His sons, Walter, Tim, and Mark, joined the company in the 1970s and 1980s. Walter E. Smithe Jr. Obituary (1936 - 2022) | Chicago, Illinois In a new seven-minute "Smithe Family Makeover" video, you'll only see one Smithe brother and you'll only hear the new version of the familiar jingle if you watch all the way through to the credits. College was a turning point for the sisters, who now call one another their best friends. How, they wondered, would longtime customers respond to four new female faces on their television screens? E. Smithe sisters Caitie, Colleen, Meghan and Maureen were introduced to the business at a young age. "And they've been able to personalize a retail chain through the use of the brothers. 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. Colleen loved being able to point out that her dad and uncles, Mark and Tim, brainstormed and executed the ideas themselves. 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. Walter E. SMITHE: Employee Directory | ZoomInfo.com "There are still people who ask us, 'Where are the brothers? Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Edited to add: Looked them up and gee, it's one of the daughters managing the marketing. 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 . Courtesy of Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design, - Courtesy of Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design, Paddock Publications, Inc. is an Employee-Owned Company. 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. 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. Assuming your a dude your not supposed to understand the commercials. Im stunned when people watch one of our makeovers and are surprised that Smithe carries so much of what they like, says Caitie. 22 miles. Lewis Lazare. In fact, none of the sisters seriously considered having a career in the company, founded by their great-grandfather in 1945. Ellen is very serious about design and had a definite voice in what this modern-rustic-meets-farmhouse collection would be. Moms of 17 juggle the Chicago-based family business 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. How could they ensure the 75-year-old brand would be sustainable for decades to come? /r/Chicago is the place to discuss and stay updated on the daily happenings of Chicago, Illinois, USA. To their delight, the reaction to that initial campaign was primarily positive, as has been the case for every commercial they've produced since. Others have been parodies of reality television shows, such as The Apprentice and The Bachelor. Business Profile for Walter E. Smithe Furn-Itasca. [7], Chicagoans have had mixed reactions to the Walter E. Smithe commercials. Unlike their brothers, they chose other careers. Walter E. Smithe, Jr., founder of Smithe Furniture, dies at 86 October 12, 2022 / 3:27 PM But I never forget that these are my sisters and I completely respect them. I only hear them on the radio. There have been more than a thousand of them since, and thanks to the magic of cable TV he is now a national celebrity. And now with the company's 75th anniversary approaching in August, they're ready to push forward plans to expand and evolve. Now, the Itasca-based furniture and interior design company wants you to get to know the Smithe sisters. They've relaunched catalogs showcasing their furniture in fully designed spaces. Lewis Lazare. walter e smithe furniture inc. Walter E. Smithe Furniture, Inc. Corporate Profile - Winmo 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. 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. Its no longer that way.. In the 1970s Walter left Smithe and Shanahan (His brothers remained with the original company) to start his own company - Walter E. Smithe. Walter Smithe III and Mark Smithe (the Smithe Brothers) are the sons of Walter Jr, and serve as President and VP/Legal Counsel, respectively. So is there a `Wally and the Sofa Factory' in our future?". And Mark, 40, is Smithe's general counsel; he and his partner live in Lincoln Park with Petey, a 4-year-old bulldog. - 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. Jeff Lewis's collection of vignettes is available at Walter E. Smithe's 11 showrooms in Chicago, and online. Falling asleep. If you are ready to get grown-up furniture, this place has a very nice selection, with helpful staff who can guide you toward the proper colors, scale, and what looks nice together. Last year there aas a commercial where the puppet quickly moved to close his laptop when someone came in the office. The transition took place over the span of 12 years as key positions became available in the company, starting with Maureen who became a merchandise buyer. His line was, `If you can talk you can breathe.'". 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.. His signature line: "Linn Burton for certain!". Anyone got a link to the current commercial? 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. Determine whether Walter E. Smithe Furniture grew or shrank during the last recession. officially retires, although he still enjoys visiting showrooms and meeting clients. 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. 