Community Highlights: Meet Ruby Durham

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruby Durham.

Hi Ruby, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always loved home décor and kitchen supplies.

I tell my friends and family if I ever go missing find me in Home Goods. There are times when I’d literally get up early on Saturday mornings and try to make it to as many stores as I could because if you’re a frequent Home Goods shopper then you know not everyone has the same stuff. I’d either purchase different items that I think would fit in my place or smell the candles depending on my budget for the weekend.

Right before quarantine started in 2019, I was sent home for a day to see if I could do my job from home. While most people are sleeping, I’m on the news at WCNC Charlotte. My alarm clock goes off at 2 AM. The show starts at 5 AM but I have to prepare my content and get dressed. At that time, I was the Traffic Anchor so my job was to tell people what would slow them down for their morning commute.

Shortly after doing what was supposed to be a test at home, I ended up staying home and never returning to work because COVID made an entrance and stayed at a drop of a dime. Long story short, less people were on the roads so that meant less time for me on-air as the traffic anchor. I remember doing traffic from my living room starting at 4:45 AM and getting done around 7 AM and that was it. I was no longer needed so I had the entire day to do absolutely nothing.

I had several people close to me lose their jobs during this time. Thankfully my pay stayed the same but my hours decreased significantly. However, I thought what if I lose my job what would I do? What would be my backup plan? I needed a way to make extra money just in case I got that call.

Working on the news, I always wanted to own a professional wear line for women but it got far away from me over the years. It also didn’t make sense to start during quarantine since a lot of people were changing their wardrobes to sit in front of their cameras or computer screens in their kitchen, living room, or office. Who would really sit in a dress for 8 hours at home?

At that point, one of my family members suggested I tap into my love for organizing. If you open a cabinet in my home or my pantry you’ll quickly notice items are either color-coordinated, organized by shape or size, in a container or bin. I don’t necessarily think I’m OCD but I do believe everything has a place. I also like the way it looks when everything is organized.

Yes, I’m that person that will take the noodles out of their original box and put them in a new container with a label. It’s actually therapeutic for me. I also like to organize my Oreos into the biggest cookie jar I can find.

That said, I was encouraged to start as a side hustle by organizing people’s homes and I did just that. I started with my family and then moved on to friends. My first job in April 2020 was organizing a pantry. Next thing you know, I was organizing cabinets, drawers, and closets.

October 2020 rolled around and I was lucky to head back into work yet I continued to do jobs because I started to really enjoy it. I didn’t want just stop what I could see myself growing with even with my hours on the news gradually going back to normal.

December 2020 rolled around and one of my clients asked if I would re-design her kid’s bedroom. She literally wanted me to take everything out, beds included, and start all over. I never thought about interior design but she was so confident in me that I had to give it a chance. My dad does contract work so I reached out to him. He pulled someone off his team to help me and I made it happen. I remember posting before and after’s to my social media and getting so much good feedback.

At that point, I was encouraged to get a business mentor to help me really understand how to sustain and make a profit if I wanted to turn what was a side hustle into a small business. I started working with Susan zumBrunnen with SCORE Charlotte. It’s a free business workshop with mentors who have been in the business before. I also started working with Monica McMillan, the owner of Creators and Company to help me determine what my business brand would look like.

2021, I continued to do pantries but then quickly maneuvered to organizing a home office, and re-designing master bedrooms and living rooms. August 2021, I was ready to register my business with the state of North Carolina.

When I’m not on the news I run the House of Ruby Durham. I offer high-end interior design and professional organizing consultations. I like to call it creating style and order for your life. My goal is to give my clients a new aesthetic that will make them feel relaxed and at home with a system that helps them function a little bit easier both day and night.

Flash-forward to 2022 and I am now working with vendors to help bring my projects to life. I’m entering into clients’ homes and not only leaving a mark by turning their ideas into reality but creating relationships that I know will drive my business. I never thought I’d be here today but I’m excited to see how far I can push myself and learn about entrepreneurship.

My hope is to learn as much as I can so one day I too can become a mentor to someone who decided to bet on themselves.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I literally started something from nothing. I have a degree in communications with a focus in broadcast journalism. I didn’t go to school to receive a business degree or go-to interior design school but I have a passion for creating, designing and organizing. I’m not putting those options on the back-burner but when I started organizing and designing it was all from what I liked to do in my home and what I found that worked.

It has not been a smooth road but a road that has taught me one thing after another. Each client has been different. Each project has been different. Different in a good way because I’ve learned something new every time that in turn makes the next project a little bit easier. I learn what not to do. I’ve learned different ways to work smarter not harder.

The biggest lesson that I’ve learned honestly though is to communicate, follow-up if something doesn’t go as planned, and ask for help from those who have traveled the same road.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about House of Ruby Durham?
To me, my home is like a sanctuary. In the morning it’s the space that fuels me to take on the challenges of the day. It brings comfort when it’s time to wind down yet helps me regroup to own the day ahead.

What makes it thrive is its style and order. I love designing and organizing. I feel like my creativity and attention to detail show a different side of my personality that I can share with the world and incorporate into the homes of others.

I am a firm believer that everything has a place, a container, and a label! As for the interiors, I love a neutral, abstract, minimalist look. It is simple, bold, clean yet homey. I tend to go for the largest art, mirrors, and collection of books. When I hear the term The Aesthetic, I think about “The Look”.

Literally, it’s all about the look. Let me break it down. You know that feeling when you walk into someone’s home and its look just gives you life? The vibrancy, personality, and mood tell a story that makes you want to stay a little while longer.

That said, The HOUSE OF RUBY DURHAM is here to help you create an aesthetic for others. Your home is where you start and end your day so why not make it work for you? The House Headquarters works out of Charlotte, North Carolina. We create minimalist, contemporary, eclectic, farmhouse and youth designs.

Most importantly, we make it about you. We work with a team of professionals that listen to your ideas to create your new reality. Beyond your interiors, The House can organize everything from your junk drawer, pantry, closet, or garage. Whether you’re a professional or a parent we want to help your transition from day to night be as functional as possible.

To us, a home’s aesthetic is similar to a well-put-together outfit. When you have the right top, bottom, shoes, and accessories.. you’re bound to suit yourself for success from the time you walk out of your home into the world.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Within the next 10 years, I see House of Ruby Durham having its own warehouse. A warehouse that offers custom art, drapery, upholstery, you name to design luxury spaces. I also see my business also having its own quality closet and kitchen supplies.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.houseofrubydurham.com
• Instagram: @houseofrubydurham
• Facebook: houseofrubydurham

Image Credits
Monica McMillan