Meet Margie Hamrick | Home Staging & Interior Stylist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Margie Hamrick and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Margie, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I started out flipping homes in Vail, Colorado over 30 years ago. I would stage my homes/listings and get them photo ready so I could get them listed. As my homes sold I realized that my buyers wanted to also buy my furniture, decor and yes, my bedding. I also noticed that my homes sold faster than any of my competition. I was selling homes in good markets and also in the toughest of markets 2008 through 2010. One of my homes sold 2006 before it ever hit the market, a real estate agent knocked on my door and said she heard I was listing my home. She asked if she could bring her clients in to see my home. I was on my way to soccer practice with my daughter so I invited them in and left for practice. When I arrived home the potential buyer offered me full price for my home. I built another home with the same plan, and the same result it sold within the first week. I realized after selling a few homes that the agents would run through a similar conversation with me each time. The conversation was always about pricing. I would share the price I wanted to list the home and the agents would say “the price was too high” or ” nothing has sold in that range in your area.” I never wavered and always stuck to my guns on pricing. I sold every home I listed for the highest price possible for the neighborhood and sold the homes in record time. I started helping friends stage their properties in Aspen & Vail and continued to have success stories with everyone I helped.

Over time I was collecting furniture, decor, lighting and bedding and filling up warehouses with items I loved and or had used in one of my homes. I decided to create a pop up home store in the Vail Valley so I could sell off my items and let go of the warehouses. I started out with 1500 sf that I had only wanted to lease for 6 months. The owner of the building needed me to sign a year lease so that’s what I did. Once I got set up in my new furniture showroom I was hooked. I went from a 1500 sf space to 6,000 sf with 2,000 sf of warehouse space. I started out selling my gently used home staging collections and some high end consignment items that came from resort homes from surrounded areas. It has been over 6 years since we opened our doors.  Our clients needs have changed over the years, people are spending more time than ever in their homes, so we needed to make some changes as well.  We understand that your home has a direct  influence not only on how you feel, but it effects your mood and your overall vibe as well. We started attending Furniture Markets & Shows each year, and we now feature designer brands that include the latest design trends as well as our beautiful hand selected staging collections, unique high-end consignment collections and over proud to have teamed up with over 45 new designer lines.

Once I had my own showroom to work out of, I decided to start sharing my home staging expertise with real estate agents & clients in the Vail & Aspen areas. We staged our first home and it was an instant success. The benefits of living and working in a small town is that news travels fast. Since that time we have staged hundreds of luxury homes, resulting in millions in sales for our clients and real estate agents that we teamed up with. Today we are one of the top staging companies on the Western Slope. We now have The Home Outpost Furniture & Decor showroom, The Home Staging Division, and we also offer turn key programs for you rental properties and our furniture leasing division that offer rental packages for you home or condo.

It is our job to make our clients home STAND OUT from the competition. We focus on buyer driven design that maximizes the value of every home we stage. We understand the value of marketing not only the interiors of the home, we also understand the importance of focusing on the luxurious lifestyle that all buyers are in search of in the Vail & Aspen markets. The results? It’s a Win Win for the buyer and the seller and the success rate speaks volumes, setting us apart from the rest. We believe you get one shot to make the absolute best first impression when it comes to marketing your home, from the first click on the website or the moment you walk through the door….make it amazing every time!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
After years of staging and flipping luxury homes in the Vail Valley as a homeowner/seller, I gained a great understanding what motivated buyers to make an offer. I saw an opportunity to elevate the experience, and maximize profits so I decided it was the perfect time to to share my expertise and help sellers as well as the entire real estate community deliver the same elevated experience with their buyers.

In 2015 I rented a 1,500 sf retail space near Costco and filled it with my staging collection, high end consignment pieces, recycled & up cycled items and unique finds. I opened my doors to the public as a destination home shopping experience and full service home staging business. The impact was immediate and filled a huge void in our community. Local real estate agents took notice and our business took off, allowing us to grow our showroom & warehouse space into what it is today.

