"Smithes have fun at the old ballpark". "And of course this summer's blockbuster is supposed to be `Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.' [7], Chicagoans have had mixed reactions to the Walter E. Smithe commercials. "They're having a lot of fun. From 5 to 8 p.m., select retailers will offer refreshments while highlighting unique designers. 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. They were each only a year apart, at one point covering all four grade levels at Barrington High School. - The Victory Auto Wreckers guy: Almost every night since 1981, on some channel, Bob Zajdel has barely escaped injury when the driver's door fell off his old Chevy. Whether bringing in color as an accent or making a big statement with a lot of color, your home will feel instantly transformed and personalized. It stuck in your head. You may have noticed a change lately in those Walter E. Smithe . The chemistry among this familial foursome is something parents can only hope for from their children. Further confused by the commercials now. 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. The best commercial -- at least the one viewers relished -- featured this grating kid getting hit in the face with a pie. The company makes, sells, and repairs furniture, . "We're custom, so we can create everything, but we need to get the right mix out there to give people ideas," said Meghan Smithe, the company's director of marketing. I love the one where they are drinking what looks like Tang out of wine glasses. 1251 W. Thorndale Ave. Itasca, IL 60143-1149. That's a galaxy away from the current "Star Wars" parody. "The girls have all worked elsewhere before coming back to Smithe," says Walter of his daughters who have had careers ranging from merchandising to advertising. Assuming your a dude your not supposed to understand the commercials. While they took breaks from the biz to make their own way after college, each came back when the right positions opened up. Mark admonished Walt to keep his feet off the furniture. "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 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. 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.. Caitie Smithe, Designer and Stylist. Opening Day is March 30. 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. Over the past 76 years, the company has grown to include 10 Chicago area showrooms. They're nice folks. He also hosted telethons. PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBIN SUBAR, When Maureen Smithe returned from maternity leave after giving birth to identical twin daughters last August (children number five and six for those keeping count), she was puzzled by the pained looks she received from some of her colleagues. Walter E. Smithe, Jr., founder of Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design, has died at the age of 86, his family said. Itasca, IL 60143. The Feldco guy creeps me out more. Last year there aas a commercial where the puppet quickly moved to close his laptop when someone came in the office. The new generation of Smithes are featured in the company's new advertising. There's a certain time and simplicity factor, so from the time of the idea to the time we shoot it can be as short as a week.". Since 1945, we have been Chicago's local source for quality furniture and expert design. A few bucks later, the clunker is off to Victory's Bensenville lot. "There are still people who ask us, 'Where are the brothers? And they're not showbiz types. Their grandfather, who is in his 80s, remains active in the company, frequently visiting showrooms and making connections with clients. The answer -- and the sisters' secret to success -- can be summed up in three key words: Fresh. This article originally appeared in the April 2019 issue of Chicago Parent. And Amy is a singer and songwriter. CHICAGO (CBS) -- Walter Edward Smithe Jr., the founder of Chicago's Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design, has died at the age of 86. We simply never had that conversation, Meghan says. One of the first opportunities to test their compatibility was through a partnership with interior designer and TV personality Jeff Lewis. Contents. 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. Our dad always put an emphasis on hard work, and it stuck with us.. They've relaunched catalogs showcasing their furniture in fully designed spaces. Walter E. Smithe Jr. also earned a master's degree in Anthropology at Loyola University Chicago in 1980. Or "Hardrock, Coco and Joe." 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. "Staying fresh, young and relevant is how we're going to sustain the brand into the next 75 years. We strive to bring our clients the best in home furnishings for every style, budget, and stage of life. Regarded as top performer within the account and the Agency, as a result of consistent over-delivery, passion to grow the business . The are the Smithe sisters, Meghan, Colleen, Maureen and Caitie. In 2002 they brought in director Bill O'Neil to help them. The four women have been taking on bigger roles at the company and star in its new ad. To their delight, the reaction to that initial campaign was primarily positive, as has been the case for every commercial they've produced since. "There was some physical violence between the brothers," Walt says with that satisfied look of a big brother who got to dish it out. formId: "acc781a7-d0b4-433d-bc7f-c5bac12f3766" The Smithe sisters now serve as the face . That cartoon of Bob has BDE and you can't deny it. No surprise why the quality is so crap. Walter E. Smithe Furniture, Inc. is headquartered in Itasca, IL. 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. "Staying fresh, young and relevant is how we're going to sustain the brand into the next 75 years," Meghan said. . It took the mother of six children a few years to figure out how to juggle her demanding career and busy home life. 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. Industry: Home Furniture & Housewares Stores. Ellen is very serious about design and had a definite voice in what this modern-rustic-meets-farmhouse collection would be. "What about you and your sisters?". When Smithe makes a furniture delivery, Its not uncommon for our crews to bring a 25-year-old sofa with a Smithe sticker on it back to this warehouse, Meghan says. Walter was the first of the third generation to join the family business in 1981 . We dont always agree on things, Colleen says. Subscribe to one or more of our free e-mail newsletters to get instant updates on local news, events, and opportunities in Chicago. The CBS Chicago team is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on CBSChicago.com. So much misogyny in these comments, their commercials have always been cheesy and annoying. 