walter e smithe daughters

("Did you notice he used the wide-angle lens when he shot your [rear end]?"). Over the past 76 years, the company has grown to include 10 Chicago area showrooms. One spot was modeled after Apple's weird commercials. Walter Smithe III and Mark Smithe (the Smithe Brothers) are the sons of Walter Jr, and serve as President and VP/Legal Counsel, respectively. The Smithe sisters have heard it all before, and they've set out to dispel those misperceptions. 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. Shop now. I was probably in elementary school when I would come in to work in the warehouse sweeping for a nickel Colleen says. But now a new generationsisters Meghan, Colleen, Maureen, and Caitie . We strive to bring our clients the best in home furnishings for every style, budget, and. It stuck in your head. If you find the right furniture, it will last even through your kids, Colleen says. Meghan was hired in 2013 and now serves as director of sales strategy. We get that question all the time, and that was to be expected," Colleen said. "There was some physical violence between the brothers," Walt says with that satisfied look of a big brother who got to dish it out. Favorite design style: Cozy and comfortableaka hygge ethos. Lewis Lazare. View a map of participating First Friday locations. / CBS Chicago. Take dress up and glam up a notch with a self-care day at this luxurious spa for kids and tweens. Bringing new and various textures into a room can take it from plain and lacking in interest to exciting and memorable. walter e smithe. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. He also hosted telethons. 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. Personally, I dont want to stare at ugly furniture for all those years, Meghan says. 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But now a new generationsisters Meghan, Colleen, Maureen, and Caitie Smitheis shaking things up in a big way. We are a 4th generation family-owned business, and our employees are an integral part of . From 5 to 8 p.m., select retailers will offer refreshments while highlighting unique designers. Even with little ones underfoot, the Smithe sisters make balancing their family furniture business and their growing broods look effortless. Ellen is very serious about design and had a definite voice in what this modern-rustic-meets-farmhouse collection would be. Born in the heart of Chicago, we're a family owned and operated local business since 1945, now four generations strong. That sentiment applies to their lively commercials, too, which frequently feature the sisters chatting on a stylish couch or gathering with family members in a beautifully staged home. 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. With 16 1/2 children among them (Colleen is due with her third baby this month), the sisters also find work as a time to be togethersans children. walter e smithe furniture - inc. walter e smithe furniture. Warehouse workers go over every piece of inventory awaiting delivery with a fine-tooth comb, looking for things an untrained eye would never see. "If you think of furniture commercials, it's always just panning a showroom with obnoxious graphics," says O'Neil, who has directed all the Smithe commercials. formId: "acc781a7-d0b4-433d-bc7f-c5bac12f3766" Find out where to go, what to eat, where to live, and more. The Smithe boys started out in a tiny ranch house in Des Plaines, the children of Walter Jr. and Florence. The Smithe sisters have always been close -- and growing up, it wasn't always by choice. "In a family business, everyone has to wear all hats at all times," Maureen said. Instead, the Smithe sisters Colleen, director of advertising; Maureen, a buyer; Caitie, a designer; and Meghan, the marketing director help a Chicago couple with tastes that sometimes clash give their town home a new look before relatives show up for a visit. Their advertising is creative, it's timely and it's interesting, so people remember it and they like it.". Home Cities Chicago Meet the Smithe Sisters, The new generation is shaking things up at furniture icon Walter E. Smithe. "As needs within the business grew, positions opened up organically," Maureen said. Only a year apart in age, the lively, fast-talking Smithe sisters consider one another best friends. 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. I'm so annoyed that I won't buy anything from there. It's partnered with celebrity designers and broadened the mix of products carried in stores, online and in its resurrected catalog to include more current trends and a wider range of price points. "Some dabbled and moved on and others just weren't interested.". The Chicago native attended Fenwick High School and the University of Notre Dame. While it may not be usable 365 days a year, the days that your outdoor space are in fact usable should be embraced. It's not included in a shorter version now airing on TV. Spoken like the daughter of a true "shop owner," as her father Walter E. Smithe III, president of the eponymous furniture retailer calls himself. Visit Website (opens in new window) Walter E. Smithe. The answer -- and the sisters' secret to success -- can be summed up in three key words: Fresh. Caitie Smithe is aDesigner, Design Coordinator + Stylist atWalter E. Smithe Furniture + Design. There is no rule book that says they all need to matchmetals always compliment one another. But the truth is, I love coming to the office. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. 