He was still spending weekends at Smithe furniture showrooms until recently and he volunteered for many years for Habitat for Humanity, building houses in the U.S. and Central America. Darvin is always yelling about discounts. Woven Roman shades, a jute rug and a blonde wood vanity usher texture and warmth into the otherwise minimalist design. Their camaraderie is genuine, and they can easily share ideas and bounce between conversations. Let's go Cubbies! They got on each other's nerves and learned to talk quickly at the dinner table if they wanted to get a word in. Colleen Smithe - Director of Advertising - Walter E. Smithe Furniture If you are ready to get grown-up furniture, this place has a very nice selection, with helpful staff who can guide you toward the proper colors, scale, and what looks nice together. 1428, hollyhunt.com) has expanded its Great Plains textile offering with the Foreign Affair collection, which has a mix of warm and cool neutrals. At-a-glance. "In what seems to be their unending and over-the-top zeal to self-promote, they just may be helping drive traffic," he wrote, adding, "If nothing else, the advertising suggests the chain has some suits with personality attached. 443 were here. Three years later, she recruited Colleen to become advertising director -- a position she accepted without hesitation. You can still be a fun premium brand (Virgin, for example) but this is Family Dollar-type schtick. His four daughtersMaureen Megan Clarke Caitie Jisa and Colleen Parkerare now the new faces of this historic Chicago brand a spot he and his brothers held for decades. But learning how to work together while also juggling their busy personal lives -- they have 18 kids among the four of them -- can be a delicate balance. That can help Walter E. Smithe differentiate itself from the growing number of lower-priced furniture retailers that have moved into the Chicago area in the past couple of years, Walter Smithe said. It was an organic transition for each of us, says Colleen, the youngest sister. Along the way, they got married, had children (17 in all!) Some ways to do this include mixing fabrics and leathers such as pairing linens with velvets, shag rugs, fur throws, organic elements such as rattan and bamboo even the reflective-ness of chrome can add texture to a room! 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This article originally appeared in the April 2019 issue of Chicago Parent. Personally, I dont want to stare at ugly furniture for all those years, Meghan says. The Smithe sisters have heard it all before, and they've set out to dispel those misperceptions. Home Cities Chicago Meet the Smithe Sisters, The new generation is shaking things up at furniture icon Walter E. Smithe. Nothing will be worse than the commercials they ran the last time the Cicadas were in season. 74% of employees would recommend working at Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design to a friend and 70% have a positive outlook for the business. "Some dabbled and moved on and others just weren't interested.". When I first came on board, our industry was very much a good old boys club, says Maureen, who regularly travels to marketplaces around the country to buy merchandise. Walter E. Smithe also is changing up its ads. My sisters and I represent the viewpoint of our younger clientele, Meghan says. There is no true balance for moms in our situation., We cant be everything all at once, Meghan says. Walter E. Smithe Trade In Sale - YouTube Hope, once a Smithe designer and store manager, now lives in Colorado with her husband. We had no grand plan.. USA. How, they wondered, would longtime customers respond to four new female faces on their television screens? He began working in the . Walter E. Smithe Jr., founder of Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design She also sees more demand for curation: Rather than walking into a store and getting an entire matching bedroom or dining set, people are mixing and matching and getting a look thats uniquely theirs., The new ED Ellen DeGeneres furniture collection (now available at all 11 Walter E. Smithe showrooms) allows for just thatand it includes versatile pieces that transcend their typical use. "In a family business, everyone has to wear all hats at all times," Maureen said. Walter E. Smithe Jr., head of family furniture dynasty, dead at 86 I can't breathe!' We strive to bring our clients the best in home furnishings for every style, budget, and stage of life. When the boys took over from their father, there were about a half-dozen stores. "And a woman was there with her daughter, and she nudged her and I heard her say, 'That's the Walter E. Smithe guy.' An added factor in the commercials' success are the brothers, who come across as regular guys. The brothers are recognized on the street, in grocery stores and coffee shops ("I got a free Starbucks latte once," Tim says). Reviews on Outlet Walter E Smithe in Glendale Heights, IL 60139 - Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design, Toms Price Home, The Dump Furniture Outlet, Ashley HomeStore, The RoomPlace, Roy's Furniture, Domicile His daughters were hesitant at first, questioning whether they were ready for such a responsibility. "It's been about reworking how we approach visually what we want to convey about the product that we're selling," Meghan said. The business grew in popularity as they approached adulthood, at which point friends would regularly sing the jingle and colleagues would ask about the creative TV ads. