Westonite of the Week: Kristin Adams

Name: Kristin Adams

Occupation(s): Senior Associate – Goedecke & Co – Westport, CT/Broker – Camelot Real Estate – Weston, CT/Owner – Kate An’ Drews Place – Weston, CT

Family: Two kids, Three Dogs – Weston resident for 9 years now. Kaitlin (13) when not at school can be found dancing at Westport Academy of Dance or pursuing her musical theater aspirations with Jill Jaysen at Center Stage Theater in Westport & Andrew (10) Brozek who now that his fall soccer (goalie) and baseball (pitcher) seasons have ended spends as much time as he can rocking out on his electric guitar at School of Rock in Fairfield.

What do you enjoy most about your work? 

That they all allow me to work around my kids schedules and be a parent as much as possible – previous positions over the years have not allowed for that as much. With real estate, that every deal (commercial or residential) is different and unique – keeps it interesting. The commercial real estate deals I’m involved with are all over the country, and allow me to interact with various lenders and owners of commercial property and to underwrite apartments, office buildings, shopping centers. With Kate An’ Drews place that it is creative and allows me to do something entirely different from what I’ve done my whole life. Specific to the residential real estate, enjoy introducing clients to all that Weston has to offer – Camelot is the only agency with a physical presence in town, where every agent lives and works in Weston.

What are some of the challenges you face in our work?

With Kate An’ Drews is the competition and finding new ways of selling product online – since it is not a full time venture, finding the time to keep things updated and fresh can be a challenge as well.  With the real estate – every deal has it’s own challenges – in this economic climate, there is no such thing as an “easy” deal.  Appraisals coming in low, unknown environmental issues, the economics of the deal not working, stricter Lending standards, etc….Overcoming the challenges presented with each deal can be the most rewarding part of the job though.

What community groups are you and have you been involved with involved with?

I manage my son’s U-10 boys soccer team. I am the sponsorship chair (and past president) of the Weston Women’s League and formed the Camelot Real Estate sponsored “No Mercy” women’s softball team in town two years ago. We are the most fun team with the worst record in the town league and have a waiting list for next season! We have bonded as a team over the last two years and enjoy our time on the field together so much that we now meet on a monthly basis either socially or at the batting cages during the off season.

Why did you pick these fields? 

For the most part, they picked me. Real estate started as an internship with McDonald’s in college which led to my first full time job with them as a real estate representative. Over the years, I’ve been involved with all aspects of both commercial and residential real estate – I’ve worked for retail tenants in site selection or represented them as a broker, I’ve worked for Landlords who own portfolios of real estate, as a Lender (both CMBS and Community Bank), as a Mortgage Banker and as a residential real estate broker – 16 years later it continues to be a field that is exciting to be a part of…Kate An Drew’s place was an opportunity to do something creative and involve the rest of my family in the adventure it has become.

How hard was it to start Kate and Andrew?

Being so financially oriented in background the creative part was the most challenging (and most fun). Having kids the age of my target audience made selecting merchandise a family affair and educated us all in the process along the way! As with any start-up the sales expectations do not always line up with the inventory needed to launch the web-site, but over the last 12 months that process has worked itself out as well.

Has the internet been a help in launching the business?

Not having a “bricks and mortar” store, the internet is intended to be the primary sales outlet for the merchandise – what I’ve learned over the last year is what does and doesn’t sell well via the website. The website sales are supplemented by attending fairs and holiday boutiques, and partnering with a local store (Dress Code) to help with sales of the formal wear.

What are some of the upcoming events or projects you are working on?

The WWL is currently in the final planning stages for our Holiday Gingerbread Brunch (formerly the Children’s Holiday Breakfast) to be held on Dec. 10 from 10 to 1 p.m. at the Weston Intermediate School. Proceeds from the event will be donated to The Weston Warm Up Fund and The Children’s Connection. I am currently reaching out to individuals and/or businesses to help sponsor this event.

Your favorite sports team(s)? 

UConn Huskies/Yankees

What is your favorite thing about Weston?

Small town camaraderie– where it is safe for the kids to walk home after school and where people truly want to help each other out – either individually or through the many philanthropic organizations in town - on a daily basis. There truly isn’t a better community to be a full time working single parent!

What is your favorite spot in Weston?

Anywhere with working power and/or a generator! Seriously though, my kids never go hungry thanks to The Lunch Box – with our hectic schedules we are in there for at least one meal a day – sometimes more. You can spend 15 minutes in town center and run into everyone you know along the way.