Early in the formation of All Together, we decided to use pink in our branding. It felt like a statement—a pushback on an industry that is largely male-dominated, but also an unapologetic embrace of joy. For far too long, pink has been marginalized as only appropriate for the ultra-femme…or on Valentine’s Day. This colorful injustice is long overdue for critique (even if that critique comes on our favorite Hallmark holiday).

How Can Uptown’s Clark Street Be More Pedestrian- And Business-Friendly? A Block Club Chicago article dives deeper into the exciting crossroads of Clark Street in Uptown. The corridor anchors and connects iconic Chicago neighborhoods. It is filled with a mix of uses, mobility options, parks, and historic cemeteries, and a diverse population of residents and business owners.

Walk around your neighborhood and count the house or building colors you see. Four million hues of grey? Check. Lots of tans and browns? Definitely. An abundance of white and off white? Absolutely. The occasional red door? You got lucky.

Marisa is a storyteller. She loves to learn about a place, about the people who live there and it’s history, and craft a compelling narrative that brings it all together.

Rachael (Ray) and Marisa (Reese) met at DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development and quickly connected over our similarities—midwestern-bred, Big Ten University alums with creative undergraduate degrees (writing and design) and planning masters—both having lived and worked in Austin, Texas for a number of years and back in the Midwest to stay.