We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jonna Kelleher a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jonna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

When we opened The Cottage, my mission was to give that cozy home feeling to our customers. My parents passed away when I was in my teens, resulting in me living with a friend and then bouncing from home to home till I moved to the city. I was homeless for a short time because I couldn’t afford rent so I lived in a parking garage until a friend of mine finally had a room open at her home. I will never forget reminding myself that I would never take advantage of a home since then. My mother loved decorating and finding antiques so I’ve been collecting and decorating my whole life. I just wasn’t given the opportunity to execute that passion till my husband and myself moved into our home in Geneva. It became a full renovation to make it exactly our style . I started to feel a way that I wanted to give to other people. A feeling of “home.” After a tough winter working in the emergency room, we ran away to our favorite place; Traverse City, Michigan. Looking across Lake Michigan, I spoke of my “faux” shop to Sean. He responded let’s do it. I took that message and ran. Listened to podcasts, read any free articles regarding business, spoke to a mentor, I did everything I could to learn about business. Finally, opening a shop in Geneva. A small but mighty and cozy shop turned into something much bigger. Which lead to us searching for a much bigger location. Just like that, we found our perfect little spot on the corner in Downtown Wheaton. And our dream continues, to share that a home is much more than just walls. It’s a place of memories, family, love and comfort.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I was 12 when my mother passed away from breast cancer and 16 when my father passed away from sepsis. I didn’t have any family to turn to which led me to rely on myself. After my father passed I knew whatever life outcome that was going to occur was up to me. I had two choices, either dwell on my past or become something different than was expected of a foster child. I was driven to become an ER nurse, working morning shifts at the ER in the city and a bar downtown Chicago at night. Whatever, I needed to do to survive, I did. I had to separate myself from distractions and any thoughts of the easier path, which was to give up. I met my husband, which only fueled my passion to be a nurse and connect with my creative side; decorating. Decorating with new and vintage goods for the home.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I was a full time ER nurse when I opened our business. I opened with zero employees except my husband, myself and my mother in law, all while working full time as an emergency room nurse. My advice, and this isn’t for everyone, but if you are going to put 100% into your business, you need to be there for your business 100%. So I left my job as a nurse and focused on the store. I was able to finally hire staff that were able to emulate myself in the store I went back to working one day a week in the ER to keep up with my license.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: @the.cottagehome
• Facebook: The Cottage Geneva

Image Credits
Photography Credit: The Gentry Homestead