Keeping It Simple
Amy Rehkemper (Class of 1998) at her Simplify Organizing office in Towson
She Brings Order to Chaos
Not everyone has the gift of organization. Many of us feel overwhelmed by the excess clutter filling up our lives. That’s when Amy Rehkemper, a professional organizer, steps in to help keep things simple and orderly.
Armed with a homemade flyer and a labeler, Rehkemper started her own organizing business, Simplify Organizing, in 1999 out of the spare bedroom of her Loch Raven Village town home. (Originally named, A Place For Everything.)
Rehkemper grew up in an artistic and creative home that was also quite cluttered. “After spending 18 years in a disorganized environment, I decided to make it my life’s work to help others escape from the negative impact of excess clutter,” she says. “Clutter can lead to anti-social behavior, depression and a sense of hopelessness,” she adds.
Over the last five years, Rehkemper, who admits to being a workaholic, has been busy organizing attics, basements, kitchens, closets, garages, offices, classrooms and more. She was also a featured organizer on the Home and Garden Television program, “Mission: Organization.”
Rehkemper truly believes that less is more- more time, space, clarity and a chance to focus on what really matters in life. So she coaches her clients, helping them decide what they really need and what they can pitch.
“Roll the jobs of an efficiency expert, interior designer, cheerleader, teacher and occasionally a therapist into one, and you’ve got yourself a professional organizer,” Rehkemper says.
In 2001, Rehkemper co-founded the Maryland Association of Professional Organizers, a Baltimore-based group that provides networking opportunities and education to both new and veteran professional organizers. She served as the president of the group for the first 3 years. She is also a member of the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization, and the National Association of Professional Organizers.
Rehkemper’s husband, Dave, helps her with the operational side of Simplify, and has had his own career in advertising and marketing for the last seven years.
Simplify Organizing has recently expanded to a 1,050 square foot office in Towson, serving clients in the Baltimore/Washington metropolitan area as an organizing office and training center.
For Rehkemper the best part of her job is not just the dramatic transformations of rooms from a complete mess to an organizational oasis, but more importantly it’s the transformation of the person who changes from frazzled and frustrated to calm and optimistic.
“There comes a time when the things we own begin to own us,” Rehkemper says. “It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you do, everyone needs order in their lives.”