Today we’d like to introduce you to Katy Beth McGahey.
Katy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My whole life I have enjoyed re-working spaces to ensure that I am utilizing them to their fullest potential! In my childhood home, I had a small bedroom with limited space to store my clothes, accessories, and supplies for my many hobbies and interests. I loved re-arranging furniture and moving around my things within my four walls until I felt like my bedroom was functional for my lifestyle. I not only loved doing this in my own room, but anytime my friends or family members had spaces that needed cleaning and organizing I would quickly get to work and do my best to make their space work for their needs. I would seek out messy closets, pantries and cabinets and take on the challenge of making it better. While in grade school, I was always asking my teachers if I could help organize their classrooms and supply closets. In high school, the word got out about my niche for sorting and organizing and family friends and teachers hired me as a summer worker to help them clean and sort through their garages for better convenience, purge closets and storage areas, and unpack moving boxes and help them set-up their new homes. After high school, I moved to the DFW metroplex to attend college at the University of North Texas where I earned a degree in visual arts.
My involvement in campus and community activities brought about many opportunities for me to help with special events and projects that bolstered my skills and knowledge of project management, budget planning, and visual staging. I met new contacts that allowed me to build a client base for my organizing business and I helped pay my way through college with my side business. Although my degree led me to a career in teaching art and floral design in a local public school, I continued my work with clients over holiday breaks and weekends. My clients, along with my family and friends, have been huge supporters of my passion for starting my own company through the years and have helped me make the decision to grow my business, Sorted in Style, full time.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Having the guts to pursue my passion and take the leap toward entrepreneurship has been my biggest challenge so far. I have always been inspired to do my own thing, but the risks of going out on your own as a business owner can turn into obstacles if you are not prepared. However, I know my service has great value and I am committed to helping people alleviate stress by providing them with a design for clutter-free and functional spaces. It brings me great joy for my clients to see the results of a well-planned and sustainable space that has been sorted and styled with a place for everything. A recent customer shared her thoughts, “I highly recommend Katy Beth McGahey! she is a miracle worker!! I’m so pleased with everything and will not change a thing!! I have already hired her to redo a few more closets and I’m super excited to see what she has in store for them!!! I’ve known Katy Beth for many years and not only is she talented, she is a delight to work with!! So, give her a call, you will be very pleased!!!” – Lynn
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Sorted in Style – what should we know?
I am a professional organizer who brings order, calm and style into a person’s environment to simplify their daily life. First and foremost, I meet with clients to learn about their routines, their needs, and to discuss their ideal space. Together, we assess their areas of concern and get to the bottom of why a space is not working for them. From there, I design a plan using supplies and materials they already have, and make recommendations for the purchase of new storage solutions. To begin the project, I take EVRYTHING out of the existing space and pair up similar items. I look for spaces where more storage can be utilized and think about how the space will work for my client’s daily life. It is one thing to make a space look beautiful, but it is just as important to have a space that functions well and looks good, too. A unique service I offer is helping clients purge items they no longer need. Purging can be emotional and difficult for people, especially if there are memories attached to items. However, through a thoughtful and intentional process, I am able to preserve important and cherished items while paring down the accumulation of the excess collection. Through this process, I help clients prepare items for donation, or if a purged item is in good enough shape, I help them stage it to sell online through Facebook Marketplace and other trade sites. Services I offer include organization, purging, sorting and styling residential areas such as closets, offices, guest rooms, kitchens and pantries, nursery rooms, laundry rooms, garages and storage buildings. I can help you pack to move out of your home, or unpack and set up your new home to ensure utmost utilization of space and functionality. My goal is to sort and style – I want to leave your home organized and stylish!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Growing up, I was very involved in many activities – my parents led busy lifestyles and so I did the same. After school, there were quick outfit changes, meals on the go, events to attend, and late-night studying and projects to complete. I always had somewhere to be, or something to do which is how my love and the need for an organized home started. As a kid I realized that I was unhappy to live in a cluttered room. I needed everything to have a certain place so that I could do my best in other aspects of my life. I loved organizing my school supplies every year and after I would go trick-or-treating, I would come home and organize my candy! I remember going over to friends’ homes and spending my time over there straightening their playroom or redesigning their room. I am an artist and designer. I have always looked at people’s homes as a design. I wanted everything to have a place, so that the home could be utilized and the clutter did not distract from the home being a work of art! I believe a home should not just be a space you live in, but a space you enjoy. De-cluttering allows the client to reveal the artistry in their homes.
Contact Info:
- Website: sortedinstyle.net
- Phone: 903.244.9561
- Email: sortedinstylebykatybeth@gmail.com
- Instagram: @sorted_in_style
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Check out No Home Summer: A Documentary
