Liz Pattison & Kim Dorsky
With aging parents of our own and an attic full of long-forgotten treasures, we soon came to understand how emotional and overwhelming the task of cleaning out a house can be. Every item had a story, each possession evoked a memory. As we sat among piles of books, Legos and our beloved Barbie Dolls, we knew there had to be an easier way; and SimplySized Home was created.
The SimplySized Home Team
Liz, Kim’s sister and SimplySized Home co-founder, brings organizational skills and lots of energy to each job, both of which she needed in her former life as a second grade school teacher. Liz thoroughly enjoys the connection she makes with each client she works with. She always remembers that no matter how large or small the job is, the stress felt by those she’s helping is all the same. Her patience and guidance never fail to put her clients at ease. On her off days, Liz , who is married to Troy, enjoys hanging out with her 2 sons, cycling, and spending time at Panther Pond.
Kim, Liz’s sister and business partner, has a retail, marketing and project management background. She loves their business SimplySized Home because she realizes the value the company brings to families who face the emotional task of downsizing and moving. For Kim, it is the perfect blend of working with wonderful clients through the logistical deadline driven process of moving. When not working she spends time with her 2 kids, husband, family and friends. Her favorite places to spend time are Panther Pond and Bayside.
Troy, married to Liz, who was originally asked to back up the trailer from time to time, is now a valuable part of the SimplySized Home team. Troy has a marketing background, but far enjoys the reward of helping others over sitting behind a desk. When not in a basement or attic, Troy loves spending time with his twin boys skiing, running and hiking.
Polly comes from a background working with seniors. She started a nonprofit and worked with people with special needs for 20 years. Polly also built, developed and operated 2 adult day care facilities for people with dementia. Polly has 2 grown sons Adam and Stephen and 2 pugs, Michael James and Mr. Jones. She enjoys spending time at her summer cottage in Millbridge, gardening, cooking, and reading.
Christine has two grown sons Alex and Wilson. She enjoys gardening, volunteering, reading, traveling & spending time at Moosehead lake with family. Christine works with SimplySized Home during the winter months and owner her own gardening business during the summer. She loves to repurpose and restore things and is currently working on a vintage camper with her husband Christian.
Amy joins the SimplySized Home team each summer after her work as an Occupational Therapist in the school system during the school year. Having grown up in Maine, Amy spends a lot of time with family and friends and is often found on the sidelines of many sporting events with her three girls
Kelley was born and raised in Camden, Maine. She left Camden after high school and returned after 37 years. She traveled around the world but always knew where her home was. Kelley believes Maine is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Kelley and her son enjoy skiing, mountain biking, lake swimming and just being outdoors. She is also a big gardener and spends a lot of time in the dirt during the summer.
Kelley loves working for SSH because of all the wonderful people she has met. She enjoys helping people and this job is perfect for her.
Gail lives in Cumberland and has three kids. Gail is goal oriented and loves working with families to help them through the overwhelming downsizing process. During her time off, Gail enjoys spending time with her family hiking, skiing, biking, swimming, traveling and reading. An interesting unknown fact about Gail…growing up she was a speed skater.
Martha grew up and lives in Yarmouth and has three kids. She joined SimplySized Home in 2013 and has been with us ever since. Martha is the definition of organized, efficient and compassionate. She loves working with clients helping them through the moving process and resettling them in their new homes. When Martha is not working she is found volunteering at local food pantries,reading, gardening, hooking rugs or just for kicks reorganizing her own closets.
Dede has been an educator for 25 years and currently is working at Freeport High School as the Service Learning and Outreach Coordinator. She has two sons: college and high school age. She enjoys yoga, walking, biking, paddle boarding, hiking, gardening, traveling and spending time with family and friends. Dede likes challenges and loves working with a variety of people. She finds organizing and simplifying homes and offices is very satisfying and sees the value it brings to peoples' lives: a peaceful space both physically and mentally.
Margaret, who grew up in Yarmouth with both Kim and Liz, has a degree and formal training in theater…naturally, this evolved into waiting on many tables before ultimately making an early career in the nonprofit sector. Yet it wasn’t until Chapter Two that her real talents were called upon, in a featured role with SimplySized Home. Margaret is a dyed-in-the-wool-geek when it comes to organizing and managing a “production” like moving house. (Secretly she suspects that organizing is her superpower –if you squint you may glimpse a tartan cape flapping in the wind).
When she’s not elbow-deep in a client’s junk drawer, corralling their paper clip collection, you can find her digging in her garden, walking in the woods, or sensibly camped out by the woodstove with a fat novel and an even fatter orange cat in her lap.
I have been with the SimpleSized Home family for three years now. I come to this job with an appreciation that we all relocate and downsize through life, and we all must simplify our homes at some point. I have worked in the past with my local school department, wearing many hats. Over the years, I have been able to work with the immigrant communities in Lewiston and Portland, helping with English as a second language and acting as a liaison, aiming to bridge cultural differences. I enjoy meeting new, and various types of people and learning about their lives and stories. In my spare time, my greatest joys are gardening, watching my children grow, and always exploring more of our beautiful state.
Hillary Hopewell-Jackson has lived in Camden, Maine for decades. She attended Camden High School and spent many summers running wild on Vinalhaven. Prior to settling in the midcoast, she moved many times throughout the northeast. As a young professional, she worked in retail in Manhattan and then lived in New Jersey and Yarmouth, Maine, while raising a family of four children.
While her children are now grown and on their own, there is still more than one box of prized possessions that they’ve pressed her to store in the barn. As a result, she is all too familiar with the accumulation of stuff that can happen in attics, basements, barns, and garages!
Hillary has a deep sense of design, especially for interiors, and loves helping clients to find the freedom and clarity that comes with clearing out clutter. When she’s not on the job, she enjoys skiing, big walks on coastal trails, bouncing her granddaughter on her knee, and sitting in the sunshine with an engrossing novel. She’s a key player on the mid-coast team.
