RVC-Based Home Organizing Business Strives Since COVID-19

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY — Jennifer DeMattia fulfilled her dream in 2019 by starting her business Living Neat, but the pandemic caused her to immediately reevaluate.

"I had to pivot a little bit and tried to do virtual," DeMattia said.

However, the quarantine during much of 2020 actually provided a windfall of customers who were looking to reorganize the home and DeMattia was there-- remotely-- to consult. She also assists people moving with all layers of the stressful process.

"Now more than ever, with everyone being home as much as they were, and even now they're still home, everyone is kind of looking at their spacing," she said.

Many are working remotely, using video conference technology throughout the day to show off a professional background.

"My business is doing so well at this point. It's just people need help being more efficient. People need more structure in their lives just to calm the chaos a little bit," DeMattia said.

Only weeks ago, DeMattia was given a ribbon-cutting by the Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce, recognizing the pandemic was in its final throes. DeMattia and her husband moved to Rockville Centre three years ago. She grew up in Baldwin, while her husband is originally from Oceanside.

Although she has clients from across Long Island, Westchester and Manhattan, DeMattia doesn't have a brick and mortar base for customers, instead, she gathers interest from her website and word of mouth.

As good as business was in the pandemic, she missed the crucial, live interaction with clients, relying on Zoom videos to capture the experience.

"It was a lot of work for the clients. It was a lot of work for me, back and forth," DeMattia said. "It was not easy."

Harder still, once the new furniture and other accoutrements were shipped, DeMattia had to get back on video to virtually show where to assemble items.

DeMattia, who is fully vaccinated, will follow the lead of her clients on whether she should mask up.

"I always ask those questions to make the customer feel comfortable," she said.