Des Moines Parent Spotlight: Channing Jack Owner of Mrs. Jack Interiors

Des Moines Parent Spotlight

by Erin Huiatt

Des Moines Parent Spotlight: Channing Jack

I first met Channing Jack at a FemCity Des Moines event! I quickly learned that she is a kick-butt interior designer (Have you been to Eatery A or The Fletcher?!) and an awesome mom. I love how down to earth she is and seeing all the amazing work she creates around Des Moines, Iowa. Learn the story behind her name, her thriving business, and her best parenting advice below.

Give us a little background on your family and personal life! How many kids do you have? Have you lived in Des Moines all your life?

Hi! I’m Channing Jack I was born and raised in Des Moines where my parents were scheduled to see the Broadway musical Hello Dolly at the Civic Center and on that October day instead of enjoying the unique vocals of Carol Channing I made my debut! This should explain the name, Channing! My grandmother said, “Don’t name her Dolly” which I am still grateful for today.

I met my husband Adam in high school I was the cheerleader and he was the football player, but we did not start dating until reconnecting after college. We both moved back to Des Moines around the same time and we’ve been married almost 10 years. He is a football coaching, strength training, yoga teaching, hunting obsessed outdoorsman. I am a design enthusiast mama of three sweet and spunky kiddos. Paisley, 8 is our oldest, she was closely followed by Livie, 7. Then we had a ‘surprise’ baby boy Stefan who is 2. We recently built and moved into our forever home just outside of in Winterset. It was my dream to experience designing and building our own home combined with my husband’s dream of living in the woods. It was a compromise win-win for us both! We are embracing our new community while loving being so close to Des Moines.

What is your business, and what do you do?

I am the owner of Mrs. Jack Interiors. I create beautiful spaces. More importantly beautifully functional spaces for not only people to feel at home in but to have their weekly date night at as well. I am an interior design consultant for both residential and local restaurants/bars. I have loved all things pretty since I was a young girl. I remember being obsessed with home decor and styling since I was in 4th grade.

Why did you become a small business owner?

I worked for a wonderful small business as a design consultant before starting my own mompreneur business 10 years go. When we started our family I knew I wanted to stay home. I had always wanted to work for myself and have a bit more flexibility within the design process and to raise my family.

I adore building relationships with clients and making their spaces transform into a home.

Where is your favorite place to take your children to play indoors?

One of our favorite places, since my girls were little, is going to the Downtown public library. We would go to toddler storytime and now I try to take my youngest as much as possible. Another one of our favorites is the Science Center where the kids love to explore each area like its the first time they have been there though we go regularly.

Just in the last 6 months I have loved taking my 2-year-old to the Children’s Museum. Its been so exciting watching them grow and thrive in our community.

Where is your favorite place to take your children to play outdoors?

I would say our family is a very outdoorsy family. We recently moved to an acreage in Winterset and we love to explore. Our newest find is Winterset City Park where you can enjoy a covered bridge and Clark tower.

We enjoy lots of parks in and around Des Moines and the Blank Park Zoo especially the rhinos!

Describe your perfect parent only day/night out in Des Moines.

Our perfect night or a day out is enjoying each others company checking out a new restaurant or one of our go to’s. We love sushi date nights and farmers’ market date days. I also like dragging my husband to vendor fairs and antique jamborees he plays along because a ‘happy wife is a happy life’ … he always ends up enjoying it almost as much as I do!

What are some tips on juggling parenthood, working, and personal life?

One tip would be to ‘just keep swimming’ I find myself in the thick of it repeating this to myself.

I also believe we all need to find the balance if you need to put one of the balls you are juggling down for a minute, it’s OK! You can always pick it back up later. Never forget we are in this together you are not alone!