Unique Bathoom Vanity Blog

My name is Julia, and I am the Founder & Owner of several boutique online furniture stores, UniqueVanities.com, UniqeMirrorsOnline.com, & UniqueLightFixture.com, & joint owner of R Squared Renovations, Inc. a Custom Cabinetry & General Contracting Company in Dallas, TX. I can speak as an expert on the design & manufacturing of furniture.

People ask me – how and why did you get into selling furniture online?  Those that know me find this very curious, as my back ground is, well… let’s just say I never planned to sell furniture…

Actually, when I was a child, my dream was to be an astronaut.  After watching the movie Space Camp, I was determined to get to space.  I followed my dream, and attended Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL.  I studied Aeronautical Engineering.  What a great experience Embry Riddle was. Unfortunately & fortunately (as I believe all things happen for a reason), my Grandma Special was diagnosed with cancer, the tuition was extremely high, and my husband Randy asked me to marry him.  So, some sad, some bad, and some great good brought me back to Toledo, OH where I was born and raised.  I finished my Mechanical Engineering Degree at the University of Toledo, but after working for a few months in the industry, decided I had no interest in mechanical stuff.  I could pass all the classes, but still had no idea what was under the hood of my car.  So I continued on to complete an MBA specializing in Finance to help open doors.

And then I interviewed at American Express Financial Advisors (now Ameriprise Financial).  This was definitely not in the plan, but I accepted the offer to became a financial advisor.  I loved the thought of building my own business while helping people achieve their financial goals.  This was the best career decision I ever made.  I was successful as an advisor, but my passion was teaching others.  So I went back and forth between being an advisor and working on the management team, which ultimately brought me to Dallas, TX, which has been our home now since 2002.

My husband Randy & I finally started  our family, and just before we got pregnant, I knew I wanted the flexibility to work form home.  That’s how I started UniqueVanities.com.   Though it was a difficult decision, I knew I had to narrow my focus, so I left my financial advisor practice to focus full time on  my online journey.  This was the only way I could really work from home on a full time basis.

So, with that in mind, my vision is to continue with the launch of specialty furniture boutiques while employing other work from home parents, and in the near future plan to offer consulting to others who would like to start a business online so they too can work from home.

It’s not an easy path, but being self employed never is, or everyone would do it, and failure rates would be less.

Thanks for visiting.