Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design has an overall rating of 4.0 out of 5, based on over 92 reviews left anonymously by employees. I can't breathe!' We strive to bring our clients the best in home furnishings for every style, budget, and stage of life. 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. They decided on an ad campaign that would, simply, pitch their product. Shop the Sofa Sale. The new generation of Smithes are featured in the company's new advertising. We take inspiration from the world of interior design to curate customized . The Smithe sisters Walter III's daughters Maureen, Meghan, Caitie, and Colleen are also now executives at Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design and appear in the ads. Meghan and Colleen spent several years working at advertising agencies in Chicago. Our learning curve has been steep and long, with a lot of challenges, says Colleen, flanked by her sisters at the familys Lincoln Park location, a 10,000-square-foot boutique store. Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design advertising has featured everything from parodies of "The Price Is Right" to a 2013 classic in which the Smithe brothers got into a wrestling ring with Billy Corgan. "And they've been able to personalize a retail chain through the use of the brothers. Favorite design style: Cozy and comfortableaka hygge ethos. There is no rule book that says they all need to matchmetals always compliment one another. Growing up, she and her sisters held various roles at the furniture and design firm, earning their first paychecks and gaining job experience and exploring interests that would later launch their careers. And Mark, 40, is Smithe's general counsel; he and his partner live in Lincoln Park with Petey, a 4-year-old bulldog. And I thought, `makeup and lighting. [6], One of Walter E. Smithe's most discussed commercials aired in late March 2006. The girls have all worked elsewhere before they came to work here, says Walter of his daughters who have had careers ranging from merchandising to advertising. Brothers Walt, Tim and Mark Smithe -- the faces of Walter E. Smithe Furniture -- seem to have hit on something with their ubiquitous ads. As teens, the four sisters worked only part time in their fathers showroom or outlet store, selling furniture and earning their first paychecks along with other eager, cash-strapped teens. "They're having a lot of fun. Its a tough balance, but I like figuring out the retail puzzle.. Unlike their brothers, they chose other careers. That's why when she and her three sisters -- Maureen, Meghan and Caitie -- were asked a few years ago to transition into the role their father and uncles held for so long, they weren't immediately receptive. William Hageman and Tribune staff reporter. Calkins says that by minimizing production costs and media costs and doing those quick turnarounds, Smithe gets a bigger bang for its advertising buck. Sometimes you have to act fast. [4], Many of Walter E. Smithe's commercials have been pop culture parodies. We are a 4th generation family-owned business, and our employees are an integral part of . Relevant. Walter E. Smithe, Jr. joined the business in the 1960s with his brothers Gary and Tomm, and began phasing out appliances to focus on custom upholstery. It's partnered with celebrity designers and broadened the mix of products carried in stores, online and in its resurrected catalog to include more current trends and a wider range of price points. ("You should keep that hat on for about three weeks. The Walter E. Smithe furniture jingle "you dream it, we build it" has been a longtime fixture in the firm's television ads, just as the Smithe brothers themselves have been. Bargain-hunters, take note: Artistica (990 Green Bay Rd., Winnetka, artistica.com) has gotten a jumpstart on spring cleaning and updated its clearance selection to include more than 600 items (including custom-painted majolica backsplash panels) discounted by 50 percent. (847) 933-1481. "And there's 10 televisions, all tuned to the same station. With 16 1/2 children among them (Colleen is due with her third baby this month), the sisters also find work as a time to be togethersans children. They've relaunched catalogs showcasing their furniture in fully designed spaces. "Instead we did it on the turn of a dime. But repeated airings of the ad have made him and his door legendary. The Empire Carpet Guy, of course. My hope is to inspire people to slow down enough to talk with a designer and hopefully buy something.. That sentiment applies to their lively commercials, too, which frequently feature the sisters chatting on a stylish couch or gathering with family members in a beautifully staged home. The best commercial -- at least the one viewers relished -- featured this grating kid getting hit in the face with a pie. CHICAGO (WLS) -- Walter E. Smithe, Jr., founder of Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design, has died at the age of 86, his family said. For example - my favorite large upholstered dining chairs are under $200. Darvin is always yelling about discounts. 