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Meet Bev Kelley.  When Bev is not substitute teaching, she is elbow deep as the sole owner and employee of Home Works by Bev, her own home improvement business. Bev’s love for home improvement started when she was very young.  “I can remember redecorating my bedroom, moving the furniture around when I was a child. I was refinishing furniture as a teenager, and building furniture in my 30’s. Eventually, I wanted to take it to another level and had the opportunity about 6 years ago to completely renovate a rental property that I owned. It was an opportunity to see if renovating a home was everything I thought it would be. Well, it was, and then some. I was hooked! “

 

Home Works by Bev is basically a home improvement business, but also offers decorating, staging, painting, tiling, and basic home renovation services. All the work is done by Bev. She started the business in March of 2016; however, she has been doing the work of renovating her personal homes for about 6 years.

 

Her favorite part of my business is taking something outdated or ugly, and turning it into something beautiful. Her favorite projects are tiling and staging. She loves the transformative aspect of tiling, and the creative outlet of staging.  Her least favorite part is trying to maneuver the ladders.  Because tiling is one of her favorite activities, she would like to gain more experience and become an expert tile setter, with an emphasis on backsplashes and mosaics.

 

She hopes to continue growing her business for many years to come. She loves helping people and bringing joy to each customer. Her business allows her to do just that. “I will probably always be a small operation but that allows me to build relationships with the people who have allowed me to help make their houses homes. “

 

Bev grew up in a suburb of Chicago and came to Lawrence in 1985 to attend KU. She got her BA in Communication Studies and never left Lawrence. She started working for the Lawrence school district as a Special Education Paraprofessional from 2007 until 2016.  This is when she left the district to start her own business.  She then decided to get her emergency substitute license as a way to supplement her income during slower business periods. She has been with MHED since January 31, 2017. “I absolutely love substituting, it offers me so much flexibility and gives me a chance to stay connected to children.  My favorite subbing jobs are Special Ed. I just really connect with these kids. They always have something to teach me!”

 

Thank you, Bev, for joining the MHED Team and doing what you do to make an impact on others.