Maryann Robertson: A story of an old home and new beginnings

Maryann Robertson would tell you it's never too late for a new beginning.

And she'd say it from the "cozy" setup of her mental health counseling practice called "A Step At A Time Mental Health Counseling" located in the Indie House in downtown Cape Girardeau, a place she once called home.

The Robertson family lived in the 1870s-era house at 605 Broadway for about 20 years, and her now office was once her son's bedroom.

"We had a lovely life here," Robertson said. "I never really wanted to leave."

The Robertsons sold the home when her husband retired from his photography business and the children moved out. Robertson said the couple built their now-home in Fruitland and began traveling.

A view of Maryann Robertson's office on Wednesday at The Indie House in Cape Girardeau.BEN MATTHEWS

Robertson said she spent a lot of time on the road doing laundry and listening to other women complain to her about how much they disliked living on the road.

"I thought, 'gosh, I might as well get paid for this,'" Robertson said.

Her desire to stay connected to the home is in large part why she returned to open her own counseling practice there. And while the location truly does feel like home to her, Robertson knows how important it is to provide clients with a sense of comfort in the place they choose to receive counseling.

She said it helps patients feel at ease and disclose much more quickly.

That sense of comfort is clear when visiting Robertson's office. Between the warm light of her many lamps, tall Victorian-era windows framing the room and her basket of various hot teas to choose from, it's hard not to feel immediately welcome.

While the building has been home to the Robertsons, it's also had many different lives.

Just outside a window in her office sits a large holly tree. That holly tree, Robertson said, was planted by Dr. G.B. Schulz for his wife, Alice. The couple lived in the home in the early twentieth century and converted it into a surgical hospital which opened in 1923. It was called the Alice K. Schulz Surgical Hospital.

Robertson called it "the real beginning of Southeast Hospital." She added that 400 babies were born on the top floor during Schulz's time at the house. The surgical center at 605 Broadway remained in practice until Southeast Hospital opened in 1928.

Since then, she added, the house has seen days as a day care center for underprivileged children and a bookstore, even sitting empty for a few years before taking on its latest role as the Indie House.

As the former owner, Robertson said she is very happy the home has been kept in good condition and put to use again. Now owned by friend and colleague Laurie Everett, the Indie House is full of different businesses, all owned by women.

Her specialty is in crisis and trauma counseling, and Robertson said she's passionate about helping women become who they are supposed to be, despite what's happened to them. She even works with women who have been physically, sexually and psychologically abused. That love of empowering women is something she feels like the Indie House -- by nature -- helps foster.

"It's so much fun that women are succeeding in this building," Robertson said.

Before opening her practice, Robertson was the licensed clinical professional counselor at the Safe House For Women. Now, she continues to do contracted work with Safe House women, but from her office on Broadway.

"What I really wanted to do is normalize good mental-health care, and that's why I wanted it to be in a public place," Robertson said.

Her career path has been anything but a straight line, but it's one that Robertson said has brought her much joy.

She began her undergraduate degree at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, but decided to put her education on hold when she and her husband Steve had children.

Robertson, who will be 70 years old this year, went back to school at Southeast Missouri State University in 1993 to earn the undergraduate degree she didn't finish at SIUE. During her time at Southeast, Robertson said she took a couple of classes with her son.

"He was a sweetie," Robertson said. "We sat side-by-side."

A lover of old homes, Robertson said she fell in love with the neighborhood. It wasn't long before she purchased the building across the street and turned it into what is today an antique shop called "Annie Laurie's."

Robertson began the antique store, giving it the nickname her father gave her as a child. When she eventually sold the building to Everett, Robertson said the two had a laugh about how fitting the name really was.

"That's another funny twist on our relationship, because her name is Laurie Ann," Robertson said. "We're always giggling and laughing because she and I feel like we have the same brain sometimes the way we do things. She could easily be my daughter."

Robertson said her niche was always in working with women. She added that being able to pass on her antique store and former home to someone she gets along with so well brings her great joy.

And while this career is one she began at a later stage in her life than most, Robertson said she couldn't imagine another profession from which she would get more enjoyment.

"I often have six to eight appointments a day, and I'm tired when I go home," Robertson said. "But it's refreshing, too, because I know I've really spent eight hours helping solve problems. I get to help people renew their spirit."

While her practice is newfound, helping women succeed is a lifelong passion. She's simply discovered a new way to exercise that passion.

"My psychological philosophy is existentialism, and one of the components of existentialism is that you can grow through your life span," Robertson said. "There isn't a time limit on what you can do, as long as you want to do it."