I love incorporating an unexpected element into a room. The answer -- and the sisters' secret to success -- can be summed up in three key words: Fresh. Now its only the wives and zero about the furniture. We feel like we can now speak to the multitude of generations who shop with us, she says. "The brothers have no acting talent," Tim says. They're nice folks. You can send your sympathy in the guestbook provided and share it with the family. Whoever said brick-and-mortar is dead hasn't met the Smithe sisters. Along the way, they got married, had children (17 in all!) Walter E. Smithe is a furniture company based in Itasca, Illinois. Walter e smithe daughters. For example, Meghan had to miss her sons Valentines Day party at school this year, due to work responsibilities. Only a year apart in age, the lively, fast-talking Smithe sisters consider one another best friends. You want it to succeed and do well.". "So that drove us, I think, to be successes.". And Mark, 40, is Smithe's general counsel; he and his partner live in Lincoln Park with Petey, a 4-year-old bulldog. It couldn't have gone more perfectly, Maureen said. At-a-glance. Walt (actually Walter Smithe III), 45, is president and general manager of the company; he and his wife have five kids and live in Barrington Hills. And Amy is a singer and songwriter. The Smithe sisters have heard it all before, and they've set out to dispel those misperceptions. (847) 933-1481. Be sure to visit Sawbridge Studios, which will showcase sustainably harvested, live-edge furniture by David Stine. 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. "We're kind of strategically positioned in different departments," Meghan said. Meghan can recall her pigtails bouncing as she ran through the Walter E. Smithe warehouse as a young girl, pulling sales tags in exchange for a nickel or dime from her grandfather, Walter Smithe Jr. As the oldest sibling, Maureen was the first to officially join Walter E. Smithe in a professional capacity in 2004. Cindy went to college in Iowa and settled there after school. They're not egomaniacs. He received a Bachelor of Philosophy in Commerce from the University of Notre Dame in 1958. All three attended St. Mary's College in Winona, Minn. Walt got an MBA at Notre Dame, Tim got one at Northwestern, and Mark got a law degree at Loyola. Walter E. Smithe Jr. died peacefully at age 86, his family said in a prepared statement. It's fun to be part of Chicago in that way.". But the sisters also know they can always turn to the leaders who came before them. "And I'd be yelling, `I can't breathe! Ask how we can add diversity to your supply chain. She has a few ideas for how to add a little spring to your home. We take that very seriously, and we have so much passion for it.". View info about Walter E. Smithe Furniture (smithe.com). No outside agency required. Since 1945, the company has established itself as a reliable family-run retailer, with the second- and third-generation Smithe men at the helm. 1428, hollyhunt.com) has expanded its Great Plains textile offering with the Foreign Affair collection, which has a mix of warm and cool neutrals. And they're not showbiz types. The fourth generation of Smithe leadership is hoping that this young, fresh approach to advertising and marketing will resonate with a consumer base that hasnt yet shopped with Smithe before. It takes work and sacrifice.. 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. Walter Smithe, president of the furniture company named for his grandfather, is flanked by daughters, Maureen, left, and Caitie on March 21, 2017, as theywatch his other daughters Colleen, far left, and Meghan play pingpong at the Walter E. Smithe furniture store in Oak Brook. Walter E. Smithe Jr. Obituary. The company gained national exposure from Lewis' collection, and each sister was able to shine in her own specialty. 9615 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, IL 60077. In the late '60s, the growing family -- there are also four sisters, Cindy, Margie and . With a 71-year history and 11 stores sprinkled throughout Chicago and the suburbs, Walter E. Smithe is a local furniture icon. As their father, the company president, has told customers for decades, Life is too short to sit on uncomfortable furniture.. But repeated airings of the ad have made him and his door legendary. Walter Smithe, president of the furniture company named for his grandfather, is flanked by daughters, Maureen, left, and Caitie on March 21, 2017, as theywatch his other daughters Colleen, far left, and Meghan play pingpong at the Walter E. Smithe furniture store in Oak Brook. "I was invited to speak to 300-some designers in Oak Brook," he says. 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. 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. "If our specialties fit those needs, then we were invited to have a conversation and explore the opportunity, but it was never a demand placed on us.". Contact Information. But even as likable as the brothers are, do they run the risk of oversaturation or going to the well too often? "It almost feels like the business is, in a weird way, a member of the family. Personally, I dont want to stare at ugly furniture for all those years, Meghan says. They can really do great things. [7], Chicagoans have had mixed reactions to the Walter E. Smithe commercials. We've got the radar out for that," Tim Smithe says. Compare how recession-proof Walter E Smithe Furniture is relative to the industry overall. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune). In 2002 they brought in director Bill O'Neil to help them. CHICAGO The founder of Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design has died. He entertained the youngest generation of the family playing banjo and singing folk songs such as "The Rock Island Line," and telling stories of Tiny Tim and the Magic Gumball Machine, his obit said. I was probably in elementary school when I would come in to work in the warehouse, sweeping for a nickel, Colleen says of the brand, which first opened in 1945. Find out where to go, what to eat, where to live, and more. First published on October 12, 2022 / 3:27 PM. I love the attention I get as a local celebrity," Mark says. Tags: Design Controls - Facebook Instant Article, Home & Garden, Interior Design. 