There are lots of pubs in the Kensington area of Calgary, but one of my favourites is mere blocks from my condo in Hillhurst Sunnyside. For the best pizza in the area, you’ve got to try F.A.T.S. Bar & Grill (short for Fifth Ave. and Tenth Street).
 
After a long day of staging Calgary homes for sale, sometimes I can’t imagine settling in to cook a meal. So I’ll grab a friend (sometimes someone like Elysse Bulloch with Simply Stylish Staging, a fellow home stager I work very closely with here in Calgary) and meet for a meal/beverage. If it happens to be on a Monday night, even better. Pizza is on special!
 
We’ll enjoy the casual atmosphere while we usually chat about our favourite topic – home staging! We just can’t help it. We love what we do. F.A.T.S. is a small pub, so with lots of TV’s for watching sports and sometimes a full house, it can get quite loud in there. This just adds to the fun – and forces us to stop talking shop.
 
After filling up on some great pizza, I’m always happy to be able to take a short walk back home. It’s one of the benefits of living in the Hillhurst Sunnyside area. Great access and a cool vibe. I love it here.
 
If you live in Calgary and are planning to sell your property, contact me (Jen at Set Your Stage) to find out the benefits of my home staging services. In the meantime, share my blog to pass on the many reasons why Hillhurst Sunnyside and Kensington are ideal places to live.

Local neighbourhood Kensington Framing artists make service personal at Framed on Fifth. By opening her talent tool box and her doors, Hannah White, the owner, touched a Set Your Stage client’s heart. This earns Hannah and her store our feature this month for “why I love Kensington/Sunnyside”.
 
As a busy professional home stager in Calgary, I was eager to work through my “to-do” list for the week. So, when I arrived at the shop, conveniently located a few blocks from me on a Monday to see the CLOSED sign on the door, you can imagine my disappointment.
 
Luckily for me, Hannah was inside at the time and welcomed me in. This was the first highlight.
 
Then she listened, made recommendations, and worked within my budget for the artwork that I was re-framing for a client’s space. This quality service was the second highlight of my experience.
 

Little did I know that my client had wanted to re-frame her beloved piece for years. It had just sunk to the bottom of the priority list. So, when she saw what Hannah and I had come up with, she was so happy that it almost brought her to tears. People choose art (and homes incidentally) for an emotional connection. This just made it more special.
 
Needless to say, I’m a new fan of Framed on Fifth. As a woman making a living doing what I love, I’m more than happy to support a fellow entrepreneur and creative visionary who adds a special something to our community. Make a point of stopping in to Hannah’s shop and gallery the next time you’re in Kensington.
 
In the meantime, if you live in Calgary and are considering hiring a professional home stager to stage your furnished or vacant property, contact Jen

My first trip to Sunnyside/Kensington was in college, when a friend invited me to their BBQ/smore camp fire. I knew right away, this was a unique neighbourhood. Years later, my boyfriend moved here when he decided to go to SAIT to start a new career. When we finally decided to get a place together, we choose to look specifically in this area. One of our top choices to purchase was a heritage building along Memorial Drive over 100 year old. Just before our second showing we decided to meet for a coffee at Vendome Café. Everyone of the 3 people who I walked by greeted me with a welcoming hello – I knew Sunnyside was home.
 
I didn’t really realize how much this community meant to me until late June 2013. Heavily following and posting on Twitter to the hashtag #sunnyside I was able to connect with many neighbours via social media and when it was safe to help clean up, we connected with them in real life.
 
It was depressing to see items like brand new Urban Barn sofas (especially since that is one of my favourite shopping stops), full libraries to wine being discarded from homes along with drywall, insulation and carpets. My heart goes out to everyone who has lost any part of their home from the flood – especially the heritage building we didn’t end up getting. As devastating as it was to see all the destruction, it was heart warming to see so many pitch in. Home owners along with volunteers of every age helped with cleaning, destroyed items outside, demolishing, loading and driving the loads from homes listed at the Crisis Café to the dumpsters at the Sunnyside/Hillhurst Community center. Calgary and Edmonton Police cruising around making sure everyone was hydrated. New moms with their kids walking along offering volunteers snacks, sandwiches and cookies. Vitamin Water was at the community center giving bottles of flavoured water to volunteers. Everyone pitched in. One home owner said it best “even though is a tragedy, I have never felt so proud of my community and how we all pulled together.” This is why I love Sunnyside.
 
If you are considering moving to Sunnyside; it feels like a small town here. People care, they pitch in and not to mention there is amazing cafes/shopping. If you decide to sell, I would love to help you prepare your property for resale!

Who knew that “taking off your clothes” could make a difference in so many ways. On June 23, I’ll be joining in the fun at SWAP Team Calgary’s Take Off Your Clothes clothing swap. It’s an easy way to support local business, update your wardrobe at a fraction of the cost, be eco friendly by reusing, and support people in need. It’s a win all around. So declutter your wardrobe Calgary!
 
I love the idea of the swap and, in a way, it’s similar to what I do for a living. I’m in the business of preparing homes for “reuse” by new owners. Sometimes this involves a sort of stripping down to the bare bones of a property in order to dress it up again with potential buyers’ wish lists in mind.
 
When I’m staging properties, I always try to re-use existing furniture and shop locally to support businesses close to my Kensington area home. More and more people are taking similar small steps to make a difference.
 
“Clear out your clutter” is one of the first things I recommend when you’re preparing to sell your house. This includes clothes that have been hiding in your closets with little use. Why not pack them up and donate them to a good cause? The SWAP Team provides a label that you can print and attach to each bag. Then just drop them off at a designated location.
 
Whether you plan to attend the swap or make a donation, you must drop off your items by June 20th. In Kensington, your drop off location is Eleven:Eleven Boutique 4 1145 Kensington Crescent NW.
 
Swapping is good for your wallet.
 
Are you curious how your property – and wallet – can benefit from professional home staging? If so, please contact Jen directly at SetYourStage.com! You can also follow us on Facebook!