Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Walker.
Hi Jessica, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have spent 30+ years working in our family business of interior design and refit project management. My mom started the business in 1990, specializing in boat interior refits and home decorating. As a teenager, I would help her out and then when I started my family I went to work with my mom full time. While it was not my dream at the time, it was my dream to be able to raise my children and be there for them. Working in the family business provided that. When they were babies, I brought them to work with me. If my kids were sick or had a field trip or needed anything, my job was flexible. Having the gift of my boss being my kids’ grandma was perfect! When my mom retired, I figured it was time to decide what I wanted to be when I grow up (in my 40s…). The business was never my dream, it was my mom’s. And while I enjoyed it, I never really considered carrying on without her. But while I was figuring out what to do with my life now that my kids were grown up and my mom retired, clients kept calling. They needed help with their projects and I knew what to do. So what started as helping out a few past clients turned into me carrying the torch and continuing to interior design and project manage homes and boats.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Sometimes a project can be challenging because of the timeline. Or what a client wants is not always feasible. Especially on the boat projects. But problem solving and finding creative solutions is one of the things that makes the job interesting and fun. If it were just about selecting colors and fabrics, that would get boring. But when a client who has a bay cruise charter boat says, “I want the coolest bar on the water for our customers”, well that’s fun. And to see your completed vision come to life as a custom, stainless steel framed, light up, glass countertop on the most popular San Diego Bay cruise charter boat, Triton Charters, that feels pretty amazing. Was it easy? Heck no! But that’s what makes it fun.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I project manage what my clients require to obtain their goals. I do everything from new accent pillows to complete custom redesign of interiors. Carpet, bedding, window treatments, cabinets, fixtures, artwork and more. My years of experience is where my knowledge comes from. Houses, boats, offices and retail spaces are my areas of expertise.
Specializing in boats, I know what products are appropriate for boats and what contractors to put together to build the right team for each project. I have experience with Coast Guard regulations and charter vessels.
I specialize in on land and on water window treatments and am a dealer for Hunter Douglas too.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Boat interiors are so specialized I never really know what the next project will look like. The cost of everything has gone up and people have to be more choosey about how they spend their money. And private boats are not a necessity. But many aspects of what I do are part of maintenance too. Something needs repair or gets worn out and needs to be replaced and all of that takes knowledge and expertise.
For the boats, Coast Guard regulations are becoming more and more strict as well. I have familiarized myself with much of the requirements and continue to do so for future successful projects.
