Meet Arica Martinez of Colorado Staging + Design + Media

Today we’d like to introduce you to Arica Martinez.

Hi Arica, 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.
In 2008, we moved into our first home which was built by my husband. I was happy to be a new mom and was looking forward to creating a comfortable space for our family and enjoying our new home. Over the next couple of years, because funds were limited due to me being a stay-at-home mom and my husband was the only one working, I had to get resourceful with furnishing our house. I would visit our local thrift stores and come across some amazing fines.

Whether it was art, pots and pans, furniture, towels, pillows….. people donated some pretty cool stuff. But what got me excited was the first piece of furniture I decided to paint. I watched a lot of videos and became quite good at refinishing furniture. Not only was I able to start filling my house with some awesome pieces painting furniture was also a stress reliever for me and my favorite hobby… after a handful of years, I finally was done furnishing my home, but I did not want to stop painting furniture so I continued and decided to start a small business out of it.

I’d always gotten a lot of compliments when people came to my house so I thought I would just take a stab at selling it to my friends on Facebook. I gathered a good amount and one day I decided to have a flash sale on my page and everything was gone in less than four hours. I felt like I was on something and was thrilled to have made some money! I would hold sales at my home, and one of my customers who turned into a friend later on, approached me one day and said that he was in real estate, and his stager was retiring, and he wanted to know if I could help him out with his first listing. I was quite confused because of course I was not a home stager, but just a hobbyist furniture refurbisher haha!

For years, I was in retail so I did have lots of experience with merchandising I’m sure that’s what caught his eye at my sales was that I knew how to market a product. I reluctantly agreed and after I said yes, he said oh by the way the house is 10,000 ft.² and it’s going to be listed for $2 million. Of course, my jaw dropped to the floor and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I walked away, shaking in my boots wanting to cry lol! Like what did I just agree to? I have no clue what I’m doing. But I gathered a bunch of girls from church and made it happen.

Fast forward to 2024. Our company has grown to a team of 12, we stage over 300 homes a year, have four trucks, won national awards, traveled across the US to teach others in my industry and I still sometimes can’t believe how I got here.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not smooth at all. Most creative people don’t start a business because they are good business people. We start because we love what we do. NO ONE tells you you have to RUN a business!!! You are faced with so many problems and you have to decide if you are going to face them or not.

In 2017, when I started my company I had to go into a business owner/entrepreneur mindset and leave the hobbyist mindset behind. I had to make the hard decisions of what was best for the business and not my desires. I’m friends with failure tho… we are buds. I welcome it. Failure has been my best teacher. Failure is an option. But for me quitting is not.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Colorado Staging + Design + Media?
We are a Real Estate Marketing Firm. We offer home staging, Interior Design Services, Consulting, and Photo and video services. We are proud to be known for our quality and quick turnaround on all of our services.

The thing that sets us apart from our competitors is that we are a one-stop shop, which makes it easy for our clients to book multiple services with one company. We constantly hear “I knew you guys staged this house. I can tell right as I walk” I am so proud of our strong brand recognition!!

We offer affordable services and deliver a superior product.

What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Don’t over think. Follow your gut and always seek wisdom from others you look up to.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.coloradostagingco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coloradostagingco?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/coloradostagingco
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@coloradostagingco?si=6EJEZ1umJvr-GoK0

Image Credits
Brian Martinez and Christa Tippmann