We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christina Stewart. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christina below.
Hi Christina, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I believe it started pretty early…I remember being about 6 years old and kneeling on the seat of my dad’s old white chevy pickup. I can still hear his voice in my head saying “keep it straight Sissy keep it straight” as I would steer the truck down the row through the field as he threw bails of hay on the back. Oh man, can I tell you how special and grown up that made me feel? I loved time on the ranch with my dad.
It wasn’t much later when my dad was hurt working on the ranch and became disabled. This made life pretty difficult at times. I watched my parents work so hard for every penny as I grew up. I learned so much about making due with what you have or learning to create what you wanted because there usually wasn’t the money to buy it.
My dad showed me how to swing a hammer at an early age. Many times, I remember pulling out that hammer to help put on a new roof, build rooms onto our trailer or whatever needed to be fixed. If we wanted heat in our house, we would go out and cut wood with the chainsaw as this was our only heat source…of course going to the mountains for wood always meant a picnic too.
My mom taught me how to sew when I was pretty little. I wanted Barbie clothes and so designing and learning to sew and crochet were the ticket to making her look fabulous.
My parents were the best examples of work, compassion and love towards others. I remember often my dad would take the last couple of dollars from his wallet to give to a stranger that was down on his luck. My moms compassion and concern for others was beautiful. I am very lucky to have had such a safe and loving childhood. I guess in the back of my head there is always this little voice that tells me to keep going. I would never want to let them down.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
All About You Rentals was created about 5 years ago. The thought of having a space for clients to come and be inspired to create their vision for whatever event they are planning was so exciting to me. It’s the best feeling when you or your hubby finishes a project, and someone walks into the shop and is excited about what YOU created. It makes your heart want to burst…Seriously it’s one of the best feelings! Talk about a dopamine dump!
I love to design and see what things can become. Pairing modern clean lines with vintage pieces that have history are probably one of my favorites. We offer décor for all events such as backdrops, centerpieces, signage and everything in-between. We have decorated for large corporate events, and TV commercials to baby showers and bridal showers. Weddings are the dominant favorite as we do a couple hundred each year. When a new client comes to the shop, I walk them through each step of their event and help them design their vision. I believe we are all different and our events should show that.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I received a couple pieces of advice when I started this journey. 1 – Do not tour any other shops. Do it your way and the way you feel things should be done.
This has been the best advice for me. I have never been to another rental shop and do not feel the need too. It has been a journey trying to create a space that I hope my clients feel comfortable and excited! We have 1000’s of options to choose from and I want each of my clients to feel inspired to design their dream event!
2 – Always find something to be excited about.
Working crazy long days for months at a time can be super exhausting so this advice has been a life saver to me. When I am completely spent and my bucket is empty I create something new. I know it sounds crazy but it’s exciting to me and gets me right back on track.
3 – It’s Worth IT!!!
All the tears, aches, pains, and OH did I say tears….yeah there will be quite a few of those it’s so worth every little bit! I have grown and stretched and learned more than I ever thought I had the capacity to do.
Enjoy the journey!
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
This summer has been a hard one. Balancing family and a small business can be tough most of the time but when a family member gets sick, I mean really sick, it is so difficult. We are just on the tail end of my person…my cheerleader…my rock…my support system…my everything getting well from a 4 month session of being really ill. Several stays in the hospital, IV’s 4 times a day at home…Yeah, to say it was hard is an understatement. The worry, lack of sleep, stress, and work load are almost unbearable but each day you pick yourself up and be grateful that he is still here and for the extra strength that God has given you to get through this. I am beyond grateful for the kindness and patience of my clients, the sweet gestures of love from family and neighbors. Life is good.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.allaboutyourentals.com
- Instagram: @allaboutyourentals
- Facebook: @allaboutyourentals
Image Credits
@neishajean.co
