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“Matching hangers can make a world of a difference.”
Maria Baer, professional organizer and founder of Baer Minimalist, has been following this creed for as long she can remember, taking it with her wherever she goes.
“I was totally that kid that in elementary school asked for matching hangers for Christmas. I have always loved for things to look orderly—I’m very type A,” Baer said. “I think it’s always been ingrained in me, and I’ve always been fascinated with how you can make things function more efficiently. Organizing just spans into so many different things.”
With Baer Minimalist, she aims to bring this passion to others, assisting customers in re-evaluating their living spaces and providing a clear path to a more sustainable lifestyle.
Baer, who lives in Zionsville and is a residential organizer and a mom to two, shares organization tips on her Instagram page, thebaerminimalist, and offers services that include organization and setup of belongings in a new home, decluttering in preparation to list a home for sale, creating space for a new family addition, making sense of existing spaces (including closets and pantries) and planning, shopping for and implementing organizational products.
After curating the idea for her business back in 2012, it wasn’t until 2017 that Baer bit the bullet and jumped feet first into an industry that was only beginning to gain traction due to Netflix shows being produced and books being published left and right on the subject of orderliness.
She wanted to share her lifelong love for organization with others to not only fulfill her but to help her customers thrive as well.
“I think, for me it’s the value of time. That is a service that I provide to people,” Baer shared. “I give them time back in their day, not only by taking a project off their plate, but by putting a system in place that impacts their time.”
Baer aims to help every client understand exactly what is in their possession and how many subscription boxes or services they actually need.
She lives with the philosophy that you should know exactly where your keys are in the morning, know how many shirts you have in your closet and know how many rolls of toilet paper you have sitting under the sink.
Confusion should not be part of the equation. Her strategy to eliminate it? Editing.
While purging might be the word most familiar with those investigating the business of professional organizing, Baer has coined “editing” as her own term.
“Purging has so many connotations. Decluttering sometimes sounds a little scary but I think editing is like making some small tweaks here and there,” Baer said.
Baer meets each client individually, fully believing each person does not need a complete life change but just some minor changes. A messy home is simply a rough draft.
But perhaps the biggest part of Baer’s job is helping her clients take the next step to share what they have with others.
“When I can connect say a closet full of women’s suits with Dress for Success, and the client realizes these suits they aren’t wearing anymore can go to women that are starting their careers or getting back on their feet—it’s making that personal connection that I think really allows people to just let go and feel really good about it,” Baer said.
Baer’s website (baerminimalist.com) showcases a multitude of links to donation resources where interested customers can not only change another person’s life through their generosity but change their own lives by decluttering a space in their home.
Introducing minimalism in the home by taking advantage of these donation resources can translate into a more maximized life for someone else.
“I truly love what I do, and I feel so lucky every day to be able to help people and to see a physical weight off their shoulders. It is so nice to be able to help people through those issues and have fun while we’re at it too,” Baer said. “And really, to go back to the one of the very first things I said, matching hangers make a world of difference.”
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