AM+Co has been a home-based business since its inception.  I started my calligraphy business at the desk in my bedroom when I lived in my parent’s house, and as things took off, they graciously allowed me to move my workspace into a spare bedroom.  When Tyler and I got engaged and bought our house, the “huge” empty extra room that would turn into our new home office was so exciting to us. We couldn’t imagine how great it would be to have so much space for work!  

But, a few employees and a hundred or so weddings later, we had completely outgrown our home office. If you’ve seen my Instagram stories, you are well-acquainted with the way our business spills into our main living space, with boxes and structures EVERYWHERE.  We had very little privacy, less space, and zero separation from our work (which we love, but sometimes sister needs a break!).  

Finding the Office

So, two years ago, Tyler ran the numbers and finally said that we were able to get an office!  We started looking and found a perfect business plaza in our most desired location.  Naively, we thought, “This is it!  We’ll call, and they’ll immediately welcome us with open arms. We will sign the papers tomorrow and move in by Friday!”  (We had unrealistic expectations, clearly.) When we called to inquire, the rental office manager said, “I’m so sorry, but I just leased our last space for two years.”  FULL STOP.  Our hearts dropped.  But, he told us to call every month and check to see if anything was available.  So, like clockwork, we set a calendar reminder and called every month.  Sometimes he wouldn’t answer, and he couldn’t even remember who we were a few times.  

Powering Through

At this point, we lost hope of being in this business plaza and started looking at other locations.  We found a place about 8 minutes from our house, but it wasn’t an ideal option for several reasons. However, at that point, we were getting desperate.  We were preparing for a massive weekend in November and knew we would run out of space with so many weddings happening back to back.  Tyler was building all of our structures out of his grandpa’s garage, and we didn’t want to continue to inconvenience his grandparents.  However, that office fell through, and we are very thankful for that in hindsight!  We powered through our huge wedding weekends in November and December, feeling the growing pains of our business more severely than ever.  

The Breakthrough

In late February, Tyler’s dad checked in with us and asked how the office search was.  We told him that there was nothing on the horizon, and he offered to call the property manager.  To our surprise, the property manager told him about a unit possibly becoming available at the end of April.  Within five minutes, he called us and said an office would be available in two months and asked if we would be willing to wait. “Absolutely!” we said.  We had been waiting for two years – what was another two months?!

Our lease was signed and we moved in the last week of April, and we couldn’t be more grateful to Jesus and our clients for making this possible!  This office is eight years in the making – from my humble little desk in my bedroom to our real, legit office!  Check out our YouTube video (the tour portion starts here) to get a tour of AM+Co’s new headquarters!

Our Meeting Space

When we first heard about the office becoming available, we drove over to the complex late at night and peeked in the windows (like creepers, ha).  There was a room at the front that I snuck a blurry picture of, lit by parking lot lights.  I began dreaming of what this room could be.  It would be our client meeting space, so I put together a concept and mocked up the room based on the photo.  

As soon as we got the keys, we went to work making the room look exactly how I planned!  On Instagram, it seems like it all happened overnight, but the room came together quickly because I had a plan.  People have asked about the furniture and decor we chose for the office, so I’m linking them for you!  These are affiliate links, so if you purchase through any of them, we receive small commissions that help us keep our office stocked with treats for Stella! 🙂 

The rug was an Amazon find, which provides nice contrast and a beautiful base for our table and chairs.

The accent wall is painted Estate Peach from Valspar, and I hand-painted the white lines.  I fell in love with these midcentury-meets-boho chairs with woven rope seats.  They’re really comfortable, too!  The frames on the wall are from Target and we painted them periwinkle.

The woven white leather bench comes in two colors, white leather and oak, or off-white leather and light oak, and is a perfect complement to this table, which we made ourselves.  It feels special to have a handmade piece of furniture in our office, and it reminds me of how Tyler has grown into a skilled builder over the years of working on AM+Co projects.

These West Elm Swivel Mirrors with pinboards are the perfect piece of multi-function decor for this space.  On one side, they’re a decorative mirror. Then when we have clients visit, we can display their projects or mock-ups on the opposite sides.

These natural wood floating shelves are an ideal way to showcase our work.  When clients visit, they can get a feel for the paper, dimensions, and true colors of our wedding stationery.

And of course, who could forget the office supplies?  Moving into an office is almost like moving into a new house – you need a lot of stuff!  And of course, we’re going to keep it on brand here at AM+Co! I’ve linked my Amazon storefront for all our office essentials!

 

@andimejiaco

Andddd we made that table from scratch😛#smallbusiness #LIKEABOMBSHELL #FORDfortheBuilders #pumpitupchallenge #openingoffice #smallbusinessowner

♬ original sound – Andi Mejia✨

Our office is still a work in progress, but we’ve got one room done!  I can’t wait to update you on how we decorate the remaining spaces as we make AM+Co’s office feel like home!  We are so grateful for you!  Every follow, every like, every share, every wedding, every semi-customs order, every DM that cheers us on, every friend who helped us finish projects late at night… you are all a part of this dream-come-true!