Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Moore
Hi Alexis, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been pretty creative from a very young age. I grew up working on craft projects at our local Joann Fabrics while my mom taught sewing. At home, I made cards, scrapbooks, and eventually started sewing.
In college, I started building projects (I’m technically an engineer) and making cakes for friends birthdays. I eventually (pretty accidentally) started a tiny cake business. While I didn’t really love the baking part, I loved getting to exercise my creativity through cake decorating and starting a small business had always been a goal.
After my transition to motherhood, I hung up my baking hat and channeled my energy into real estate. I had actually technically invested early on in those post-college days, but I didn’t call it that at the time. I bought my first house at 23 and rented 2 of the rooms to roommates (what’s known in the investing world as house-hacking). Eventually my husband and I bought another rental and then had a contract to buy another in 2020, which thankfully fell through.
A few short months after that contact fell apart, a quaint little fixer upper on 3 acres came on the market and I convinced my husband to go look at it with me.
This is when my journey into interior design really took off. We bought the house! Everyone thought we were crazy! Our agent even asked if we were sure. Ha!
My husband and I demoed almost the entire house with our own hands. We hired a friend to drywall and tackled just about everything else ourselves. I redesigned the house to make it work for our family and we brought it to life with our own hands.
From there, I had caught the bug. Once our house was finished I started helping friends with small projects, like gallery walls and furniture restoration, then moved onto bigger things like kitchen updates and eventually decorating entire homes.
In the midst of the projects, I started selling some of the antiques I curated for different projects online and locally at an antique shop.
So that’s where you can find me today, on Instagram @alexisnicolemakes for design projects, @caycecottageco for curated antiques., and locally, at Three Rivers Antiques, a shop I adore in the heart of West Columbia.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
While I wouldn’t call it rough, it has had its challenges at times. In the past 5ish years, I’ve had 3 children and we have now moved 4 times.
We’ve bought a few other homes and transitioned some of our former ones into Airbnbs. It can be a lot to manage at times.
One project in particular, I spent a decent amount of time at the house with no power or water, in December. It was cold to say the least.
In addition to that, I don’t have any formal training in design, so I’ve taught myself to use a few programs, made a website at one point, and then just general confidence in my design decisions. I’ve also enjoyed how it has stretched me and am super proud of how my aesthetic has evolved overtime.
I have by no means made it. I have a lot of long term goals I hope to accomplish, but super happy to be on my journey to them
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What I think sets my design business apart is I love shopping second hand. Bringing in vintage pieces can add so much character and make your home unique and set apart from what you may find in a furniture catalog. I personally think a collected home is best and because of that it allows me to work within most budgets.
On the shop side, I love finding vintage and antique one of a kind pieces to help clients make their homes their own. If there is a piece you are looking for, I’d love to help you find it!
How do you define success?
Well this is a tough one. I’d say in part it’s getting to do what you love and build something you are proud of. Of course there is being able to support yourself too, but you can always work or have a side hustle in addition to your business until you get there.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexisnicolemakes?igsh=MTB4aWV1aTZpMjh5Yw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/caycecottageco/profilecard/?igsh=Z3NtanhwcTc4NGln
