From Cluttered Storage to Organized Space: The Holiday Storage Room Gets a Makeover

Every historic building has its less-glamorous spaces—and at the Woman’s Club of Red Bank, the Holiday Storage Room was definitely one of them.

Not that a storage room needs to be pretty. But this one had become an eyesore, piled high with 10 Christmas trees and an assortment of unorganized boxes. The old wallpaper was peeling, and there was no lighting in the room. With many of our members volunteering at the Reckless Estate in the evenings, finding and organizing holiday decorations had become a challenge.

Then, two things happened.

A September Cleanout Gets Things Started

In early September, a group of Woman’s Club members gathered at the Reckless Estate to tackle the Holiday Storage Room and several other areas of the building.

The goal was practical: find items that were no longer being used and could potentially be sold during the September 18 Red Bank Town-Wide Garage Sale.

Beautification Chairs Jennifer Noonan and Jennie Sherman, Preservation Chair Sue Kevra, Tango organizer Joyce Diamond, and other members worked together to empty the Holiday Storage Room and clean out additional spaces.

What started as a much-needed cleanout also revealed just how much work the Holiday Storage Room needed.

From Eyesore to Usable Space

With the room cleared out, Preservation Chair Sue Kevra took the next step. She initiated quotes for the renovation and managed the project with Peter Jarck and Tod Moran of Safe Harbor Home Watch.

Renovations included the removal of deteriorated wallpaper and repainting of the interior walls and flooring. These enhancements improve general aesthetics and optimize access to stored holiday decorations and Club supplies for members.

And voila! A room that had once been dark, cluttered and difficult to use is now ready for its next chapter.

Thank You to the Members Who Made It Happen

Building improvements like this don’t happen on their own. They are the result of members who notice what needs to be done, volunteer their time, coordinate the work and help preserve the historic Reckless Estate.

A big thank you to Sue Kevra, Chair of Building Historic Preservation, and Peter Jarck for helping make this project happen—and to Jennifer, Jennie, Joyce and the other members who helped with the September cleanout.

What’s Next? Organizing the Holiday Storage

The renovation is complete, but there is still work to do!

The next step is to organize the Holiday Storage Room so that Christmas trees, decorations and other seasonal items can be stored safely and accessed more easily.

Interested in helping? Contact Sue Kevra to volunteer for the organizing project.

See What Else Is on Our Wish List

The Holiday Storage Room is just one example of the many projects that help maintain and preserve the Reckless Estate.

Did you know the Woman’s Club of Red Bank has a Wish List on its website? The list helps us keep track of projects we would like to tackle, projects currently in progress, processes that need to be developed, Building & Grounds projects, historic preservation projects and successfully completed projects. The completed-project section serves another important purpose, too. It provides a record of the work accomplished at the Reckless Estate and can be especially helpful when the Club applies for grants to support future preservation projects. View the Woman’s Club of Red Bank Wish List

Volunteers Help Keep the Reckless Estate Moving Forward

From cleaning out a storage room to helping with historic preservation, there are many ways members can contribute to the ongoing care of the Reckless Estate. Members can also support preservation efforts by participating in our Annual Breakfast Fundraiser or sponsoring the fundraiser. This year’s event, Lights, Camera, Legacy: Women in Communications Shaping the Future of Cinema, celebrates women shaping the future of film while raising funds to help preserve our historic clubhouse.

Our committees are always looking for volunteers with different interests, skills and levels of involvement.

Interested in getting involved? Visit our Committees page to see where you might fit in.

Every project—large or small—helps preserve this special historic home and keeps the Woman’s Club of Red Bank moving forward.