View info about Walter E. Smithe Furniture (smithe.com). One spot was modeled after Apple's weird commercials. ", Says Tim Smithe, "Pop culture is always changing and so are we.". Shop the Sofa Sale. The Chicago native attended Fenwick High School and the University of Notre Dame. 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. ", Instead they talk about the U2/iTunes takeoff, the brothers' version of "The Apprentice" or the Olympic parody from last year. Favorite design style: Clean and neutral. Nothing will be worse than the commercials they ran the last time the Cicadas were in season. It took the mother of six children a few years to figure out how to juggle her demanding career and busy home life. Like most mothers, whether theyre working or staying at home, we do what we can, she says. Dazzling Divas Glam Mansion Offers the Ultimate Diva Experience, Family Guide to Attending a Chicago Cubs Game at Wrigley Field, Pelvic Floor Therapy Growing in Popularity for Women, 10 Non-Candy Items for Your Kids Easter Basket. Courtesy of Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design. Brothers Walt, Tim and Mark Smithe -- the faces of Walter E. Smithe Furniture -- seem to have hit on something with their ubiquitous ads. Lewis teamed up with Smithes merchandising team to create in-store vignettes, and also featured the store on his show. They've relaunched catalogs showcasing their furniture in fully designed spaces. Read on to find out more about pelvic floor therapy and how it's growing in popularity among postpartum women. He began working in the . Home Cities Chicago Meet the Smithe Sisters, The new generation is shaking things up at furniture icon Walter E. Smithe. 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. It couldn't have gone more perfectly, Maureen said. The Smithe boys started out in a tiny ranch house in Des Plaines, the children of Walter Jr. and Florence. Nah, I know a few of them. Walter E. Smithe and Bill Shanahan founded the store anticipating a booming economy in the wake of World War II. Walter E. Smithe is a furniture company based in Itasca, Illinois. Chicagoans came to know and appreciate the three Smithe brothers who starred for years in quirky TV commercials touting their family-run furniture company. USA. Assuming your a dude your not supposed to understand the commercials. Their interactions were zany, their dialogue lighthearted, their catchy jingle -- "you dream it, we build it" -- recognizable throughout the region. The Smithe brothers have been described as "Chicago's most recognizable furniture purveyors", due to their ubiquitous television commercials starring themselves. Meghan was hired in 2013 and now serves as director of sales strategy. I gave up sleep and TV, Maureen jokes. 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. 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. Smithe's wife of 64 years was by his side when he passed, and he . The commercial, Colleen's brainchild, aimed to show off the company's new "worry-free" performance fabrics that repel stains, a trend Maureen recognized at a major industry trade show and brought back to the Chicago market. In the 1970s Walter left Smithe and Shanahan (His brothers remained with the original company) to start his own company - Walter E. Smithe. Here, get to know this powerhouse quartet. "It's a big responsibility. /r/Chicago is the place to discuss and stay updated on the daily happenings of Chicago, Illinois, USA. For people who are in their 40s and have families, that's how brothers act around each other when they get together. Last year there aas a commercial where the puppet quickly moved to close his laptop when someone came in the office. They brought in real clients, worked with real designers and demonstrated each sister's essential role within the business. 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. 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. Plus, they seem like nice guys. The daughters took over the company. But they do have a business. We take that very seriously, and we have so much passion for it.". But he soon returned to the family furniture business that his father first started in 1945, and pioneered the concept of custom-order furniture in the Chicago area. But one by one, they followed Maureen's lead and rejoined the family business. CHICAGO (WLS) -- Walter E. Smithe, Jr., founder of Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design, has died at the age of 86, his family said. Take dress up and glam up a notch with a self-care day at this luxurious spa for kids and tweens. Thats fast, but it shows what we can do. The new generation of Smithes are featured in the company's new advertising. Walter E. Smithe wants to create a series of similar videos to give customers a behind-the-scenes look at their services and the company. Meghan Smithe was on maternity leave when she began working part time in the family business, long known for its infectious jingle: You dream it, we build it.. 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. They seem very pretentious I think. 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. 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. Smithe then went into the computer industry working for General Electric and IBM in 1967, according to his obit. I can't breathe!' You may have noticed a change lately in those Walter E. Smithe . The company began in 1945 as Tone Appliances and Furniture, a single store on Belmont Avenue in Chicago. Were really excited about this program, explains Meghan. Sip A Negroni While Exploring This Stunning New Home Boutique, Peruse Artisan-Crafted Collections At This Chicago Boutique, Fresh And Feminine Vibes Rule This Winnetka Boutique, Whats In Store At Chicagos New Must-See Surface Destination, 3 Things To Know About The Latest RH Gallery, Do Not Sell Or Share My Personal Information. "There are still people who ask us, 'Where are the brothers? 22 miles. However, Lewis Lazare, the Chicago Sun-Times' advertising critic, has defended the commercials. Only a year apart in age, the lively, fast-talking Smithe sisters consider one another best friends. 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. Even their more than 250 employees are treated like family. Or "Hardrock, Coco and Joe." "They've done a wonderful job building a distinctive brand," says Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University. There is nothing like a day spent soaking up the sun and a good book or an evening with friends and good food and drinks under the stars. Hope, once a Smithe designer and store manager, now lives in Colorado with her husband. Colleen loved being able to point out that her dad and uncles, Mark and Tim, brainstormed and executed the ideas themselves. Smithe's three sons the Smithe brothers Mark, Tim, and Walter III became executives in the business and were regularly featured in the commercials. 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. Personally, I dont want to stare at ugly furniture for all those years, Meghan says. Lewis Lazare. My wife and I were just talking about this yesterday, we truly hate the Walter E Smithe commercials with the daughters. The first change I noticed was it became all about the sons. 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. In recent years, Smithe enjoyed his time with extended family. I havent seen the Tile Outlet lady in a while!! Then when I plugged it in, the place went up for grabs. If you grew up in Chicago, you can probably hum it. There's a preconceived notion that furniture stores are stuffy and tired, run by men in suits and catering to older generations. In 2002 they brought in director Bill O'Neil to help them. The Smithe sisters, all in their thirties, worked in the family business as teens but pursued different career paths in adulthood. walter e smithe furniture & design. It stuck in your head. 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. Till your hair grows back."). Its nice to see when a family is ready to replace a well-loved piece that they come back to Smithe to do it. To date, there are 10 Smithe stores scattered throughout Chicago, and one in northwest Indiana. "The brothers have no acting talent," Tim says. "Instead we did it on the turn of a dime. Sometimes its the only quiet I get.. 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! 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. Falling asleep. At-a-glance. Customers were more concerned with what we were selling versus the people who were selling it, she adds. The store, which has 10 locations in the Chicago area, has been open for nearly 75 years and has faced all the challenges of . Calkins says that by minimizing production costs and media costs and doing those quick turnarounds, Smithe gets a bigger bang for its advertising buck. - 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. He attended the University of Notre Dame and earned a bachelor 's . (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune). Today, they help oversee 10 showrooms, the warehouse and headquarters, working together (generally) perfectly. He also hosted telethons. (Last year, Walter E. Smithe resurrected the 1950s-era cartoon that was a holiday staple on WGN-Ch. They can really do great things. Find out where to go, what to eat, where to live, and more. Further confused by the commercials now. "I was at Dulles Airport in Washington, waiting for a 9:30 flight at night," Mark says. 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.
Origin Energy Smart Meter,
Calcium Deposits On Face Home Remedy,
Where Does Danny White Live,
Articles W
