Overland Park KS/Olathe KS Accredited Staging Professional Real Estate Agent
We Turn Great Homes into HOT Properties That Sell Faster & For More Money!
About Melinda Calkins Bartling, CRS, e-PRO, GRI
About Melinda:
Melinda was born and raised in Kansas City. Her dad was a real estate investor/entrepreneur so she learned about real estate at an early age. She attended The Barstow School when it was all girls.
Single with two small children, Melinda opened Louisburg Square Antiques & Tea Room with her mother as her partner. When her mother became ill and she had to close the shop, Melinda made the decision to get her real estate license.
In 1987, she received her license to sell real estate in Kansas and Missouri. She recently joined forces with Keller Williams Realty Partners. "It's a great fit for me to be part of such a successful, forward thinking, innovative organization."
In 2006, she flew to Chicago to be trained as a home stager. Her company, Another Staged Home, featuring Amazing Rearranging, is the busiest in Overland Park with two full time and one part time stager. They stage, re-stage and rearrange an average of 20-25 homes a week. If you'd like to get the right look for your home, call Melinda and her team today at (913) 515-3250.
About Melinda's Famous Brother:
Roger Calkins & The Fabulous Silver Tones
At the age of 14, Roger Calkins decided he would start a garage band called "The Silvertones." Roger formed a record label, "West Coast Records," and recorded several singles - the most famous was an instumental called "Midnight Thunder" recorded in 1958. Roger was way beyond his time and was an inspiration to many local musicians. He went on to open, "Roger Calkins Music Company" in San Francisco and sold guitars and amps to Janis Joplin and The Greatful Dead, among others. Roger is blind and lived most of his adult life in San Francisco. He is now in Louisiana. Left to right: Roger Calkins, Frank Plas, Mike Weakley, Richard Stoy.
Roger and the band were recently inducted into The Kansas Music Hall of Fame. Way to go!
If you have a favorite story or memory about Roger, please email Melinda. If you'd like a CD of "Midnight Thunder," call or email Melinda today.
Letters From Roger
With the tenth anniversary of Jerry Garcia's death, founder of The Grateful Dead, Melinda received this letter from Roger. "I came out here (San Francisco) in 1966, travelling from Kansas City on the train. I asked the cab driver where the kids went to listen to music. The Fillmore Auditorium. So, I went up there with some equipment and that night there were three bands performing: Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead and the third I don't remember. Both Jerry and the lead guitar player with Jefferson Airplane liked one piece of the equipment called a high frequency horn encloser. Except I only had one with me. So, they flipped a coin on the stage and Jorma, the lead player for Jefferson Airplane won. Jerry Garcia said he wanted me to send him one when I got back to Kansas City, so I did. After that, I had to go to Fort Polk, Louisiana for basic training because I was in the Army National Guard. One day our unit was out in the boondocks doing some training and somebody came out in a jeep. They said, "Private Calkins, you have a long distance call in the field training office." So, I went to that office and it was Jerry Garcia. He said, "Private Calkins, this is Jerry Garcia in San Francisco. We want another freak box." So, I said ok. I told him I was getting out of basic training on January 19th and I am coming to San Francisco in the car so I can open my first music store. Jerry Garcia said, "we are going to LA to record our first album." I told him that I would take the southern route and meet him in LA and will bring your box with me. So, we headed for California and just as we pulled into the motel, here came The Grateful Dead. Their road manager went and got $195, gave it to me and I got back in the car and came to San Francisco." P.S. The only thing wrong with being blind is that I cannot see. (a Roger-ism)
