L'Accent, Ltd. (or "Branding an Interior Design firm")

I had a great coffee date today (at Chocolate Springs...my favorite remote "office") with a fabulous new interior designer in the area, Elise Abrams of L'Accent, Ltd..  I say "new" because she's only been in the Berkshires for about three years (she divides her time between Monterey and NYC).  Being a lifelong lover of unique furniture and antiques, she quickly realized the Berkshires was the perfect place to live and began designing spaces for people she met while on her own personal search for beautiful things.  She has often been called upon to stage houses that are on the market, businesses/office spaces or create a certain "look" for private events.

But what I find most interesting about her business is that people pay her to find that "one special piece"...  I mean, really!  She gets paid to go shopping?!  I've seen a few of those "get paid to shop" ads before, but I never believed them. (I'm kidding, of course...what Elise does is not quite the same deal!).

Anyway, we're going to work on some branding ideas and I just can't wait!  She has such beautiful taste (not only in decor, but apparel, too, as she always comes bopping in wearing new Louboutins!), I  can't wait to help her come up with some new designs!

Learning curves for a PR consultant

So, it's funny.  When I'm writing blogs for my clients (view one here), it just seems to come naturally...I could go on and on about all the cool stuff that they have going on.  Same goes for the marketing and design aspects...I'm so "outside-the-box" with the fun, quirky ideas that I'm becoming known for.  But then I start focusing on my own business and it's like, "Um...what?"  Don't get me wrong, it isn't that I'm not SUPER excited about the work that I'm doing (I LOVE what I do!), but all my ideas tend to start swirling around in my head like a destructive tornado and I start thinking, "I'd really like an Oreo and a glass of wine...together...right now."  Good thing this doesn't usually happen early in the morning!  LOL

Okay, so with all that being said, I've decided that I need to break down my "Luxe-ness" into categories, but I want your input (a little bit later...I'll give you the signal).  Since the Berkshires really is an amazing place to live (don't just take my word for it, Smithsonian Mag thinks so too, apparently!) I think I need to discuss the best of everything.  So here are my categories: Arts, Dining, Shopping (this will be home decor and clothing...although more home decor, because I don't think my Virginia Tech sweatshirts--though completely awesome--exude the whole "luxe" appeal), Antiques, Wedding/Event Venues, Lodging and maybe even People.  Oh, and probably something for pets, since I'm beginning to think I may have a hoarding problem.

So now, this is where I'd like your input.  Do you want to wake up every morning and wonder, "What category will Tara discuss today?"  Or should I do something like Twitter's "Travel Tuesday" (or #TT), "Wedding Wednesday" (#WW) and so on? (I haven't figured out what the other days are supposed to be, and truthfully, I thought Wednesdays were about Weight Watchers for the longest time...)

Let me know your thoughts!  I know right now, no one really knows about this blog yet, so I'll probably just hear from my mom, sister or maybe cousin.  But that's okay...you guys count, too! ;)

Hello...let me introduce myself!

Well, it seems like this has been a long time in the making, but I'm so excited to announce that there are some really fun things going on in my neck of the woods!  For the last six years, I've owned my own business that provides business support services (marketing, office organization, personal assistance to solopreneurs, etc.) and this has allowed me to meet all kinds of terrific people!

Last year, I was fortunate enough to get involved in the Lenox Wedding Tour, which brought luxury event planners to the Berkshires for a scouting trip.  Our mission was to raise awareness of the Berkshires as a luxury destination wedding location...I mean, really, we live in an amazing region!  It's basically Newport without the ocean (but SO much more!).

I quickly realized that marketing the Berkshires was the direction in which I wanted to take my own business.  I'm passionate about everything we have to offer here...a cultural mecca, fabulous shopping, fine (really fine!) dining, and so on.  And so here we are...I've dedicated this blog to highlighting some of the amazing things (services AND products) that the Berkshires has to offer (i.e., we're not just a bunch of country bumpkins...we're bumpkins with a lot of class!).

This is a work in progress, but as we begin this process and get to know each other better, I think it'll be great!  Here's to new endeavors!  Enjoy!