Welcome to today's episode of A Well-Designed Business! We're really happy to have Carole Marcotte, from Form and Function, in Raleigh NC, join us on the show today. Carole followed a number of different paths while raising her three children, prior to officially starting her design business a little more than ten years ago in 2008. In 2013 she had the genius idea to expand her business to include a storefront with classic and funky vintage pieces alongside new Made-In-America and up-cycled gift selections. On today's show, Carole talks to us about her niche, and she also explains how she was honored as one of Midtown Magazine's "Thirty People You Need To Know" for the fantastic work she's done in her community. Listen in today to find out about Carole and how she guides people, and gives them a fresh, modern spin, with things they already have. Carole was raised in Canada and her career began in marketing and special events for a private women’s club in Toronto. After that, she worked at a radio station and she then moved to North Carolina in 1987. An old house renovation fueled her interest in architecture and design and she “unofficially” began to help friends and family with design work for many years, while also operating a catering and special events business and acting on local stages for more than twenty years. She also sat on many non-profit boards, most notably conceiving of and planning Raleigh’s largest public art project (The Raleigh Red Wolf Ramble) while Co-Chair of the City of Raleigh Arts Commission. Listen in to find out more. Show Highlights: Carole talks about her niche, what it means to her, and how she arrived at the clarity of it. The way that Carole's firm leads with her really meaningful process. Finding and reusing items from all over the house is part of Carole's process. Adding the final layer and stylizing the house to completion, and then taking photographs, is important to Carole. The kind of look that Carole uses in her design really varies a lot. Carole guides people and gives them a fresh, modern spin on what they already have. Carole always honors people's 'non-negotiable' items, and figures out a way to place them, no matter how absurd they are. Reusing items is more sustainable for the planet. Carol talks about her retail store. The store is about sixty percent vintage and forty percent new products- and it has a really funky vibe! The store is a great marketing tool for Carole's design services. Talking about different kinds of design business models. Shifting her business slowly towards a more sustainable model. Carole talks to us about The Design District, in Raleigh, that she pro-actively put together. Carole has really brought people together with her Design District map. Links: Website: Form And Functionraleigh Facebook: Form And Functionraleigh Instagram: Form And Functionraleigh Pinterest: F And Fraleigh  The website for the Design District map:  Design District Raleigh Previous shows mentioned in this episode: Kate Ahl #331 Fred Berns #174 Laurel Bern #342 Nancy Ganzekaufer #15 Claire Jefford #237 Nicole Heymer #125 and #317 Pulp Design Studios #176 and #310 LuAnn’s Upcoming Events: Philly Jan 30 Lucas Alexander showroom February 8th CEU Summit 2019 run by ASID NY Metro Feb 12 in the Boston Design Center at Waterworks And of course, the birthday party at Kravet.