What to Take to the Theatre

Going to the theatre is one of my favorite things to do. I absolutely love everything about the theatre. From the singing and dancing to the costumes. My mother-in-law and I both have season tickets and love going.

Here are some of my go-tos to have when visiting the theatre.

Tickets - of course!
Sippy Cup - In Houston at The Hobby Center where many plays and musicals are held you can bring your drink into the theatre if it has a lid and is one of these (pictured above) cups. Currently they are $3 and so worth the investment if you go often. My mother-in-law and I love getting bloody mary's or just a sprite on days we don't feel like drinking alcohol.
Shaw / Scarf - If you are cold natured this may be a good idea to bring. I usually always bring one.
Binoculars - Our seats are up high so I like to bring binoculars to see actors / actresses faces a little better.
Money - In case you want to buy something.
Phone / Camera - There is usually a place to take photos in the lobby in front of a fun sign for that show.

What are some of your must have theatre items?

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Made in the USA: Mizzen + Main

Mizzen + Main came to Houston for a pop-up shop during the Super Bowl and while I was out and about for a concierge client I thought I would stop in real quick. My brother-in-law loves their clothing because they wick away moisture, wrinkle reducing, stylish and comfortable. I bought a few things for Bry for Valentine's Day and he loves them. The company is from Dallas and the clothing is made in the USA. They are a little pricy than other clothing, but worth it.

Have you or anyone you know tried their clothing? What are your thoughts?

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Top 10 Things I Get Asked to Do Most Often As a Concierge

As a concierge company in Houston, I get asked to do ALL kinds of tasks. Usually nothing is too big or too small and I will do just about anything if it is legal and I morally / ethically feel comfortable with it. There are several other concierge companies in Houston that do personal assistance & professional organizing, but not a whole lot that have an eco conscious niche. Below are some things that I get asked to do most often.

1. Organization Projects. I do a ton of organization projects through the year whether it is home, office, closet, storage units, etc. They are all usually a ton of fun.
2. Errands. I get asked so often to do just general errands. This includes, but not limited to, grocery runs, dry cleaning, postal services, gift shopping, etc. 
3. House sit ins. I do this for people who can't be home for the electrician, painters, cable people, etc. 
4. Help with events. I am not an event planner per se, but I do get asked to facilitate and assist with many events through the years. Many of times it is event prep, pre-plannning and logistics. I do also help secure locations for clients, etc.
5. Recycle drop offs. Surprisingly, not all of Houston has recycle pick ups, so I get asked to take recycling to recycle centers a lot. 
6. Research. I research a lot of things for clients on a regular basis and it includes dining options, traveling recommendations, local services they need help finding, business research they want outsourced, etc. 
7. Travel arrangements. I make travel arrangements for clients pretty regularly because a good chunk of my clients travel often. They usually need help finding out what to do, where to eat, etc. 
8. Eco knowledge. Although this isn't a specific task in particular, many of my clients do like that I have an eco niche and am eco conscious. I get asked about ways to green their home / business and products to use, etc. 
9. General personal assistant tasks. I get asked to do a lot of general personal assistant tasks like making calls, filing, bill pay, errands, book appointments, buying tickets, etc. 
10. Scheduling. I get asked to do a ton of scheduling whether this is spa services, client appointments for business executives, in home services, office services, meetings, etc.

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Made in the USA: Sterilite Mini Trashcan

This is another made in the USA trashcan post. I recently had to pick up a small trashcan for a client who wanted to store potting soil inside. She wanted something that could stay outside with a lid and would not rust. The Sterilite Utility Garbage Pail was the perfect mini trashcan to store the soil in. I got it at Berings in Houston. The plus was it is made in the USA. Having a concierge company and being a personal assistant in Houston I have a few go-to places where I can find just want I am looking for and knew exactly where I would find what I was looking for. 

Do you have a favorite trashcan? Not the most glamorous topic, but it's a necessity in every household. 

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5 Misconceptions About Personal Concierge Companies

There are so many misconceptions about concierges and I wanted to highlight some

• They are for rich people. This is definitely not the case. I work with such a large range a variety of individuals, whether this is teachers, lawyers, marketing professionals, entrepreneurs, stay at home moms, and the list goes on and on. I just tell others that people hire me because they need help in a specific area or that is what they want to spend their money on for the moment. Just like my husband and I like to spend money on trying new restaurants. 
• That we will purposely take our time to charge more. For me this is a big NO. I absolutely love what I do and try to go at a fast, efficient pace, but sometimes that is just not possible. There are many days that I want to get home as quickly as possible just like anyone else, but take my time to make sure things are done right.
• They don't care about the client. WHAT?!?! Personally, I try to build a relationship with all my clients whether they use my services once a week or once every 2 years. I love the relationships that I get to form with my clients and try to continue to grow it. 
• They aren't relevant because of personal assistant apps. Things are changing in the concierge world, but with that said I do think personal concierges are still very relevant. Like I said above, I try to build relationships with my clients and with app services you can't always do that because there is a different person usually each time. I do love some of the time saving apps, but do see where some people still crave that personal one on one time.
• They are competitive. I think every business is competitive to a degree, but like have I said before I view it as community over competition in the concierge world because Houston is so big and I cannot possibly handle every single need of every Houstonian. There are some companies in the concierge / professional organizing world that are competitive, but I have referred work to other companies on many occasions and vice versa. 

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Made in the USA: Photo boxes

Throughout the year I do various photo organizing projects for clients. In fact, I have a few I have been working on. As a professional organizer you get asked to deal with photos a lot. Photo organizing for actual printed photos and digital photos are the two most common projects. There is actually a great organizer locally here in Houston that deals only with photo organizing and is a complete expert. The Container Store here in Houston has some awesome options of made in the USA photo organizing containers from plastic bins to archival boxes, which I love. What are some of your favorite photo organizing containers to use?

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The Number One Benefit for a Concierge

There are so many different benefits to being a concierge, but the number one thing for me is, the relationships I get to build and the people I meet. Over the past 11+ years as a concierge in Houston,  I have met so many great individuals and it couldn't make me happier. I am so lucky that I get to work with and meet so many awesome people who bring such a variety of perspectives to the table. I love that I have built so many relationships with clients. Even for those that I haven't worked with for years, many will still refer others my way, which I couldn't be more grateful for. I have worked on so many different professional organizing, personal assistant and eco consulting tasks through the years. Every day I learn something new from clients. Although they are utilizing my services to help them in various areas of their life, I learn SO much from my clients. It is such an awesome feeling to constantly learn from clients. At the end of the day the most rewarding and number 1 benefit of being a concierge for me is the relationships I build with my clients.

What is the number one benefit of the job you do?

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