443 were here. Explore more of the publications in our portfolio here. Now, the Itasca-based furniture and interior design company wants you to get to know the Smithe sisters. "There are still people who ask us, 'Where are the brothers? What she does: I use both sides of my brain: left for all the analytical spreadsheet stuff and right for the creative vision. walter e smithe. They're going to be the ones buying furniture for the next 50 years, so we have to be ready to serve them the way they want to be served," said Walter Smithe, 57. "KFC dances to beat of familiar drummers". Personally, I dont want to stare at ugly furniture for all those years, Meghan says. Walter E. SMITHE corporate office is located in 1775 W Rand Rd, Arlington Heights, Illinois, 60004, United States and has 382 employees. Now, the fourth-generation leaders of Walter E. Smithe are learning to balance their busy personal lives with the big responsibility of carrying out the legacy of their family-run business. The spot showed the brothers at a news conference announcing that they had purchased Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, with plans to rename it Walter E. Smithe Field. One of my friends used to live near Fullerton and Western, and she would always tell people she lived near Tile Outlet. Sibling revelry; Their offbeat commercials have made the Smithe brothers cult heroes. By last year, though, each had returned to the company their great-grandfather founded. But shes quick to point out that the business is still very much a multigenerational effort, noting that their 81-year-old grandfather still regularly meets with clients. To see these serious, stuffy guys laughing and having fun someone yelled out, `You should use that as a commercial. The new generation of Smithes are featured in the company's new advertising. Most recently, she was at . '", "The business steadily increased since we started the commercials," Walt says. We take that very seriously, and we have so much passion for it.". In recent years, Smithe enjoyed his time with extended family. Tim, 41, is the vice president of sales; he and his wife have four kids and live in Winnetka. "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. They hammer out a script, call in O'Neil and start filming. Am I the only one who just thinks he looks like Louis CK? For the most part, that relationship translates well in the business world, they say. But the sisters also know they can always turn to the leaders who came before them. Tags: Design Controls - Facebook Instant Article, Home & Garden, Interior Design. They've transitioned into the spotlight. It's pretty surprising they are still playing on these tired sexist tropes in this day and age. Press J to jump to the feed. A new collection at Holly Hunt, discounts at EuroFurniture, a First Friday event at Hubbard Woods Design District, and more. Bloomingdale Plaza. walter e smithe furniture inc. You can send your sympathy in the guestbook provided and share it with the family. portalId: "6766057", Home Cities Chicago Meet the Smithe Sisters, The new generation is shaking things up at furniture icon Walter E. Smithe. Tim recalls Walt trying to smother him -- repeatedly, apparently -- with a bean bag chair. Also would somebody please feed them? Find out where to go, what to eat, where to live, and more. I was probably in elementary school when I would come in to work in the warehouse sweeping for a nickel Colleen says. The company made its website easier to use and more modern-looking. The first change I noticed was it became all about the sons. How could they ensure the 75-year-old brand would be sustainable for decades to come? and became working moms in different industries. Its a constant toggle between work and family talk, notes Colleen, but at the end of the day theyre focused on creating a furniture company that helps clients truly curate a home. Read the rest of the issue. The sisters can measure the span of their careers by their childrens ages and development, so they clearly understand what its like to worry about furniture at the mercy of young, messy children. One spot was modeled after Apple's weird commercials. Whoever said brick-and-mortar is dead hasn't met the Smithe sisters. "Staying fresh, young and relevant is how we're going to sustain the brand into the next 75 years," Meghan said. No surprise why the quality is so crap. 70 reviews of Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design "This is a really good store for when you hit age 40 or so and realize your house still resembles a college dorm. The commercial included the tagline "Change the Name, Change the Luck", a reference to the Cubs' decades-long struggle to reach the World Series. Now, the fourth-generation leaders of Walter E. Smithe are learning to balance their busy personal lives with the big responsibility of carrying out the legacy of their family-run business. [2] Today, the company has ten showrooms in Illinois and Indiana and is listed by Furniture Today as one of the top one hundred furniture retailers in the United States. The founder of well-known Chicago-area furniture company Walter E. Smithe has died, his family announced Wednesday. There is no true balance for moms in our situation., We cant be everything all at once, Meghan says. Three years later, she recruited Colleen to become advertising director -- a position she accepted without hesitation. Walter E. Smithe Jr. Obituary. Around the same time, Caitie was ready to return to the workforce as a designer and stylist, a skill she had honed early in her career. Weird. 