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Business & Tech

Winchester Resident Will Get Your Ducks in a Row

Anne Lucas, owner of Ducks in a Row Organizing, can do everything from organizing your closet to downsizing your house.

Anne Lucas calls herself obsessive-compulsive, then laughs and adds, “But it’s a good thing for me.”

That’s because she makes her living running , a professional organizing company based in Winchester. Lucas does everything from organizing closets to helping elderly clients downsize from a house to an assisted living facility. She will even set up office filing systems and put finances in order.

“To me, it’s so easy and it comes so natural, but a lot of people really struggle with what to do with the stuff they have,” Lucas said.

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Though she is naturally organized, Lucas didn’t immediately seize upon organizing as a career option. She didn’t think of it at all until she watched a movie in which a woman hired a professional organizer to clean up her mother’s house. Lucas turned to her husband and said that was what she wanted to do.

According to Lucas, he replied, “That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard. You should do real estate.”

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So she tried real estate for two years, but admits she was never very good at it. Finally, in 2001, she decided to pursue her dream of professional organizing. Her real estate contacts were an immediate help, offering a ready group of clients who needed to get organized.

New clients start with a free consultation, which usually involves walking through the house or area that needs organizing. After that, Lucas recommends making an appointment for a two- or three-hour session to begin organizing.

“If you can carve out a couple of hours,” she said, “we can make a dent.”

For some clients, those hours are the jumpstart they need to keep going on their own. For others, Lucas schedules additional sessions.

Working so closely with clients and going through their personal items means getting to know them intimately in a very short time. It’s essential that clients like and trust her, Lucas said. At the end of a session, clients are usually happy and relieved.

“They always hug me, and it’s a mutual thing, because you really get to know them,” Lucas said.

She has developed a vast repertoire of sources for getting rid of things, and can usually donate items to people who will use them.

“A lot of the donating I do right here in Winchester,” Lucas said. “I brought a lot of fabric to the senior center because they have a quilting group. If I can keep it local, I do.”

As for Lucas’ husband, he’s turned out to be proud and supportive, and even fields many of her incoming business phone calls. Recently, he said to her, “As surprising as it is, you’ve made it a success.”

Good as that was to hear, Lucas’ greatest job satisfaction comes from knowing she’s helped her clients feel better.

“I just love what I do,” Lucas said. “I really, really love it, and I find it to be so much fun.”

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