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. But even as likable as the brothers are, do they run the risk of oversaturation or going to the well too often? E. Smithe sisters Caitie, Colleen, Meghan and Maureen were introduced to the business at a young age. I love the one where they are drinking what looks like Tang out of wine glasses. We all trickled back in, and it happened really organically, says Meghan of the industrious quartet, who collectively has 17 children. Since 1945 the company has . Even if you weren't sure that Walt, Tim and Mark Smithe were brothers -- yep, those Smithe brothers, of "Walter E. Smithe, you dream it, we build it" fame -- their banter at a recent commercial shoot was a dead giveaway. "People really did love seeing them on their TVs.". "But we've also gotten some really nice feedback from people who are happy to see four working women on their TV.". walter e smithe furniture inc. Find locations. Later, both Tim and Mark were night managers at competing convenience stores, Tim at a 7-Eleven in Niles and Mark at a Park Ridge White Hen. Three generations are involved in the family-run Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design, including Walter Smithe Jr. (far right); his sons Walter III (far left) and Mark; and his four granddaughters, from left, Maureen, Caitie, Colleen and Meghan. "It was kind of ingrained in us," Caitie Smithe said. His four daughtersMaureen, Meghan, Caitie, and Colleenare now the new faces of this historic Chicago brand, a spot he and his brothers held for decades. A 2005 advertisement showed Mark and Tim Smithe dueling with CGI-enhanced lamps in an homage to the lightsaber duels of the Star Wars films. It was like the empire jingle. In the late '60s, the growing family -- there are also four sisters, Cindy, Margie and . Walter E. Smithe is a furniture company based in Itasca, Illinois. As mothers, all of us have cleaned up a childs spill, or even their vomit, from our furniture, Colleen jokes. "The majority of what we run is informational and tells about the company, but those aren't the ones people are talking about at the water cooler. And yet, as they went off to college and moved into the next phase of life, they were never expected to someday return full time. /r/Chicago is the place to discuss and stay updated on the daily happenings of Chicago, Illinois, USA. [3], The company has become well known in the Chicago area for its television commercials, which for decades starred the three Smithe brothers, and now star the four Smithe sisters. The company makes, sells, and repairs furniture, . "What about you and your sisters?". We connect families with the best local resources, advice, stories, things to do with kids and much more. "He'd come up from behind and drop in it on us," Tim says. Unlike their brothers, they chose other careers. In 2002 they brought in director Bill O'Neil to help them. How could they ensure the 75-year-old brand would be sustainable for decades to come? Timothy Smithe Jr. (m. 2013-2018) Kyla Lynn McCarthy (born October 8, 1986) is the daughter of politician and former Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy. getting a penny or nickel for every clearance tag we pulled," says Meghanthe four daughters of Walter Smithe III have . And youll see each of my sisters doing what they do best.. But I never forget that these are my sisters and I completely respect them. "We have wonderful clients who are my generation or older, but we have to figure out how we cater to this new generation that's setting up households now. "We take that very seriously, and we have so much passion for it.". Meet The Walter E. Smithe Furniture Sisters - Luxe - Design "They've done a wonderful job building a distinctive brand," says Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University. 9615 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, IL 60077. They decided on an ad campaign that would, simply, pitch their product. }); Chicago Parent is Chicagolands trusted parenting hub since 1984. Itasca, IL 60143. For example, Meghan had to miss her sons Valentines Day party at school this year, due to work responsibilities. Or using a new high-tech application to keep couch fabric truly worry free from childrens spills, everything from spaghetti sauce to Kool-Aid. It said he passed away peacef Zajdel was a driver for Victory when he made the commercial a quarter-century ago. October 12, 2022 / 3:27 PM This is useful in estimating the financial strength and credit risk of the company. Lewis Lazare. We dont always agree on things, Colleen says. I presented my ideas for this two weeks ago and it will be out on the floor in three weeks. "Staying fresh, young and relevant is how we're going to sustain the brand into the next 75 years. [4], In March, 2017, daughters of Walter E. Smithe III became the fourth generation of the Smithe family to be featured in the commercials.[8]. Am I the only one who just thinks he looks like Louis CK? The 86-year-old patriarch of the Smithe family, Walter Edward Smithe Jr., "died . The brothers spend most of their time in the company's Itasca headquarters, which also serves as a warehouse, customer service center and point of departure for the fleet of Smithe trucks. Ellen is very serious about design and had a definite voice in what this modern-rustic-meets-farmhouse collection would be. If you grew up in Chicago, you can probably hum it. Walter E. Smithe ads, famous for their jingle, now featuring next The 3rd brother, Tim Smithe, retired in 2016. "And of course this summer's blockbuster is supposed to be `Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.' So as long as strangers keep serenading them with the company jingle instead of pelting them with "Hardrock, Coco and Joe" DVDs, and as long as the business continues to grow, they'll keep doing the ads. It took the mother of six children a few years to figure out how to juggle her demanding career and busy home life. But it wasn't long before he approached his youngest daughter with a proposition. Only a year apart in age, the lively, fast-talking Smithe sisters consider one another best friends. 1251 West Thorndale Avenue. "The brothers have no acting talent," Tim says. I love incorporating an unexpected element into a room. Thats fast, but it shows what we can do. There's a preconceived notion that furniture stores are stuffy and tired, run by men in suits and catering to older generations.
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