your most powerful mentor in life?” Jill: “My Co-Workers. I work with two amazing who are teachers and have three children. Their husbands work nights and I don’t know how they do it. Also, my husband. (but don’t tell him, he has a big head already).”

Becky has been married to Steve for 25 years and has three amazing boys (really really really amazing!): Andy (24), JD (21) and Luke (19). They own and operate a business that sells large tent washing and drying machines. Becky is a light-bringer. She is the quiet mighty. Becky is one of those people who stays steady wherever she goes, never shifting in times of stress or turmoil. She will shoulder the load, and you don't know she is doing it. Her happiness is contagious. It makes her a natural leader. A Becky quote, in her own words: Me: “What is the best compliment you've ever received?” Becky: “I have had a file (for about 20-ish years) labeled “Happy, ” and I put things in there that make me happy, like notes from my family and friends. “Thanks for being the best Ma that ever lived” or “I’ll be there to take care of you, and I promise to shave you if you grow facial hair, Love Luke.” And one came from an email string – I directed a women’s retreat over a long weekend, and the week after, the emails of gratitude brought me to tears, and my husband’s response was pretty cool.” To read Steve's note about Becky and the rest of Becky's story click here