The couple teaching women how to "do it yourself"

When a friend’s new home flooded back in the fall of 2022, Mariel Alper and Mia Chiarella came to the rescue. Chiarella, a middle school teacher and contractor, brought her equipment and together, Chiarella and Alper renovated the entire basement.

“I said at the end of it, ‘Wow, this would be a great experience for other people, they should be able to learn from you, too,’” Alper said.

And so, M&M Properties Group was born. Alper and Chiarella started teaching DIY home-improvement classes in the summer of 2023, and haven’t slowed down since.

The classes are designed particularly for women, to give them the confidence to approach their own projects.

“There’s not a lot like it,” Chiarella said. “There’s not a lot where women can learn how to do some of these skills and how to maintain their own homes without always having to call someone to make repairs.”

To hear more of their story, use the audio player above.