A Real Estate Prescription:
The
Realty
Society
S
andwiched between The Nimble
Thimble and Gilroy Antiques, you’ll
find the newest addition to Gilroy's
downtown: The Realty Society. Located
at 7451 Monterey Street, between Fifth
and Sixth Streets, opened its doors in
June of this year. Owners Ryan and
Kristen Mull and their four children are
long-time residents of Gilroy. Kristen
was born and raised in Gilroy and Ryan
has been here since the age of 12. They
are excited to offer their realty services
in the heart of the city. “We believe in
downtown,” said Ryan. “Locating here
is the best way to help Gilroy.”
The Realty Society occupies the
former Johnson’s Drug Store, built
in 1924 by brothers Martin E. and
Garrett Johnson. The Mediterranean
Revival style building, with a Spanish
tile roof, features rectangular pillars
that frame the clean white-brick
storefront; six square windows with
diamond-shaped panes sit above the
entrance connecting the pillars. The
double front doors are set back from
the sidewalk flanked by full-length
glassed-alcove displays supported
by natural wood posts. Inside, the
abundant natural light, tall ceilings,
and light-colored walls create an open,
expansive feeling grounded by the
dark brown tones in the tiles, chairs,
tables, and wooden cabinets. The effect
is both clean and welcoming.
At the back of the shop, as a hold-
over from its pharmacy days, is a set
56
of labeled drawers, a pass-through
counter, and a mirrored window
inscribed with “Prescriptions.” Kristen
remodeled the entire interior.
“We’ve had our eye on this building
for a long time,” she said. “I’ve been
thinking about what I wanted to do
here for over two years.”
“Your Concierge to Anything
Local and Everything Real Estate,” is
prominently displayed beneath the
company logo centered on the back
wall. “We are proud of our community,
and we like showing it off,” said
Ryan.“Anything Local means that, as
locals ourselves, we take the time to
familiarize clients, and potential clients,
with the best places to eat, drink,
and play. Gilroy is home to many fine
wineries as well as recreation at Gilroy
Gardens, and it hosts great events like
the recent Tamale Festival, and, of
course, the Garlic Festival.”
In addition to listings of current
real estate, The Realty Society’s website
blog contains announcements about
Salsa Dancing, the Gilroy Wine Stroll,
Downtown Live, and calendars of local
events. “Everything Real Estate” means
that their services include homes,
property management, staging, rentals,
commercial, and relocation.
“’The Realty Society name came
about after a lot of brainstorming,”
Ryan said. “And, frankly, it was because
the domain was available,” he joked.
“But we liked the name because it
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
december 2018-january 2019
describes our philosophy. We have
formed a society within our broker-
age of open and friendly cooperation
between our agents. And we are active
members, supporters, and promoters of
the larger society in which we live.”
In addition to being owner/man-
ager of The Realty Society, Kristen
brings another dimension to the
business through her services as an
interior designer in a separate, but
complementary, enterprise called RKP,
Inc., where she is the owner, designer,
and manager. RKP, Inc. is Kristen’s
Specialty Décor and Design business.
Kristen’s touch is evident throughout
their store in the display windows,
furniture, wall art, and tabletop
ornaments—all of which are available
to order through the store. “Design,”
said Kristen, “is about getting to know
what my clients like, using what they
have, decluttering, and rearranging to
make the space clean but inviting—to
make it fun.” Through RKP, Kristen
keeps busy designing office spaces but
is also available for home consultations.
“We are a standalone office,” Ryan
said. “We have an open-space model—
no cubicles. All of the agents’ desks
are open and out front. We have a kid
friendly zone in the back and places
for private consultations if needed. We
aren’t a large operation, so we try to
keep things simple and comfortable.
And we like it this way.”
gmhtoday.com
SOCIETY
Written By Craig Lore