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. But I never forget that these are my sisters and I completely respect them. They look hungry. The Chicago native attended Fenwick High School and the University of Notre Dame. We don't take that lightly.". Our lives can be overrun with technology, commitments and schedules. Explore more of the publications in our portfolio here. 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. We are sad to announce that on October 9, 2022 we had to say goodbye to Walter E. Smithe Jr. of Chicago, Illinois. But the truth is, I love coming to the office. 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. At Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design, we are committed to helping our clients love their homes through expert design, quality furnishings, and exemplary service. I'm so annoyed that I won't buy anything from there. Their advertising is creative, it's timely and it's interesting, so people remember it and they like it.". The announcement was merely an early April Fools' Day prank, although the Smithe brothers said they had received about one hundred emails from viewers who were not sure what to think. We had no grand plan.. Sisters Colleen, Meghan, Maureen and Caitie Smithe, from left, say three key words have helped them carry their family-run furniture company into a fourth generation: fresh, young and relevant. [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. "We had a common agreement that we had the best furniture in Chicago," Tim says, "but not enough people knew about it.". walter e smithe furniture inc. We all trickled back in, and it happened really organically, says Meghan of the industrious quartet, who collectively has 17 children. 1251 West Thorndale Avenue. I also think, coming from a family business myself, to see how they interact with each other just gives you the feeling that they're good people, that you'd want to do business with those people.". (Last year, Walter E. Smithe resurrected the 1950s-era cartoon that was a holiday staple on WGN-Ch. Holly Hunt (222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, Ste. "KFC dances to beat of familiar drummers". It was an organic transition for each of us, says Colleen, the youngest sister. This is useful in estimating the financial strength and credit risk of the company. Walter Smithe III and his brothers Mark and Tim helped make the furniture store a household name with clever commercials -- a tradition that's continued with Smithe III's four daughters, Colleen . Nothing is left unchanged, Meghan notes. With 10 years of advertising industry experience, Smithe Parker, daughter of President Walter E. Smithe III, has worked with high-profile advertising agencies in Chicago. 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. Walter E. Smithe told me they work with many designers but Jeff was really able to get a lot of value into the pieces in his collection and that its why . 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. "And they've been able to personalize a retail chain through the use of the brothers. The Smithe sisters have always been close -- and growing up, it wasn't always by choice. Business Profile for Walter E. Smithe Furn-Itasca. 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. To their delight, the reaction to that initial campaign was primarily positive, as has been the case for every commercial they've produced since. "That was the best part," she said. And it's not uncommon for their kids to make cameo appearances in advertisements or to help sort through fabric samples, "which would technically make it a five-generation business," Maureen says. Now, a lot more people know about us than knew a few years ago.". and runners at CB2 (800 W. North Ave., cb2.com). Favorite design style: Clean and neutral. 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. While it may not be usable 365 days a year, the days that your outdoor space are in fact usable should be embraced. "As furniture commercials go, what the Smithes are doing is great," he says. They decided on an ad campaign that would, simply, pitch their product. Bringing new and various textures into a room can take it from plain and lacking in interest to exciting and memorable. "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. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . "They go a long way with a limited budget through the use of creativity," he says. Still, she never dreamed of working full time for Walter E. Smithe Furniture, even while growing up in Barrington with her three sisters, Maureen, Caitie and Colleen. Sometimes its the only quiet I get.. What The Walter E. Smithe Daughters Do . officially retires, although he still enjoys visiting showrooms and meeting clients. Subscribe for free today! Chicago's Best Furniture and Expert Design. The Smithe sisters now serve as the face . He cites the U2 music video takeoff. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Billy Corgan and Walter E. Smithe Wrestling. The slogans "You dream it, we build it", or "That's Smithe, with an E" are commonly used. USA. 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. There's a preconceived notion that furniture stores are stuffy and tired, run by men in suits and catering to older generations. The are the Smithe sisters, Meghan, Colleen, Maureen and Caitie. "But these are guys who you'd go to dinner with, you know? The Smithe brothers used good-natured humor on countless TV commercials selling furniture.
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