Humans of Cleveland
Photo by Peri McIntosh
I had no idea what to expect today upon visiting Stamper's Furniture, nestled in historic downtown Cleveland right off of The Square.
Founded in 1923, Stamper's Furniture is no doubt a historic landmark of Cleveland. Having walked past the store many times before, I almost passed by it today. Something about the place, however, caught my eye, and I am so glad that it did.
Pushing through the door with only my car keys and my camera slung around my shoulder, I was quite baffled by the sheer size of the place. High ceilings and large, grandiose balconies structured the store. I soon met several employees, one of whom was designer Kimberly Varner.
Kimberly Varner, Interior Designer
'What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone?'
'Be true to yourself, whatever you do for yourself, do for someone else. Try to do what you like, but if not, then find ways that the things that you do like are available to you.'
'How did you find out that design was your passion?'
'I was in first grade, and when you learned math, they would give you grapes and cherries, reds, triangles, and circles and they were different colors. I didn't care anything about the numbers, but I wanted those colors and the shapes. If I had to learn math, that was fine as long as I got to play with the shapes.'
'What is a moment that stands out to you, whether in your career or just in life?'
'Life? It's got to be my marriage. That's it. We've been together since I was 15, dated all through highschool, and we've been married 25 years. Whenever I think of a life moment, that woud be it. My husband, Mike, is my friend, my confidant, my everything here on earth.'
'What is something you are struggling with right now?'
'Balancing work and life. Carving out time for my marriage and keeping those things first that need to be first but still enjoying what I do.'
'So how do you do that?'
'It's constantly weeding out some good to have the best that's needed. And sometimes that's hard.'
