"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. The company makes, sells, and repairs furniture, . Is anyone else annoyed with the new generation of Walter E Smithe Were really excited about this program, explains Meghan. ("Did you notice he used the wide-angle lens when he shot your [rear end]?"). "I think it's time for us to get out of these TV commercials," Walter said. 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. 20 White Bathroom Design Ideas | HGTV 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. What happened to the Walter E Smithe guys? - Cowetaamerican.com Walt and Tim mocked Mark's new haircut. Some have criticized the spots for underemphasizing Walter E. Smithe's actual furniture products. Bloomingdale Plaza. Meghan is director of marketing, Caitie is a designer and stylist and Colleen is director of advertising. Shop now. "They've done a wonderful job building a distinctive brand," says Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University. This rating has improved by 10% over the last 12 months. walter e smithe. Last edited on 17 December 2022, at 02:33, https://incfact.com/company/walteresmithefurniture-itasca-il/, Walter E. Smithe gives royal treatment to Royal Manner. The Smithe sisters, all in their thirties, worked in the family business as teens but pursued different career paths in adulthood. The Chicago native attended Fenwick High School and the University of Notre Dame. 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. / CBS Chicago. 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. "There are still people who ask us, 'Where are the brothers? Walter was the first of the third generation to join the family business in 1981 . Walter E. SMITHE: Employee Directory | ZoomInfo.com "Staying fresh, young and relevant is how we're going to sustain the brand into the next 75 years," Meghan said. Home Cities Chicago Meet the Smithe Sisters, The new generation is shaking things up at furniture icon Walter E. Smithe. Take dress up and glam up a notch with a self-care day at this luxurious spa for kids and tweens. Sibling revelry; Their offbeat commercials have made the Smithe brothers cult heroes. As Caitie puts it, Theres no reason you cant use an entertainment console as a buffet in the dining room.. Revenue: $100 to $500 million (USD) Competitors: Linly Designs, Rieke Office Interiors, 57st Design. There's a lot of blurred lines, and we have to learn when to defer to each other.". Postpartum bladder leaks are common but there's help. Hope, once a Smithe designer and store manager, now lives in Colorado with her husband. 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. The 3rd brother, Tim Smithe, retired in 2016. Most recently, she was at . walter e smithe furniture & design. "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. with Maureen Smithe Brusznicki and Caitie Smithe Jisa at Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design. How, they wondered, would longtime customers respond to four new female faces on their television screens? Working at Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design | Glassdoor During a stint in the Army, Smithe attained the rank of captain and became an expert in the field of computers. "It's been about reworking how we approach visually what we want to convey about the product that we're selling," Meghan said. 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. If you grew up in Chicago, you can probably hum it. Or using a new high-tech application to keep couch fabric truly worry free from childrens spills, everything from spaghetti sauce to Kool-Aid. But when they finally decided to accept, they knew they needed to come up with a unique and effective way to introduce themselves to the Chicago market as the new faces of Walter E. Smithe. Falling asleep. You can send your sympathy in the guestbook provided and share it with the family. The daughters took over the company. Maureen Smithe and Caitie Smithe had the pleasure of working with Chicago's own Mr. FixIt, Lou Manfredini.Such a nice guy and a true Chicagoan! But always start from a place where we love each other and enjoy working together., Between the ages of 10 and 18, former Barrington High School soccer, For Olympian Patrick Gasienica, ski jumping has been a part of his, Dr. Rekha S. Rajan has devoted her personal and professional life to, One of the most prestigious dance companies in the world, The Joffrey, Saint Anne Catholic Community Churchs Project Hope ministry, A night of sequin-studded disco fever, the 5th Annual Hoosier Ball was. 9's "Garfield Goose" and "Ray Rayner" shows. The journey from Point A to Point B started with an all-blooper and outtakes reel that O'Neil and Tim Smithe put together as a birthday gift for mom Florence. 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. Warehouse workers go over every piece of inventory awaiting delivery with a fine-tooth comb, looking for things an untrained eye would never see. Three years later, she recruited Colleen to become advertising director -- a position she accepted without hesitation. 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. 