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. Its unnerving. walter e smithe furniture - inc. walter e smithe furniture. People are buying a look, but they want it to feel curated and personal., Its up to Maureen and Caitie to monitor the market, make sure the showroom reflects current palettes, while staying a few steps ahead of what is currently trending. The Smithe boys started out in a tiny ranch house in Des Plaines, the children of Walter Jr. and Florence. Their advertising is creative, it's timely and it's interesting, so people remember it and they like it.". The Smithes had been encouraged to air their outtakes on television after Tim Smithe screened them at an interior design seminar and received a positive reaction from the crowd. I always suggest going with whatever color or colors are most pleasing to you, but some big color trends this spring are oranges, pinks, sage green and pastel blue. Please enter valid email address to continue. At-a-glance. One of the first opportunities to test their compatibility was through a partnership with interior designer and TV personality Jeff Lewis. "It's made us focus on what we do best, which is designing our clients' homes," he said. Only a year apart in age, the lively, fast-talking Smithe sisters consider one another best friends. The 3rd brother, Tim Smithe, retired in 2016. "We take that very seriously, and we have so much passion for it.". They have a younger brother, who lives out of state, and plenty of younger cousins who have yet to join the team, though the sisters say there's still time. Over the past 76 years, the company has grown to include 10 Chicago area showrooms. Their dad, the company's president, continued filming his signature ads with his brother, Mark, for a short period of time, Colleen said. The process starts with Tim Smithe, Pam Thorson (the company's director of advertising) and director/editor Bill O'Neil of O'Neil Productions of Wilmette. 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. getting a penny or nickel for every clearance tag we pulled," says Meghanthe four daughters of Walter Smithe III have . We don't take that lightly.". The sisters get together at least twice a week, traveling from their homes in Chicago, Barrington and Riverside, leaving behind their children, husbands and home duties. Meghan was hired in 2013 and now serves as director of sales strategy. "Smithes have fun at the old ballpark". Walter E. Smithe III, is the President of family owned and operated Walter E. Smithe Furniture + Design. Tim offered Walt brotherly support after a just-completed scene. They pointed out how affordable the pieces are. [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. "As needs within the business grew, positions opened up organically," Maureen said. We not only respect this, we embrace it.. 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. Now, there are 12, a 115,000-square-foot headquarters in Itasca and more than 550 employees, and this year Walter E. Smithe Furniture will do $100 million in sales. "But these are guys who you'd go to dinner with, you know? View info about Walter E. Smithe Furniture (smithe.com). Receive a 20 percent discount on sofas, love seats, sectionals, chaises, and more at Cassona (5241 N. Clark St., cassona.com) through March 13. Edit: I have been informed that they are the daughters, not the wives. They can really do great things. What are they up to?' "We wanted to entertain people first, so then when we wanted to inform them they'd already be paying attention," Tim says of their advertising philosophy. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Itasca, IL 60143. "If we'd done that with a large agency, it would have been flying people in from New York and storyboards and approvals along the way," he says. Be sure to visit Sawbridge Studios, which will showcase sustainably harvested, live-edge furniture by David Stine. "It was kind of ingrained in us," Caitie Smithe said. - Linn Burton: He started selling appliances in Polk Bros. ads in 1953, but the majority of his 35-year TV career was spent hawking cars -- Kaisers, Frazers, Joe Rizza's Pontiacs and, most famously, Bert Weinman's Fords. - Timmy: Dressed as an old-time newspaper boy, 10-year-old Timmy appeared in dozens of commercials in the '70s for his uncle's Long Chevrolet dealership in Elmhurst. In fact, none of the sisters seriously considered having a career in the company, founded by their great-grandfather in 1945. The Smithe family announced that their patriarch died this past Sunday with his wife of 64 years, Florence Flynn Smithe, by his side. 