“I loved my job, and I loved the people,” she said. “They’re still my friends, but I went home smiling. ... I knew what I was going to do.”
Commons had spent more than 25 years employed by the federal government, working her way up to a senior executive position before moving on to help manage companies in China and Singapore.
In October 2018, a little more than a year after she lost her job, Commons combined her management background with her penchant for creative design to open Picture Perfect Interiors & Gifts in Humble.
“I’ve always loved decorating and all things home related, and that passion only grew as my husband and I relocated over the years,” Commons said. “Creating Picture Perfect brought all my passions together.”
Picture Perfect Interiors & Gifts provides a wide array of decorative items and accessories aimed at sprucing up homes as well as a number of personalized services, including private in-store and in-home appointments with designers.
Commons noted her staff members will often help customers find a particular piece in the store they like and help them find complimentary pieces to build around it. Sometimes, Commons said customers will come in with one idea and leave with something entirely different.
“Part of our job is to help them settle on what they love, not what they’ve seen,” Commons said.
Even with her extensive background in management, Commons said it took a while for her to adjust to being a business owner.
“Owning a business is extremely different, vastly different from managing somebody else’s stuff,” Commons said. “I could say, ‘Okay, we need to do this, this and this’ and direct them and look on from a high level. Here, I have to be in the weeds on everything.”
Commons said the COVID-19 pandemic also provided its share of challenges for the business.
“I changed our hours,” Commons said. “I occasionally let some of [my staff] off for a while. I made adjustments as the year went on, and it helped. I stayed in business, but it was difficult.”
Despite the challenges, Commons said everything her business has endured has been worth it when she gets to spend time with her clients.
“I just can’t explain how nice it is to have ladies in the shop that just love being here and laughing and talking about their homes,” Commons said.
Picture Perfect Interiors & Gifts
5360-A FM 1960, Humble
832-533-2012
www.ppinteriorsandgifts.com
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., closed Sun.
