Sisters, organizers, visionaries

Edmond sisters Emily McKnight and Erin Cornell opened Collected Home in 2020 to help local residents with home organization and decluttering. The company goes beyond traditional organizers with owners who strive to know every client personally and develop plans that will fit their unique lifestyles.

Sisters become partners

Prior to founding Collected Home, McKnight worked in the oil and gas industry for more than 15 years, and Cornell had been taking time off after selling another business. Both looking for a change, the sisters decided to start a home organizing business together. 

“She loved organizing and I loved design, so we decided to combine our talents and Collected Home was born!” said McKnight. “After leaving my job in December of 2019, we officially launched Collected Home in January 2020.” 

They began offering a variety of services including decluttering, organizing, monthly maintenance, moving and more. The goals of the owners is to help clients feel like their home is a place of order where they can truly relax.

“On the day we launched our business, we were working in a local coffee shop and an acquaintance came in and we started chatting,” said McKnight. “After telling her what we were working on she asked if we could come to her house right then! So we went and looked at the space, gave her a quote and she became our first client!” 

Not long into their business launch, the COVID-19 pandemic would force them to essentially come to a stop. 

“We didn’t have a huge foundation to know if we could stay afloat and relied solely on social media to keep potential clients interested in what we could offer,” said McKnight. “In the fall of 2020, we relaunched our business and started booking clients with safety measures in place.” 

Since the relaunch, Collected Home has taken off and kept both owners busy with continually growing opportunities. 

“Since our first client, we have streamlined our onboarding process, we have found and stocked up on products that we know and trust, and we are constantly thinking about and doing research to find the best solutions for harder-to-organize spaces,” said Cornell. “It’s just the two of us right now, but our goal is to expand our team to include more organizers so we can meet larger requests efficiently.”

Alongside their roles as organizers, the two are also full-time moms. 

“One of our biggest challenges is juggling our kids’ schedules with ours! We each have two kids, with ages ranging from elementary to high school,” said McKnight. “Between drop off and pick up, we are communicating with clients, scheduling consultations and organizing jobs, or spending time planning, product shopping, and keeping up with our social media.” 

Beyond simple organization

Collected Home provides clients with services beyond cleaning and reshuffling. According to the sisters, a lot more goes into organizing a space than buying pretty bins and labels. 

“We specialize in setting up systems that work for your specific home and family situations,” said Cornell. “Whether it’s a small project like a pantry, closet, or playroom, or a large project like a whole house after a move or other major life change, we are here to help!”

The process quickly becomes personal with getting to know the clients’ individual needs. From setting up systems for kids’ favorite toys or preparing a house for selling, every project⁠—and every solution⁠—is unique. 

“We spend a lot of time measuring, planning, and envisioning how to best rethink your space. We think about how you use items and what makes the most sense for your family,” said McKnight. “This can look different for every house – there isn’t one way to organize something!”

Collected Home also handles all donations and offers monthly maintenance services to upkeep the newly renovated spaces. 

“When clients decide they want to donate any of their items, we donate them to Second Chances Thrift Store in OKC,” said Cornell. “They help individuals struggling with homelessness, addiction, and recovery and rely on donations of others.” 

Both Cornell and McKnight are active within the community and prioritize giving back as part of their business model. 

“We also spend time down at Rock Creek Youth Camp, a nonprofit in Norman where our church takes kids to camps and retreats. Rock Creek works to bring a welcoming atmosphere for young and old alike who want to come enjoy the great outdoors,” said McKnight. “We have helped clean out and organize many communal spaces. We bring our label maker every time we go!”

No matter the location, the ultimate goal of Collected Home is to provide clients with a welcoming, stress-free environment to simply live their lives and have their space serve their needs. 

“A lot of the clients we work with reach out because they have just gone through a major life event like a move, divorce, loss of a spouse or parent and need help with their new normal,” said McKnight. “By helping with a project that seems overwhelming to them, seeing the relief they feel when it’s done, and hearing weeks later that it is still working, it’s an amazing feeling to know we are making a difference.”