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! The CBS Chicago team is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on CBSChicago.com. The first order of business: ditch the longstanding, highly recognizable ad campaign featuring their father and two uncles. You may have noticed a change lately in those Walter E. Smithe (smithe.com) siblings-on-a-couch commercials. Courtesy of Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design. It was an organic transition for each of us, says Colleen, the youngest sister. "We're all rolling up our sleeves and getting dirty. As their father, the company president, has told customers for decades, Life is too short to sit on uncomfortable furniture.. Smithe brothers aim for 'Sex' appeal in latest quirky commercial, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Walter_E._Smithe&oldid=1127865487, This page was last edited on 17 December 2022, at 02:33. But they still manage to get out to their stores about once a week, touching base with their employees, surprising customers or hosting events such as book signings or wine tastings. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. As the oldest sibling, Maureen was the first to officially join Walter E. Smithe in a professional capacity in 2004. Hauldren -- an advertising copywriter who created the character -- first appeared in the ads in 1973. Chicagoans came to know and appreciate the three Smithe brothers who starred for years in quirky TV commercials touting their family-run furniture company. We see this country chic trend currently happening as a design emergency, says Maureen. Regarded as top performer within the account and the Agency, as a result of consistent over-delivery, passion to grow the business . They're not egomaniacs. Building upon the Smithe family legacy is a big responsibility, the sisters said, one they've embraced with fervor. Were really excited about this program, explains Meghan. For instance, finding that perfect piece of decorative furniture that creatively doubles as a toy box for kids games, toys and video devices. In the late '60s, the growing family -- there are also four sisters, Cindy, Margie and . This style is out there and we need to respond and get it on our floor. The Smithe sisters - Walter III's daughters Maureen, Meghan, Caitie, and Colleen - are also now executives at Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design and appear in the ads. 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. Hell stand on things, jump on them, do his best to break dining chairs. Nearby is a mangled lamp that will never find its way to a Smithe showroom floor. The sisters are making their official debut in a new campaign theyve recently launched called the Smithe Family Makeovers. Fielding countless applications, the Smithes choose a home where they redesign a space and showcase the full range of interior design services and furnishings Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design offers. It's not included in a shorter version now airing on TV. 2023 Zoe Communications Group | 332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite #LL-M974, Chicago, IL 60604 | 708.386.5555 | Website by Web Publisher PRO, ParentEd Talks: Free Virtual Speaker Series, A Concerned Parents Guide to Gun Violence and Gun Safety. First published on October 12, 2022 / 3:27 PM. "They were loved," said Colleen Smithe, the youngest daughter of Walter Smithe III. What she does: Come up with ideas that get people off their couch and into our storesand put my sisters in awkward positions (see our commercials)., What she does: Whether were working or just hanging out, my Type A personality keeps us organized and on track.. The commercials were being shot at a studio in Northfield and would result in enough footage for dozens of TV ads to appear over the next six months. walter e smithe furniture & design. While we still have traditional pieces, our showroom appeals to a number of different lifestyles. The Smithe boys started out in a tiny ranch house in Des Plaines, the children of Walter Jr. and Florence. Subscribe to one or more of our free e-mail newsletters to get instant updates on local news, events, and opportunities in Chicago. 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. Chicago Parent, as a Zoe Communications Group company, is certified as a Womens Business Enterprise by the Womens Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nations largest third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women. It takes work and sacrifice.. The Smithe brothers commercials Chicagoans are used to were great for getting the Walter E. Smithe name out, but the new ads put the focus back on the furniture and design services, said Meghan Smithe.
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