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.". To make up for it, she woke up early to make heart-shaped pancakes. Nothing is left unchanged, Meghan notes. Sisters Colleen, Caitie, Maureen and Meghan Smithe, from left, are breaking the mold as fourth-generation leaders of the 75-year-old Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design. While their father and grandfather are still actively involved in the day-to-day, the women have taken over the companys marketing, design, advertising and buying effortsand immediately went about altering brand perceptions. After college, all three gravitated back to the family business, which was founded by their father. I was probably in elementary school when I would come in to work in the warehouse sweeping for a nickel Colleen says. Relevant. That cartoon of Bob has BDE and you can't deny it. 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. The company offer of a free DVD generated a huge response, and more than 60,000 were given away.). "We're not your parents' furniture company," Caitie said. The Smithe sisters now serve as the face . It also featured an appearance by Dutchie Caray, wife of the late Cubs announcer Harry Caray. Walter E. Smithe Furniture, Inc. Corporate Profile - Winmo Walter E. Smithe Trade In Sale - YouTube We take inspiration from the world of interior design to curate customized . '", "The business steadily increased since we started the commercials," Walt says. Eric Clark email address & phone number | Walter E. Smithe Furniture I'm so annoyed that I won't buy anything from there. We don't take that lightly.". I gave up sleep and TV, Maureen jokes. Were not trying to portray an image that working mothers can pull off everything without something falling through, Maureen says candidly. The brothers are recognized on the street, in grocery stores and coffee shops ("I got a free Starbucks latte once," Tim says). Check out the new collection. And in between the entertainment were his folksy commercials for Courtesy Motors -- his cars were "honeys" and "sweeties" -- which at one point was the world's largest Ford dealer. A family affair: How four sisters are bringing a 75-year-old store into So, somewhat reluctantly, they let themselves become the public face of Walter E. Smithe Furniture. While they took breaks from the biz to make their own way after college, each came back when the right positions opened up. "What about you and your sisters?". walter e smithe furniture - inc. walter e smithe furniture. 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. 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. We simply never had that conversation, Meghan says. There's a preconceived notion that furniture stores are stuffy and tired, run by men in suits and catering to older generations. Getting the Smithes in front of the camera wasn't easy. We not only respect this, we embrace it.. Be sure to visit Sawbridge Studios, which will showcase sustainably harvested, live-edge furniture by David Stine. The original simple jingle and slogan was perfect. The company makes, sells, and repairs furniture, specializing in custom upholstery, and operates ten showrooms throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. And now with the company's 75th anniversary approaching in August, they're ready to push forward plans to expand and evolve. "They're having a lot of fun. And they're not showbiz types. Someone really needs a new marketing director/CMO/agency because they do not know what they are doing. One of my friends used to live near Fullerton and Western, and she would always tell people she lived near Tile Outlet. She is a celebrity who is genuinely interested in how her furniture will do and be perceived, Maureen says. A matte black bathtub, vanity mirrors and hardware pop against the airy walls in this modern primary bathroom. 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.. I love incorporating an unexpected element into a room. 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. Weird. 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. Walter has been known to take furniture for test drives, says Meghan. The campaign was inspired in part by a partnership with designer/house-flipper Jeff Lewis of the Bravo show Flipping Out. Visit . Their advertising is creative, it's timely and it's interesting, so people remember it and they like it.". 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 business's namesakeand the sisters' uncles, Mark and Tim. 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. 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. 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. Dont burden yourself with the boredom of a matching wood set. Her sisters had fallen into their own specialties and were pursuing different paths at the time. 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. Who are the Walter E Smithe daughters? To the Smithe sisters, the company has always been a piece of their identity, an integral thread of their childhood. Calkins says that by minimizing production costs and media costs and doing those quick turnarounds, Smithe gets a bigger bang for its advertising buck. USA. But they do have a business. Tim, 41, is the vice president of sales; he and his wife have four kids and live in Winnetka. As mothers, theyve learned its not only possible, but preferable, to have a functional yet beautiful home. Whoever said brick-and-mortar is dead hasn't met the Smithe sisters. How could they ensure the 75-year-old brand would be sustainable for decades to come? They're not egomaniacs. They've transitioned into the spotlight. Subscribe to one or more of our free e-mail newsletters to get instant updates on local news, events, and opportunities in Chicago. As mothers, all of us have cleaned up a childs spill, or even their vomit, from our furniture, Colleen jokes. "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. Edited to add: Looked them up and gee, it's one of the daughters managing the marketing. Contents. Walter E. Smithe is a family business in every sense of the word, the sisters say. 