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. Subscribe for free today! Business Profile for Walter E. Smithe Furn-Itasca. We refer to Smithe.com as our 12th store, since many of our clients are doing their research online before coming to see us in person.. As the oldest sibling, Maureen was the first to officially join Walter E. Smithe in a professional capacity in 2004. We get that question all the time, and that was to be expected," Colleen said. Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design (Old Orchard) 17 miles. This initiative calls for all hands on deck. Let's go Cubbies! Even their more than 250 employees are treated like family. Caitie, Colleen, Maureen and Meghan Smithe represent the fourth generation helping run their Chicago-based family furniture store, Walter E. Smithe, and they're determined not to be the last. I'm a brand manager and their commercials make the brand seem like a discount bin. Our lives can be overrun with technology, commitments and schedules. As mothers, theyve learned its not only possible, but preferable, to have a functional yet beautiful home. Walter E. Smithe and Bill Shanahan founded the store anticipating a booming economy in the wake of World War II. There's a preconceived notion that furniture stores are stuffy and tired, run by men in suits and catering to older generations. walter e smithe furniture - inc. walter e smithe furniture. Like most mothers, whether theyre working or staying at home, we do what we can, she says. Through March 16, enjoy savings of up to 20 percent on select rugs (hopscotch, anyone?) Customers were more concerned with what we were selling versus the people who were selling it, she adds. Walter Smithe, president of the furniture company, climbs the stairs March 21, 2017, at the Walter E. Smithe furniture store in Oak Brook, alongside his four daughters, Colleen, from left, Caitie, Maureen and Meghan. Colleen Smithe, Director of Advertising Nothing is left unchanged, Meghan notes. My sisters and I represent the viewpoint of our younger clientele, Meghan says. Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design is a family-owned furniture retailer, founded right here in Chicago, back in 1945. To see these serious, stuffy guys laughing and having fun someone yelled out, `You should use that as a commercial. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Indian Trail, High Street intersection work approved in Aurora, Suspect in high-speed chase crashes into, kills veteran Indiana State Trooper trying to stop him: officials, Educators get peek at Paramount play about artificial intelligence which is set to tour schools, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. And I thought, `makeup and lighting. This rating has improved by 10% over the last 12 months. Plus, they seem like nice guys. Furniture Stores. It's fun to be part of Chicago in that way.". They're not egomaniacs. 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. His daughters were hesitant at first, questioning whether they were ready for such a responsibility. For decades, the public faces of the privately owned company have been the sisters father, Walter E. Smithe IIIthe 59-year-old grandson of the businesss namesakeand the sisters uncles, Mark and Tim. 1428, hollyhunt.com) has expanded its Great Plains textile offering with the Foreign Affair collection, which has a mix of warm and cool neutrals. That was the extent of his pitchman career. This is useful in estimating the financial strength and credit risk of the company. Those early Smithe commercials were straight-forward affairs, with each brother talking about his area of expertise -- Walt discussed the merchandise, Tim the company's designers, and Mark Smithe's delivery system and customer satisfaction -- and, of course, the furniture. View a map of participating First Friday locations. Its unnerving. "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. It was an organic transition for each of us, says Colleen, the youngest sister. 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. Colleen loved being able to point out that her dad and uncles, Mark and Tim, brainstormed and executed the ideas themselves. "I was at Dulles Airport in Washington, waiting for a 9:30 flight at night," Mark says. - Lynn Hauldren: Who? Cindy went to college in Iowa and settled there after school. Start shopping. Who are these guys? And it's those commercials, always informative and usually silly, that have the Smithe brothers walking in the footsteps of Linn Burton and the Empire Carpet Guy as Chicago TV commercial icons. Kneen & Co. (399 W. Fullerton Pkwy., Ste. "With a strategy to continue Smithe parodies of relevant topics, really, the future is limitless," he says. 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. How could the Itasca-based company break the mold and reach a new audience while still carrying its message into a fourth generation? In the 1970s Walter left Smithe and Shanahan (His brothers remained with the original company) to start his own company - Walter E. Smithe. Lewis Lazare. 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. "As furniture commercials go, what the Smithes are doing is great," he says. However, Lewis Lazare, the Chicago Sun-Times' advertising critic, has defended the commercials. He cites the U2 music video takeoff. You can send your sympathy in the guestbook provided and share it with the family. Spoken like the daughter of a true shop owner, as her father Walter E. Smithe III, president of the eponymous furniture retailer calls himself. If you grew up in Chicago, you can probably hum it. It was like the empire jingle. Were now getting calls from all over the world., Under Colleen and Meghans direction, Smithe now has a beautiful new lookbook in its marketing toolbox and a stable full of breathtaking photography, as they become the exclusive distributor for Ellen DeGeneres new furniture collection from Thomasville. Hauldren -- an advertising copywriter who created the character -- first appeared in the ads in 1973. 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. Read on to find out more about pelvic floor therapy and how it's growing in popularity among postpartum women. It also featured an appearance by Dutchie Caray, wife of the late Cubs announcer Harry Caray. What she does: "I make spaces beautiful for clients' homes, our catalogs and showrooms, and play couples' therapist for clients who can't agree on a sofa." Favorite design style: Modern mixed with traditional. Getting the Smithes in front of the camera wasn't easy. Meghan and Colleen spent several years working at advertising agencies in Chicago. One of my friends used to live near Fullerton and Western, and she would always tell people she lived near Tile Outlet. If you find the right furniture, it will last even through your kids, Colleen says.
Graco Snugride 35 Lx Travel System,
Compare And Contrast Saul And David,
Girard Auction Upcoming Auctions,
Is Dean Lukin Married,
Articles W