By Ginger Dawson
NKyTribune reporter
There are some people among us who are natural risk-takers. I am talking about those rare people who go ahead and do what they want in life with a certain confidence and a devil-may-care attitude. They follow their own counsel, take chances, and aren’t afraid to fail or succeed. It is who they are to the marrow, and there is just simply no other way. Their lives are their own.
Heather Buckley Pauly behind the counter at Curated Design & Decor (Photo provided)
And then, there’s that issue of having way too many interests and talents that must be attended to.
As you may realize, there aren’t many people like this; people who can fly without a net — like one of the Flying Wallendas. This is not to say that a comfortable security is not desirable. Not at all. They just have a different way of getting to that place.
Now, of course, flying without a net takes practice, but you have to throw yourself off of that first platform. Go ahead. See if you can do it.
Heather Buckley Pauly grew up in California, Missouri, a tiny little town of 3000 outside of Jefferson City, the state capital. It was a small-town existence, and like many out in the middle of nowhere, other places and times seemed so much more interesting and exotic. She liked the late sixties era rock music her mother played and attended Bluegrass festivals with her. There were all kinds of intriguing people depicted on these album covers and in the flesh at these festivals. It seemed there was a different California out there, other than the one she grew up in.
Fabulous Danish Modern table on display. Call for availability. (Photo provided)
After high school, Heather attended and graduated from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri in 1997. She obtained a bachelor of arts in biology. This was a surprising thing to discover! This woman has many interests and aptitudes.
In addition, she had always liked to sing, and during this biology education, she got interested in guitar. She learned to play so that she could accompany herself. She became a singer/songwriter and the exposure to her mother’s record collection and the Bluegrass festivals influenced her interests in Folk and Americana music. Her interest in this continued to grow.
After college, she wanted to strike out to some place new and different. Influenced by the myriad types of people and lifestyles that she saw that were so different from where she grew up, she contemplated moving to Oregon. The destination was an intentional community. An intentional community is somewhat akin to a commune in that there is a shared ideology of values, lifestyle and generally, a type of spirituality.
There was something about this plan that just didn’t feel quite right in her gut. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t override her hesitation to go. This was the first and probably the last time that Heather was afraid to throw herself off of a platform into the unknown.
Jon Pauly and Heather Buckley Pauly(Photo provided)
Another direction looked a little more promising, and a little more familiar. She had a good friend from college who was attending the University of Cincinnati Law School. The prospect of another college town (albeit a larger one) seemed a little less daunting, so she headed east to the Queen City. It didn’t hurt to have a friend there, either.
Now, even though she had decided against a “hippie” existence at the community in Oregon, she wasn’t quite ready to let go of her romantic notion of what that could’ve been and what it was all about. She came here in an orange Volkswagen camper bus —- which she didn’t live in, but it was there to bear witness as a reminder.
At first, arriving in Cincinnati, she parlayed her biology degree into a position at Proctor and Gamble in the personal health division. Quickly, she realized that she was not cut out for corporate, well, ANYTHING. It all seemed to be a weird treadmill of memos. And memos ABOUT memos.
This lasted about six months. That’s a pretty good run, in my opinion. At least she tried.
Excellent vintage ceiling fixture at Curated Design & Decor. Call for availability (Photo provided)
Fortunately, Heather already had engaged in the restaurant business in college, and this would continue to be a source of income for her then, and in the future, whether waiting tables or bartending.
And Heather continued to play music. She had gotten more engaged in performing, and around 2000, she met and linked up with M.J. (Mary Jo) Stallings, a singer/guitarist and together they formed a duo. The Dishes, as they came to be known, played regularly at different clubs and festivals. They still do, on occasion.
Two thousand was a big year in other ways, too. She moved across the river to Kentucky and bought a house. This was an important experience. She really liked the process of renovating and creating living spaces. She learned how to do a lot of the work herself, and she liked the sense of accomplishment it gave her.
At this same time, she was inspired to start a business. Heather, with her fearless approach to life, was an entrepreneur waiting to happen. It takes nerve to open any business and it definitely can be like flying without a net. You hope to God the trapeze swings your direction and you have the skill to grab it.
Heather on stage. (Photo provided)
Enzo’s Coffee House and Dry Cleaners opened on Main St. in Covington’s Mainstrasse Village in 2000. This business ran until about 2003.
This first business gave Heather the bug. Her next business was Soho Scooters, located on Monmouth St. in Newport. Around that time, little automatic 50cc motor scooters (think The Who’s Quadrophenia) were in vogue and clubs had sprung up for the devoted. She had gotten caught up in the scene and Soho sold several different brands and also vintage Vespas. Rockabilly music was having a 15-minutes at that time, too, and this was what was on the table for her, both musically and socially.
After that came to an end, it was time to change direction. After a take-5 pause in the restaurant business, Heather revisited corporate America. This time it was a different experience. She worked at Amazon writing reviews for a shoe selling platform. Her requirements for employment? A college degree and a perfect size 8 foot!
She worked at Amazon until 2016. During those years, she had a chance to regroup and consider her life. In 2009, she felt a yearning to return to a spiritual path that she had not focused on for some time.
She started attending the Christ’s Chapel in Erlanger. Here, she was on the music worship team for the church and met Jonathan Pauly, a fellow seeker, and musician. They married in December of 2014. They have established a solid life together.
Kitsch Deluxe! Love these lamps! Call for availability. (Photo provided)
Around the time of their marriage, Heather got back to her interest in real estate, investing in rental properties and fixing them up. Jon is behind this 100% and assists where he can.
It was actually the shuffling of their living arrangement from one small apartment into a much larger one (which they literally raised the roof to make!) that pointed Heather towards another leap off of the platform to start another business.
This larger apartment called for more furniture. Heather had always loved thrift shopping and buying antiques, collectibles, furniture….you name it. She confesses that she loves a deal and “sharing the joy of the find”!
In fact, she bought so much, it became the beginning inventory for Curated Design & Decor.
In October of 2017, the shop opened its doors for business and is currently located at 7 E. Southern Ave. in Latonia. Heather sells vintage furnishings (a lot of mid-century modern), kitchen items and decor. It is a great selection that she personally chooses and displays. She has also maintained a shop on Etsy, an online buyers and sellers community.
Jon Pauly and Heather Buckley Pauly in performance. (Photo provided)
In addition, Heather offers interior design consultation and event staging. She also likes to collaborate with clients in helping them incorporate pieces that they already own with new items that she can help them select.
This recent pandemic descending upon us and affecting us all has, of course, complicated Heather’s business plan.
With regular business hours suspended, Curated Design & Decor will be selling from its Etsy store -— Sharing the joy of the find! by CuratedDesignDecor.
Heather will also be highlighting specific items from her Facebook page and Instagram (@curateddesigndecor) for curbside pickup or delivery.
With her naturally fearless approach to life, coupled with her past experiences and the resulting skill set, Heather Buckley Pauly is uniquely poised to handle these current difficulties, like few people I can think of.
Help her out and go shopping!
Ginger Dawson writes about people — the neighbors you need to know and people you need to meet and understand. If you have ideas for subjects please share them with Ginger at ginger@fuse.net.