People tell us often that we have such a fun, glamorous & cool job and we just smile, say thank you, because we love what we do. The reality is, our job is by far the hardest, most labor intensive, dirtiest, physically challenging job that any of us have ever had. Most days you will see us with wearing, baseball caps, dirty work clothes and sneakers ready to move furniture, hang art, make beds, pack up boxes, drive trucks and do it all with smile on our face. We do whatever it takes in a day to pull off our luxurious transformations. We spend the majority of our time in a car, truck or trailer, the rest of our time we spend walking luxury real estate, looking at spectacular views that we use to inspire us to create magic for each and every project we are blessed to take on.

It’s all in the details! From the moment we do our initial walkthrough we take in all of the amazing aspects that the property has to offer and we build on it from there. Once we have an understanding the full scope of the project, no details are overlooked throughout our process, from creating action plan that includes any necessary updates, identifying inspection & punch-list items, and creating a design plan to stage and transform the property. Whether we are bring in a few pieces of art, a room, a condo or an entire house, we maximize the value of the property/space and make every room we stage stand out.

I am inspired by the love, generosity & support of our community. In a time of uncertainty, one thing is for certain: we have an absolutely amazing community and wonderfully supportive businesses, organizations, and stakeholders. In a time of need we pull together and help one another as if we were one big extended family. One of the amazing aspects of owning a consignment store is the opportunity you are given to give back in a time in need. With the help of our consignors, The Home Outpost donates furniture, bedding & decor to Habitat for Humanity and the Vail Valley Community Thrifty Shops weekly. We know that your home is your sanctuary and when people experience a life changing set back, we are there by making sure they have a warm bed and a table to gather around with their family. Together we are able to restore just a glimmer of hope and a much needed peace as they navigate through difficult times.

After just seven years in business in the Vail Valley and surrounding resort communities, the list of luxe success stories continue to grow and our furniture collection has evolved. The Home Outpost has expanded our collection of furnishings & decor to include over 45 new designer lines, and we continue to feature high end gently used pieces & consignment items, antiques, recycled items and rare finds. Our clients can now buy items from our showroom and also from our luxury staging collections that we used in one of our many featured projects. We consign some of the most interesting collections from around the world, and we love to integrate our unique and rare finds into our projects, a statement piece that becomes a point of conversation and sets the tone for the entire space.

One of the toughest challenges in business today is finding inventory. We have enough furniture to furnish 10 to 12 homes at any given time. We order items weekly from our distributors based on what is in stock and we take in entire condos or homes on consignment weekly. The market has changed drastically over the past year and our clients are looking for immediate satisfaction or in other words a turnkey property that is ready to move in. Most of our clients end up selling their homes furnished, so we don’t usually get the furnishings back. With that said, we have learned to be resourceful and creative. If we don’t have the perfect piece, we create it, we reupholster items as needed to make them beautiful and new. We make custom pillows, create custom art and recreate pieces as needed to create a wow factor for each and every room.

The most exciting part of our business is that we get instant gratification. We meet with our clients and within one to two weeks their home is staged and ready to list. We have sold projects as quickly as one day and others before they ever hit the market. In 2021, our home staging & interior styling has resulted in over 128 million dollars in successful real estate transactions.

I am beyond proud of my team and what we have accomplished together. We have created a family, focusing on cultivating positivity in all aspects of the workplace. We love our job, enjoy spending time together and we look forward to coming to work each day. We have created work environment that affirms creativity, value, dignity and worth. We are all incredibly driven and share the same ambitions & work ethic. Together we have gone from selling furniture, to staging furniture, to leasing furniture offering our clients luxury solutions for their personal home and all of their real estate needs as well.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The Vail Valley is one of the most beautiful, scenic and popular resorts in Colorado. The views are breathtaking and the list of things to do are endless. Growing up in the Vail Valley most people think that I am an incredible skier. I do love to ski and have been skiing for over 40 years, but I love to enjoy all that living in the mountains offers. Your winter trip itinerary would include all things warm, cozy, beautiful and fun!

