March: Closer Look
TGH Litigation
Joanna Trachtenberg, Julianne Germinder, and Andy Hirth were working at the Missouri Attorney General’s office when they decided to form a private practice in December 2016. In mid-February, TGH Litigation began offering their legal services to the community, specializing in civil rights, employment litigation, and other plaintiffs’ cases.
When the trio worked for the state, they saw a void in local counsel in the middle of the state. “We saw local companies go to big firms in Kansas City and St. Louis,” Germinder says. “Our mission is to be able to do the best, highest quality litigation work in Mid-Missouri without forcing people to have to go somewhere else.”
“I’m very much looking forward to being invested in the Columbia community,” Hirth says. Having already worked in Jefferson City, the firm will focus on further establishing connections in Columbia in their first months. The partners plan to use their experience working at the state level to help people on a more individualized basis. Trachtenberg says, “I want to work to make sure that peoples’ individualized rights are vindicated.”
Contact: 573-256-2850
Address: 913 E. Ash St.
Website: tghlitigation.com
Reclaimed Homespace Design Studios
After studying nursing in college, working as a legal administrative assistant, and then freelancing in interior painting and decorating, Kimberly James says she has found what she is supposed to do — create unique home furnishings using reclaimed materials and furniture through her business, Reclaimed Homespace Design Studios.
After a car accident in July 2016, James was unable to climb a ladder or move around enough for her freelancing jobs. She began to research the trend in painted furniture and focused her energy on painting her first piece, a vanity from the 1920s that belonged to her grandmother and has now been passed down four generations. After that first project was complete, she started Reclaimed Homespace.
“What I like most is something that’s old and tattered and has had years of wear, but it’s still good,” James says. “It needs a touch of love. It needs to be restored and reclaimed — someone can use that in their home space and not just throw it away.”
James’ pieces can be found on display at various locations in town, including Craft and Canvas Studio and Girl Boutique.
Contact: 573-256-9801
Address: 2101 Corona Rd., #204
Website: facebook.com/reclaimedhomespace
Eat Your Lawns
Imagine not having to go to the store for the freshest fruits and vegetables — because the produce section is in your yard. Dylan Dwyer founded Eat Your Lawns Edible Landscaping in September 2016 to help people take more responsibility for where their food comes from. “You can produce all of your specialty vegetables,” Dwyer says. “All of the ones that are expensive in stores, you can have in your backyard.”
Dwyer and his small team of plant-passionate people design, install, and maintain various types of home gardens, with projects such as food forests, raised beds, herb gardens, full-lawn landscapes, and rain gardens. Dwyer says Eat Your Lawns will also educate customers on how to care for their garden with an informational packet. “Growing food isn’t so scary,” he says. “You should let the plants that surround you feed you.”
Dwyer hopes that Eat Your Lawns’ gardens will facilitate food-sharing and volunteerism in the community. “Gardens really bring communities together,” Dwyer says. “You end up with so much food that you have to share it with other people.”
Contact: 816-616-7769
Website: eatyourlawns.com