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. 1E, kneenandco.com) continues to add to its Robbe & Berking assortment with the new Martel Bar collection, which features bar cart staples like handmade silver tumblers and cocktail coupes as well as bottle openers and nutcrackers. You could say that the Smithes are a bit obsessed with quality. The sisters left for college with a few prized furnishings and a work ethic that became a permanent fixture in their lives. Explore more of the publications in our portfolio here. The Smithe boys started out in a tiny ranch house in Des Plaines, the children of Walter Jr. and Florence. I presented my ideas for this two weeks ago and it will be out on the floor in three weeks. The founder of well-known Chicago-area furniture company Walter E. Smithe has died, his family announced Wednesday. Walter E. Smithe Furniture founder, Walter E. Smithe Jr., dies at 86 (He's now semi-retired, having turned the business over to his sons about 10 years ago.). View a map of participating First Friday locations. 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. [4][5] In 2008, they filmed and edited a takeoff of the Sex and the City franchise, with the brothers sipping "Smithe-o-politans". Caitie Smithe is aDesigner, Design Coordinator + Stylist atWalter E. Smithe Furniture + Design. I only hear them on the radio. And Amy is a singer and songwriter. 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. 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. How could the Itasca-based company break the mold and reach a new audience while still carrying its message into a fourth generation? Read on to find out more about pelvic floor therapy and how it's growing in popularity among postpartum women. 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. 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. hbspt.forms.create({ }); Chicago Parent is Chicagolands trusted parenting hub since 1984. Nah, I know a few of them. 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. Anyone got a link to the current commercial? 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. My sisters and I represent the viewpoint of our younger clientele, Meghan says. The inky accents create a sleek statement against the white walls and lend a streamlined look to the space. In family businesses, thats the only way to ensure a companys continued success. Today, Maureen is a buyer, Meghan is the director of marketing, Caitie is a designer and assists the merchandising team, and Colleen is the director of advertising. In one of their most memorable ads, the four women get into a food fight -- spaghetti and red wine included -- and seemingly destroy a bright white couch, which is then scrubbed clean. "They took different career paths," Tim says. The slogans "You dream it, we build it", or "That's Smithe, with an E" are commonly used. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . "And of course this summer's blockbuster is supposed to be `Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.' The answer -- and the sisters' secret to success -- can be summed up in three key words: Fresh. Reaching a younger demographic and expanding their clientele has required some creativity, the sisters said. While a new recession may strike a particular industry, measuring the industry and . The CBS Chicago team is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on CBSChicago.com. Walter E. Smithe Jr. Obituary. And they represented Walter E. Smithe with a sense of drive and zeal that can only exude from the third-generation stakeholders of what has become a household name. 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. Then he and Thorson meet with his brothers and throw ideas around. Walter E. Smithe Jr., founder of Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design This began a long series of lighthearted television commercials, which became increasingly elaborate over the next few years. Chicagoans came to know and appreciate the three Smithe brothers who starred for years in quirky TV commercials touting their family-run furniture company. Assuming your a dude your not supposed to understand the commercials. The are the Smithe sisters, Meghan, Colleen, Maureen and Caitie. 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. Cindy went to college in Iowa and settled there after school. "But these are guys who you'd go to dinner with, you know? 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. 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. 