How one thing can lead to another...

As many of you know, Don and I own a custom furniture/upholstery store in Napa called Pollin's Interiors and Custom Upholstery.  Through our business we have met some fabulous winemakers, restauranteurs, and interior designers. One of those interior designers is Kimberly Rider. (pictured here)

I first learned about Kimberly from reading the August 2006 issue of Marin Magazine. She was featured in a story about eco-living. I thought to myself, "I want to work with her someday." In addition to her successful interior design business, she was a featured designer on the tv show "Curb Appeal" and she had just published two books, Healthy Home Workbook and Eco Baby, which are all about furnishing your home with non-toxic, healthy materials.  

I contacted her after we bought Pollin's in November 2006. I thought it would be amazing to have her come to the store for a book signing. I called and emailed - and she agreed. Alright! I sent out press releases, and got a mention in California Home and Design and the local papers and ordered books from her publisher, everything was looking good. 

We had food, wine, Kimberly, books, sharpies - - - - and only one customer that day. It was a major letdown.  Sort of like throwing a party and no one shows up. (which did happen to me once. long story...)  Lucky for us, Kimberly was kind enough to look past this little failure and started working with us as a client. We've been partners on many projects since then. In fact, we have some projects in the works right now. 

So why am I sharing this with you? I don't know. I read her blog recently and learned that in addition to everything she does, she's a fit model. I thought this was an interesting tidbit to pass along. But one thing lead to another as I was writing this, and, well...it didn't make it in the story. What is a fit model, you ask? Well, you can read about it here.

And in case you're wondering... We still have some autographed books if you're interested in purchasing one. They make excellent gifts. I gave one to my sister-in-law as a Baby Shower Gift.  It's never too early to start your holiday shopping!