When Your Mom Is Also Your Coworker

I treat everyone fairly, but I probably expect more out of her because she’s my kid.”

Rena Blalock

Mother’s Day tends to come wrapped in familiar rituals: flowers on the table, brunch reservations, maybe a card that says what is often hard to say out loud.

But for some local mothers and their children, the relationship isn’t set aside on Monday morning. It clocks in.

Family ties are part of the workday at three Key Peninsula businesses. At Purdy Cost Less in Lake Kathryn Village, merchandise and marketing manager Rena Blalock works alongside her daughter, Chloe. Next door at Salon 302 Hair & Spa, Brenda Bigham and her daughter, Shannon Valenzuela, run the business together. At Paint Right Painting LLC, Kathy Wright works with her son, Chris, who recently took over the family business in Lakebay.

The businesses are different. So are the personalities. But the question underlying all three is the same: What happens when the person who knows your moods, your bad habits, and exactly how to get under your skin is also your boss, business partner, or coworker?

At Salon 302, Bigham and Valenzuela make it look almost easy.

The two became owners in 2020, just before the pandemic shut businesses down — about as unforgiving a time as any to test family business partnerships.

“We were scared,” Valenzuela said. “We’d never been business owners.”

The two turned that chaos into balance. Bigham handles more of the paperwork and administrative side. Valenzuela leans toward marketing, decorating, and organization. Bigham is direct. Valenzuela knows how to soften an edge.

“We have a good yin and yang,” Bigham said. “She’s my best friend.”

That pattern shows up in different ways across all three businesses. In each case, they bring different strengths to the same table.

At Paint Right Painting LLC, Kathy brings years of experience in sales, marketing, and administrative work since she and her husband, John, started the company 40 years ago in Illinois before bringing it to the Key Peninsula. Chris grew up in the family business and pushed the company forward operationally, expanding beyond painting into a broader home-services business. Kathy admitted she was not immediately sold on every new direction.

“At first, I was hesitant,” she said. “It was different from what I was used to.”

Chris sees it a little differently.

“I think our family tends to overthink things sometimes,” he said. “And I’m more willing to just go for it.”

At Purdy Cost Less, the dynamic is less about expansion and ownership than day-to-day rhythm. Chloe was a regular employee while in high school. Home recently for spring break from Central Washington University, she still works the register, helps around the store, and fills in where needed. Chloe’s work schedule may have changed, but one thing has not: knowing when Mom is Mom and when Mom is at work.

Rena put it plainly.

“I treat everyone fairly, but I probably expect more out of her because she’s my kid,” she said. Chloe knows exactly what that feels like.

“Sometimes if I want to just chat with her, she’s like, ‘Not right now,’ and shoos me away,” she said.

It’s a gentle reminder that the workplace isn’t the kitchen table. On the job, there are roles to play and moments when family has to step aside.

At the salon, Bigham is the first to admit she can be blunt. Valenzuela is often the one who smooths things over. At Paint Right, Kathy had to learn to step back and let Chris lead. At Purdy Cost Less, Chloe has learned that wanting to chat and catching her mom in work mode are two different things.

Chris offered a clear rule for making family business work: “You can’t just treat it like family. You still need structure, communication, and accountability.”

That structure doesn’t mean the work stays at work.

Asked whether they’re able to turn business off after hours, Bigham and Valenzuela answered at the same time: “No.” The same is true for the Wrights, who said work talk can easily drift into holidays and family time. At Purdy Cost Less, Rena and Chloe also carry the store home with them.

Underneath the business talk, each pair described a growing respect for the other.

Chris said he has come to appreciate how naturally his mother connects with people and promotes the business. Kathy said she admires her son’s ideas and takes satisfaction in watching him build something bigger than what came before.

“He comes up with great ideas and implements them. It’s impressive,” she said.

At Purdy Cost Less, Rena said one of the most rewarding parts of working with her daughter has been hearing how she interacts with customers.

“When I see that, I’m like, yes — I did something right,” she said.

Valenzuela said one of the things she most respects about her mother is her consistency. Bigham, in turn, described her daughter as strong, dependable, and good at balancing what she can’t.

Mother’s Day may come with flowers and brunch. For these families, it also comes with schedules, customer service, business decisions, and the occasional, “Not right now.” That’s the deal when family clocks in together.