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. Smithe then went into the computer industry working for General Electric and IBM in 1967, according to his obit. Hope, once a Smithe designer and store manager, now lives in Colorado with her husband. Most recently, she was at . It also featured an appearance by Dutchie Caray, wife of the late Cubs announcer Harry Caray. "That is the top priority for the four of us," Meghan Smithe said. "They've done a wonderful job building a distinctive brand," says Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University. Sibling revelry; Their offbeat commercials have made the Smithe brothers cult heroes. Brothers Walt, Tim and Mark Smithe -- the faces of Walter E. Smithe Furniture -- seem to have hit on something with their ubiquitous ads. The Smithe boys started out in a tiny ranch house in Des Plaines, the children of Walter Jr. and Florence. "KFC dances to beat of familiar drummers". Chicago magazine newsletters have you covered. Today, they help oversee 10 showrooms, the warehouse and headquarters, working together (generally) perfectly. formId: "acc781a7-d0b4-433d-bc7f-c5bac12f3766" This began a long series of lighthearted television commercials, which became increasingly elaborate over the next few years. Whoever said brick-and-mortar is dead hasn't met the Smithe sisters. The Walter E. Smithe + Jeff Lewis showcase certainly fits the bill. I was probably in elementary school when I would come in to work in the warehouse sweeping for a nickel Colleen says. A family affair: How four sisters are bringing a 75-year-old store into 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. During a stint in the Army, Smithe attained the rank of captain and became an expert in the field of computers. Luxury Hotels, Travel, Dining, Lifestyle - Haute Living They hammer out a script, call in O'Neil and start filming. Pinterest. Since 1945, we have been Chicago's local source for quality furniture and expert design. 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! Oct 2012 - Apr 20152 years 7 months. Walter E. Smithe Furniture - Employees, Contact info, Overview - Wiza They were each only a year apart, at one point covering all four grade levels at Barrington High School. In the late '60s, the growing family -- there are also four sisters, Cindy, Margie and . The implication was that he was doing/looking at something inappropriate. We don't take that lightly.". Through March 16, enjoy savings of up to 20 percent on select rugs (hopscotch, anyone?) We dont always agree on things, Colleen says. Multi Location Business. Its very much in line with our desire to offer the most beautiful pieces that are of the highest quality. 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. Walter E. Smithe Trade In Sale - YouTube 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. Walter was the first of the third generation to join the family business in 1981 . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_E._Smithe. Walter E. Smithe Near You in Vernon Hills, Illinois - furniture Primary Address. [4], In March, 2017, daughters of Walter E. Smithe III became the fourth generation of the Smithe family to be featured in the commercials.[8]. 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. Tags: Design Controls - Facebook Instant Article, Home & Garden, Interior Design. They're nice folks. You have this sense of passion and responsibility for it. Who are the Walter E Smithe daughters? 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. There is no true balance for moms in our situation., We cant be everything all at once, Meghan says. It's fun to be part of Chicago in that way.". They look hungry. Walter has been known to take furniture for test drives, says Meghan. Tim offered Walt brotherly support after a just-completed scene. "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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Walter E. Smithe is a furniture company based in Itasca, Illinois. Walt and Tim mocked Mark's new haircut. 177 East Army Trail Road, Glendale Heights, IL 60139. "They took different career paths," Tim says. 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. Favorite design style: Clean and neutral. But now a new generationsisters Meghan, Colleen, Maureen, and Caitie . We are a 4th generation family-owned business, and our employees are an integral part of . 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. 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. The company offer of a free DVD generated a huge response, and more than 60,000 were given away.). Walter E. Smithe Furniture is a company located in Itasca, Illinois, United States. (Last year, Walter E. Smithe resurrected the 1950s-era cartoon that was a holiday staple on WGN-Ch. "There was some physical violence between the brothers," Walt says with that satisfied look of a big brother who got to dish it out. [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. Billy Corgan and Walter E. Smithe Wrestling. "It's always positive, and it's nice to be part of it. "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. Were a Chicago company that was given national exposure. We've got the radar out for that," Tim Smithe says. 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. 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. As Caitie puts it, Theres no reason you cant use an entertainment console as a buffet in the dining room.. 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. Also would somebody please feed them? You can still be a fun premium brand (Virgin, for example) but this is Family Dollar-type schtick. Colleen Smithe, Director of Advertising Find out where to go, what to eat, where to live, and more. The girls got the bedrooms; the three boys shared a room in the basement. 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 . 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. "They go a long way with a limited budget through the use of creativity," he says. "We take that very seriously, and we have so much passion for it.". Press J to jump to the feed. President - Walter E. Smithe Furniture + Design - LinkedIn "It was kind of ingrained in us," Caitie Smithe said. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune). "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. 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. Please enter valid email address to continue. Smithe's wife of 64 years was by his side when he passed, and he . Industry: Home Furniture & Housewares Stores. Like their brothers, the four Smithe sisters were all in the business when they were in high school. "He'd come up from behind and drop in it on us," Tim says. Nacimiento Y Muerte Del Profeta Habacuc, College Coach With Most Championships Any Sport, Seattle Anime Convention, Fremont Messenger Obituaries, High Iq Social Problems, Articles W
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