Our Story
FOUNDER + OWNER
Gina GutiErrez
Gina Gutierrez has built her business — and her life — on harnessing the power of the self. Her drive and passion for interior design propelled her to launch Gina Rachelle Design in 2012. Over the years, she has built a successful interior design studio that specializes in residential homes.
In 2019, Gina relocated to the small town of Sebastopol, California in the heart of wine country. She quickly recognized the need for a home goods store and saw an opportunity to share her love for curating a collection of decor, art, textiles, books, and furniture, as well as sharing the stories of the many vendors, artists and makers that she has discovered.
As a Latina business-owner, Gina is excited to have a storefront that shares the narrative of women-owned companies, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and other small businesses.
GENERAL MANAGER
Ken Urso
Ken just moved from coast to coast, having called New York City home for the past fifteen years. While in New York, he was a theater professor at the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University, home of Bravo’s Inside the Actors Studio, and the City University of New York. Both he and his husband direct musicals all around the country, but are excited to call Santa Rosa home now.
As a theater artist, he loves telling stories, which is why he was elated to join Gina’s team and uphold her mission at Storia Home where he gets to share all the stories behind the products and makers with everyone who stops in. When not at the store, he is producing events around Sonoma with his production company, THTR Productions.
GENERAL MANAGER
Ken Urso
Ken just moved from coast to coast, having called New York City home for the past fifteen years. While in New York, he was a theater professor at the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University, home of Bravo’s Inside the Actors Studio, and the City University of New York. Both he and his husband direct musicals all around the country, but are excited to call Santa Rosa home now.
As a theater artist, he loves telling stories, which is why he was elated to join Gina’s team and uphold her mission at Storia Home where he gets to share all the stories behind the products and makers with everyone who stops in. When not at the store, he is producing events around Sonoma with his production company, THTR Productions.
CREATIVE OPERATIONS
DAN GUTIERREZ
As the Design Director for Gina Rachelle Design, Dan utilizes his creative eye, technical background in graphic design and love of the creative arts to assist the team in building ideas and displays that are in line with the overall vision of the Storia brand. His inspiration comes from his love of travel, having traveled the world as a performer and an adventurer. He is excited to bring a bold statement to Sebastopol.
Core Values
Storia Home is committed to making a difference while creating beautiful spaces. We do this by ethically sourcing our products from a diverse community of makers and by featuring pieces that are sustainable and low-waste, always making our planet a priority. We believe that by supporting local artists, we are always sourcing unique pieces that will elevate everyone’s home.
Diversity + Inclusion Statement
At Storia Home, diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the core of who we are. As a Latina-owned company, with a diverse community of employees, we have a very personal commitment to creating inclusive spaces and advocating for equity.
We are committed to maintaining a company culture that is actively antiracist and inclusive within our store’s work environment, and in how we engage with those we serve and with which we collaborate. We celebrate and honor all genders, races, sexual orientations, national origins, faiths, ages, abilities and sizes. We pledge to promote equality and humane treatment of others, and to oppose prejudice, indifference, sexism, intolerance and hate.
We support the work of women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ artists and vendors. Currently, 70% of Storia Home’s inventory is created by these communities and we will continue to conduct quarterly assessments to ensure that we uphold this practice. We will hold ourselves accountable to make sure we are supporting and uplifting these makers to bring about meaningful change in our industry, in our company, and our community.