Day One

After picking you up from the Vail/EGE Airport our first stop would be:

The Home Outpost to find the perfect blanket to snuggle up with a warm cup of cocoa during your trip, and the perfect gift to yourself to take home and curl up with as a constant reminder of your amazing trip to Vail.

We would go for a snowshoe or cross country ski in Cordillera and enjoy lunch by the fire at the Timber Hearth Grill.

We would enjoy shopping in Beaver Creek Village, take in spa day at the Allegria Spa at the Park Hyatt then head to dinner at Hooked in Beaver Creek.

Day Two
We would hit the slopes in Beaver Creek then ski over to The Ritz Carlton for apre ski with music, cocktails and s’mores by the fire.

We would head out to Edwards to enjoy local favorites including drinks and appetizers at The Rose, and Dinner at Juniper Grill.

Day Three
We would spend the day in Vail village taking in skiing, the views from the Gondola, lunch at Sweet Basil, Shopping and finally enjoy dinner at Matsuhisa.

Day Four
We would travel to Minturn then up to Ski Cooper to the Tennessee Pass Cook House and Nordic Center. We would snowshoe to the top and get settled into our private yurt where we will be greeted with a warm fire, fondue & wine. We would then explore the surrounding area and learn about the infamous 10th Mountain Division who trained at nearby Camp Hale. Then we would hike over to the cozy Dinner Yurt and enjoy our five star dining experience. Ending the adventure with a night under the stars in, and hike out the following day and head back to the Vail valley.

Day Five
After spending the morning hiking out of Tennessee Pass/ Ski Cooper, we would head down the mountain stopping in Minturn for shopping and grab lunch at the locals favorite Mexican food hang out, The Saloon. After lunch we would head back to Beaver Creek and take in a show at the Vilar Center.

Day Six
We would do a morning snowshoe or ski at the resort then head to scenic Glenwood Canyon to take in the beauty of the canyons, and end up at the Iron Mountain Hot Springs and enjoy the natural hot springs, lunch and cocktails surrounded by the beauty of the mountains and the healing waters of the mountains. We would grab dinner at Sato in Edwards enjoying the sushi, their famous sashimi Salad and their yummy saki mule, before heading back to Beaver Creek to end the night relaxing in the hot tub.

Day Seven
We would shop for gifts, ice skate in Beaver Creek or in Vail Village and end the trip by experiencing Beanos Cabin, a sleigh ride to dinner, wonderful food and s’mores by the fire.

And that’s a wrap…hope to see you soon!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many contributing factors that have lead to my success in this life. My family is seriously my greatest source of support and inspiration and has shaped who I am today. In business and in life none of us achieves success alone. When I think about the success of my company I simply think about who has helped me do it? I started The Home Outpost, and at the time my husband Mike was busy running his own company, however from day one he became my unspoken partner. He took on the finances, accounting, business matters, and so much more. His support, guidance and time is key to our success and I would not be where I am without him. In addition to my behind the scenes dream team, I have been blessed with two people who came to me by chance. Jennifer Sanchez & Elisa Willoughby have been by my side from the start and have never wavered. In a time when we hear often that good employees are hard to find, I have found my dream team, we love what we do, we love and support each other everyday in work and in life. They show me each day what dedication and hard work looks like. I am in awe of the continued support we recieve from the Vail, Aspen and surrounding resort communities. And lastly I am beyond grateful to the entire real estate community for continuing to choose The Home Outpost to elevate their listings because I know our success depends on theirs.

Website: www.thehomeoutpost.com

Instagram: thehomeoutpost

Facebook: The Home Outpost

Image Credits: Björn Bauer Photography