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. Pinterest. Zajdel was a driver for Victory when he made the commercial a quarter-century ago. But repeated airings of the ad have made him and his door legendary. As the oldest sibling, Maureen was the first to officially join Walter E. Smithe in a professional capacity in 2004. I havent seen the Tile Outlet lady in a while!! "It's made us focus on what we do best, which is designing our clients' homes," he said. We feel like we can now speak to the multitude of generations who shop with us, she says. One of the first opportunities to test their compatibility was through a partnership with interior designer and TV personality Jeff Lewis. He also hosted telethons. "I was at Dulles Airport in Washington, waiting for a 9:30 flight at night," Mark says. 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. This is not how you attract a premium buyer or build a premium brand. 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. We had no grand plan.. The Smithes: (L-R) Colleen, Meghan, Walter III, Walter Jr., Mark, Caitie, and Maureen. "It's a big responsibility. They hammer out a script, call in O'Neil and start filming. 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. With a 71-year history and 11 stores sprinkled throughout Chicago and the suburbs, Walter E. Smithe is a local furniture icon. The Bob's puppet is a far better actor than the Smithe girls though. Further confused by the commercials now. Lewis Lazare. [7], Chicagoans have had mixed reactions to the Walter E. Smithe commercials. "So that drove us, I think, to be successes.". Walter E. Smithe Jr. also earned a master's degree in Anthropology at Loyola University Chicago in 1980. 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 . Walter E. Smithe Furniture: Contact Details and Business Profile 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. Personally, I dont want to stare at ugly furniture for all those years, Meghan says. Till your hair grows back."). But even as likable as the brothers are, do they run the risk of oversaturation or going to the well too often? Darvin is always yelling about discounts. They were each only a year apart, at one point covering all four grade levels at Barrington High School. Walter E. Smithe Jr., founder of Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design 22 miles. "I was invited to speak to 300-some designers in Oak Brook," he says. The first change I noticed was it became all about the sons. The Smithe brothers used good-natured humor on countless TV commercials selling furniture. We are a 4th generation family-owned business, and our employees are an integral part of . Walter e smithe is a high end furniture store, no surprise their ads are geared towards middle aged women from high income households aka suburban moms. We strive to bring our clients the best in home furnishings for every style, budget, and stage of life. Then the commercial came on. They got on each other's nerves and learned to talk quickly at the dinner table if they wanted to get a word in. Through March 7, EuroFurniture (2145 W. Grand Ave., eurofurniture.com) is offering 15 percent off BDI media cabinets and consoles available in-store, online, and by phone. Walter E. Smithe Jr., founder of Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design 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. If you find the right furniture, it will last even through your kids, Colleen says. Walter E. Smithe Jr's death was announced Thursday on the company's Facebook page. But now a new generationsisters Meghan, Colleen, Maureen, and Caitie Smitheis shaking things up in a big way. Subscribe for free today! Furniture Stores. Ellen is very serious about design and had a definite voice in what this modern-rustic-meets-farmhouse collection would be. The four women have been taking on bigger roles at the company and star in its new ad. The Smithes stand out because they're doing silly things. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Get Eric Clark's email address (e*****@smithe.com) and phone number at RocketReach. At-a-glance. Woven Roman shades, a jute rug and a blonde wood vanity usher texture and warmth into the otherwise minimalist design. In the late '60s, the growing family -- there are also four sisters, Cindy, Margie and twins Hope and Amy, none of whom is involved in the family business -- moved to a slightly larger home in Park Ridge. "Staying fresh, young . Its unjust to think that women can somehow balance it all, Colleen adds. Courtesy of Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design, - Courtesy of Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design, Paddock Publications, Inc. is an Employee-Owned Company. To their delight, the reaction to that initial campaign was primarily positive, as has been the case for every commercial they've produced since. The sisters laughed at hearing this family adage, knowing that home furnishing has been woven into the tapestry of their lives. President - Walter E. Smithe Furniture + Design - LinkedIn Even their more than 250 employees are treated like family. "And they've been able to personalize a retail chain through the use of the brothers. The Smithe sisters are working to expose the brand to a new customer base Photo credit: Robin Subar. Were a Chicago company that was given national exposure. Their interactions were zany, their dialogue lighthearted, their catchy jingle -- "you dream it, we build it" -- recognizable throughout the region. We've got the radar out for that," Tim Smithe says. 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.