Oct. 1—LEWISBURG — When starting a new business, a vision, a plan, and determination are essential.
Chrissy (Haney) Scheimreif, of Lewisburg, has all of those qualities, and with the help of Bucknell’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), she launched Highland Designs by Chrissy, a full-service interior design firm in June.
“Interior design is something I’ve been interested in my whole life,” the 2016 Bucknell University graduate said. “But for some reason, I never really considered it as a career. I grew up as one of those people who grew up loving art, but never thought I’d have a career that focused on art.”
After graduating from Bucknell, she joined Teach for America (TFA) and followed their program of teaching in low-income schools. “I taught math for five years, and then the pandemic struck.”
During that time, she had a second child and settled in Lewisburg.
“I re-evaluated my options, which included pursuing my passion.”
Right now, a majority of her clients are residential, but recently there has been interest in her services by owners of commercial spaces.
“One of the most important things about being a designer is to know the needs, the style and punctuality needs of my client,” she said.
Her initial consultation is free, “because that is the time I take getting to know my clients,” she noted. “Really listening about the project and what they need style-wise and function-wise.
“At the end of the day, it’s their home, not mine,” she said, “and they want a home that is comfortable, and one where they feel beautiful in.”
Amber Guerrero, a business consultant with Bucknell Small Business Development Center worked closely with Scheimreif.
“She came into the SBDC several months ago with this idea of starting a business, and so we worked through the process of what kind of legal structure she needed to establish.”
“We talked about marketing and social media. I acted as a sounding board as she reviewed things,” Guerrero said. “It’s special for me to see her here. She has such determination, saying ‘I’m going to do whatever I have to do to make this happen.'”
“I’m really happy,” Scheimreif said. “I got clients early on. I needed that first client to prove I could really do this. And I did that. So when I started to get more clients, I entered these situations with confidence and have had fun doing this.”
Several styles of decorating interest her, but right now, it is a mix of modern and contemporary. It is hard to pin it down because it depends on the space.
“I think, honestly, I like a blended style. I like mixing and blending styles, i don’t like to concentrate on just one style.”
Scheimreif believes “the power in interior design is not in following trends and creating that ‘Instagram-perfect’ space. The power lies in creating a space that positively impacts the person who inhabits it.”