The Elegant Organizer, a professional organizing company serving Long Island and NYC, was started more than 10 years ago by Patty Barr. A small business at its inception, Barr would be hired to do a room, a closet, office, pantry or garage. Yet, as happens when people experience great service, Barr’s clients began requesting her to do more. For example, a client would ask, “Do you do moves?” or “Can you help me and my sisters clean out my aging mother’s home before she moves into an assisted living home?” “My business revolves around what I call the 3 Hs—Hold, Help and Heave,” notes Barr. “When I go into a home, often my clients just do not know where to start, and they have accumulated memories and things in their homes that they cannot part with.” Through a patient and compas- sionate approach, Barr finds a way that allows the client to Hold onto the things that mean the most. She Helps others through donation to many orga- nizations that are near and dear to her clients’ hearts, and she facilitates the entire process of Heaving for them.
The Elegant Organizer also assists clients in developing daily and monthly routines to maintain their space and manage their valuable time. The goal of this service, explains Barr, is to free up clients’ time so they can do what’s most important—enjoy their lives.Over the years, The Elegant Organizer has become more than simply an organizing company, it has evolved into a service that organizes any aspect of a person’s life. That includes, downsiz- ing; cleaning out a home of an elderly family member or someone transition- ing into senior living; helping with pre- and post-moves; packing; and staging a home that is for sale. Barr also serves clients that have seasonal homes and need assistance with third parties, such as cable and phone; stocking the fridge; or organizing the home to get ready for the family to come and visit.
“I pride myself in offering a con- cierge service, if you will,” says Barr. “Something that makes my service unique, specifically when it comes to pre- and post-moves or downsizing an elderly or deceased relative’s home is that the service I offer is truly one stop.” Barr explains that she does it all from start to finish. She scopes the space, works with the family to determine what to keep, and calls the estate sale people or tag sale people that she trusts. For any items that don’t get sold, Barr arranges for the donation, and she finalizes the job by staging the house for an effective sale, if the client is selling. She has her own list of people that she works with and trusts, including antique dealers and other business owners that will buy a home’s contents outright, so that there is immediate cash to the client.
“I am a one-stop shop,” says Barr. “I organize every part of your life, and
I do it with patience and compassion. I offer a concierge service, and I want to be your only solution when you have a need to reclaim a space or downsize/ sell a space. I will guide you from start to finish, giving you shortcuts and ideas to make your life easy, stress-free and simple. My mantra is, Let me reclaim your space, and in doing so, reclaim your time—your life!”
