Hi there (again)!
We are PorchLight Home Staging popping on to welcome you back to our blog. The way this blog thing works is that on the first Friday of every month, we will celebrate the much needed weekend by releasing our monthly blog. In these short but sweet articles, we will mesh the world of home staging (our forte) with current events and fashion trends. This month’s blog is a fun one! We noticed that we never really fully introduced ourselves to everyone, as there are multiple hardworking women that make up PorchLight. So without further adieu… let’s meet these women (sorry that sounded like the Bachelor)…
PorchLight in action!
Betsy Boughner: Founder, “The Boss”
It only seems fitting to start with the reason PorchLight is here. Betsy grew up in Pittsburgh and attended Penn State University. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree. From there, she went to Duquesne University in Pittsburgh where she received a masters degree in occupational therapy. Ten years later, after working as a pharmaceutical rep, she discovered her passion for home staging. Betsy enrolled in Home Staging Resources to become a certified professional home stager and re-designer. Then in 2017, PorchLight was open for business! Betsy’s favorite part about the staging process is turning a room, no matter how big or small, into a great looking and inviting space. She loves seeing all the different styles of homes and architecture in Pittsburgh. From single family homes, to condos and apartments, She says, “it is so fun meeting the sellers and agents involved in this process. I love seeing the new neighborhoods and streets that I’ve never seen before.” Betsy states, “This job truly never gets boring!” A fun fact about our fearless leader is that she was a ski instructor (still is a very good one… I can attest) at Wisp, but more importantly, she doubled as the beloved or scary (you decide) Chuck E Cheese Mouse. I think it is important to note that she lasted 1 shift in the suit. I asked Betsy for a funny or special memory about PorchLight, and needless to say, there were a few. For one thing, Betsy struggles with “side eyes” and judgy looks from shoppers at Home Goods or Target when she goes rolling through the store with carts full of accessories. She also gets no slack from the UPS man, who definitely thinks she has a shopping addiction! Another funny memory that most northern stagers run into are the winter sessions when it’s raining/snowing. Betsy recalls, “we want to cry, but usually end up blasting music and laughing at out frozen hair.” Betsy now lives in Upper St. Clair with her husband and three children. Her future plans are to continue to grow PorchLight Home Staging. “We just recently added AirBNB styling to our portfolio, and that has been a lot of fun.” The future of PorchLight is definitely bright with Betsy as our boss!
Kiri Rising
Up next is Kiri, or as we like to call “the worker bee.” Kiri grew up in Pittsburgh. She attended John Carroll University in Ohio where she majored in elementary education. Kiri reached out to Betsy in March of 2021 to help with PorchLight, and the rest was history. She is a fabulous addition to the team. Kiri’s favorite part about the staging process is accessorizing, as her attention to detail is unmatched. There is no better feeling than decorating a built-in shelving unit or coffee table. Little things can really make a big difference, a phrase that also applies to Kiri (😉). In the last few months, Kiri has recruited her daughter, Ellie, to the squad, and let me just say, it is a treat working with this mom and daughter duo. A fun fact about Kiri is that she was named after a student from her mother’s first classroom! Kiri recalled one of her funniest memories at PorchLight: “Betsy wanted to make a boomerang for a social media post and asked me to jump in it. I don’t think I got 2 inches off the ground. It was hilarious and embarrassing at the same time.” Kiri now lives in Upper St. Clair with her husband, two children, and very cute dogs. In her future, she looks forward to learning more staging tips from Betsy.
Kara Hamilton
Next, we have Kara, who has been with PorchLight since basically the beginning. Kara grew up in Robinson, PA, and went to Penn State University (are you seeing a pattern?). At Penn State, she majored in advertising and public relations. She started working in February 2021 after Kara started her own interior design certification. Kara’s favorite part of staging is, “Looking at the before and after pictures/videos and watching the space come to life.” This is the most rewarding part of the job for many stagers. A fun fact about Kara is that she lost her two front teeth while limboing. Thankfully they were her baby teeth. I can confirm that she has great smile similarly to that of the Pittsburgh celebrity she spotted on the job. Kara remembers a special memory when she “saw Jake Guentzel in the elevator at one of our stagings!” If you don’t know who that is, shame on you. In the future, Kara hopes to own her own interior design company using the skills she’s learned from PorchLight!
Mary Groninger
Mary is from Upper St. Clair in Pittsburgh, and is entering her junior year at the University of Alabama. She is majoring in marketing and fashion merchandising, as well as attending many football games. Mary started with PorchLight back in 2019 when she would help her aunt (Betsy) here and there, and that’s when she really began to love staging. It wasn’t until the summer of 2021 that she took on a bigger role as content writer and researcher. In other words, Hi — I’m the blogger! My favorite part of the home staging process is hanging the wall art (even though I’m not the best at it…just ask Hailey). It’s usually the last thing we do but it really makes the space come alive. I love a good wall hanging that ties together all the colors in the room. A fun fact about me is that I have played golf for about 9 years and enjoy playing in tournaments when I’m home in the summer. One fun memory with PorchLight is hard to narrow down, but I really love harassing Chris and Tony (the furniture moving guys). Every conversation usually ends with them laughing at me or me rolling my eyes at them. My career goals are to work as a brand marketing manager or buyer for a fashion company or continue with PorchLight down the road (we’ll see!).
Ellie Rising
Ellie is from Upper St. Clair in Pittsburgh, and will be a sophomore at Indiana University Bloomington. Ellie is majoring in elementary education and special education. She joined the PorchLight team this summer. Ellie recalls, “I worked with my mom during one job over winter break and loved it!” Her favorite part about staging is “the initial walk through of the houses. I love seeing all the potential there is in each home.” I, on the other hand, am surprised her favorite part isn’t steaming (just kidding). A fun fact about Ellie is that she has played volleyball for six years! A special memory Ellie shared was “having so much fun on my first job at Allman Acres listening to music and eating pizza:).” In the future, Ellie says that she “wants to make a difference in children’s lives, and I want to leave an impact on my students. I can’t wait to have a classroom of my own! Otherwise, I really want to try to live in a city and teach sometime after college.” If that doesn’t work out, I think a furniture building company for Ellie and Mary would be a good career choice (😬).
Hailey Hamilton
Hailey is the newest member of PorchLight, and she is such a positive and fun addition. She is from Robinson, PA, and you guessed it: sister to Kara! Hailey recently graduated from Penn State University with a major in elementary and early childhood education. Hailey’s favorite part of staging is, “walking into an empty house and watching it transform into a home.” The connotation between a house and a home is significant, and here at PorchLight, we love creating that transformation. A fun (or interesting) fact about Hailey is that she has about 100 screws in her jaw, although you would never be able to tell. Hailey told us about her favorite memories with PorchLight thus far: “I love that Kiri and Ellie are both trained/training in the education field, so it’s been fun bonding over teaching! Another funny moment was when Mary bent 900 screws hanging artwork LOL." Hailey hopes to be an elementary school teacher in the fall!
We Are Family
I think I speak for everyone when I say that there is no better feeling than being surrounded by fun, determined, and intelligent individuals at work. We have the best time decorating these homes, and we know that our work reflects our enthusiasm. It is true, a lot of us are family in real life, but together, we are a work family too! I feel so honored to get to highlight these women today, and hope you enjoyed hearing about the people that make PorchLight so amazing. 💗