Annie Allen - Professional Organizer

Thank you to all of the wonderful people-clients I've met over the past few years; it's been fun getting to know you and working together! Thanks to all of the incredible small businesses here who inspired me and helped my business thrive (the Small Business Development Center is where it all started for me). Thank you to all of the amazing Santa Cruz Professional Organizers who provided support, networking, mentoring and camaraderie - you're the BEST! And thank you to the American Society of Professional Organizers who provided a professional launch pad and mentoring support when I first started my business. I wish you all the best for 2026!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Holiday giving doesn't have to be about gifting more stuff. Think outside the gift box and consider an activity or experience. Sharing a talent is also a great present - for instance, if you are an expert at gardening, you can teach a friend how to start a small garden patch or herb garden. These gifts are received with heart-felt appreciation.

I'm working on a kitchen edit and this cabinet was FULL of all the oils, vinegars, sauces and spices as well as teas and a few random items. I'm kicking myself that I forgot to take a "before" picture! What I want to point out is that there was simply too.much.stuff crammed into this cabinet which made it dysfunctional. I couldn't see what was stored in the back and I certainly couldn't access it.

Solutions: First, we moved the spices to a nearby drawer which greatly improves access and visibility AND frees up a lot of space in the cabinet. Next we designated categories for the shelves - oils/vinegars/sauces, tea and powered supplements. We installed bins on the upper shelves to contain the various packages and provide easy access; pulling down a bin is easier than getting a stool and trying to see what might be hiding in the back of an upper shelf. Lastly, we installed lazy susans for the oils/vinegars/sauces (lazy susans provide easy access!) and we moved large bulk oils to a lower cabinet.

The final result is order, sensibility, easy access and clear visibility. The owner said "Now maybe I won't overbuy because I can see what I already have".