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. "And I'd be yelling, `I can't 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.. The founder of well-known Chicago-area furniture company Walter E. Smithe has died, his family announced Wednesday. Sibling revelry; Their offbeat commercials have made the Smithe brothers cult heroes. [2] Today, the company has ten showrooms in Illinois and Indiana and is listed by Furniture Today as one of the top one hundred furniture retailers in the United States. Smithe guy Walt actually Walter Smithe III 45 is president and general manager of the. "You think a huge corporation is going to have pencil pushers and button touchers," says Lynn Hamilton, vice president of the Shirley Hamilton Agency, a Chicago talent agency. That's a galaxy away from the current "Star Wars" parody. We strive to bring our clients the best in home furnishings for every style, budget, and stage of life. Tim, 41, is the vice president of sales; he and his wife have four kids and live in Winnetka. Were a Chicago company that was given national exposure. The Smithe boys started out in a tiny ranch house in Des Plaines, the children of Walter Jr. and Florence. "That is the top priority for the four of us," Meghan Smithe said. "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. 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. "We're not your parents' furniture company," Caitie said. Falling asleep. She has a few ideas for how to add a little spring to your home. The boys' first ventures into the working world included Walt's daily paper route -- 70 Tribunes, three or four Sun-Times and a couple of Wall Street Journals -- that Tim helped him with ("I got 1 cent per paper, and I'd give Tim 10 cents for helping me"), and collecting beer cans that they resold at a Park Ridge flea market. Am I the only one who just thinks he looks like Louis CK? 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. About. After college, all three gravitated back to the family business, which was founded by their father. [6], One of Walter E. Smithe's most discussed commercials aired in late March 2006. 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 business steadily increased since we started the commercials," Walt says. Trendwise, Caitie says the color gurus at Pantone were right on when they selected a bright shade of green as Color of the Year. Explore more of the publications in our portfolio here. The Smithe brothers used good-natured humor on countless TV commercials selling furniture. I love incorporating an unexpected element into a room. The sisters left for college with a few prized furnishings and a work ethic that became a permanent fixture in their lives. 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. In recent years, Smithe enjoyed his time with extended family. And Amy is a singer and songwriter. Assuming your a dude your not supposed to understand the commercials. The 86-year-old patriarch of the Smithe family, Walter Edward Smithe Jr., "died . You can send your sympathy in the guestbook provided and share it with the family. Hauldren -- an advertising copywriter who created the character -- first appeared in the ads in 1973. Then the commercial came on. 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. Three years later, she recruited Colleen to become advertising director -- a position she accepted without hesitation. 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. They brought in real clients, worked with real designers and demonstrated each sister's essential role within the business. Customers were more concerned with what we were selling versus the people who were selling it, she adds. In 2002 they brought in director Bill O'Neil to help them. Some have criticized the spots for underemphasizing Walter E. Smithe's actual furniture products. Instead of starring third-generation brothers Walter III, Tim, and Mark, the new ones put the spotlight on fourth-generation sisters Caitie, Meghan, Maureen, and Colleen. Sometimes we present to our dad as a united front and other times we need him to be a tie breaker. "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. Then they tie in pop culture it shows that they're sort of a with-it furniture company. They can really do great things. 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. My hope is to inspire people to slow down enough to talk with a designer and hopefully buy something.. "It's a big responsibility. Multi Location Business. Weird. 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. Were often building on what we see resonating in the market and what is interesting and beautiful at the moment., Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design is coming off a successful year of strategic partnerships with Bravo TVs Jeff Lewis and interior designer Cynthia Rowley. He received a Bachelor of Philosophy in Commerce from the University of Notre Dame in 1958. "It's made us focus on what we do best, which is designing our clients' homes," he said. The company has become known over the years in particular for its quirky TV commercials Chicago TV viewers have long known the jingle, "Walter E. Smithe, you dream it we build it." 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. 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. 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.. 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. 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. Only a year apart in age, the lively, fast-talking Smithe sisters consider one another best friends. "Staying fresh, young . Walter E. Smithe Jr's death was announced Thursday on the company's Facebook page. Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design (Old Orchard) 17 miles. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune). 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 . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_E._Smithe. /r/Chicago is the place to discuss and stay updated on the daily happenings of Chicago, Illinois, USA. 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. Brothers Walt, Tim and Mark Smithe -- the faces of Walter E. Smithe Furniture -- seem to have hit on something with their ubiquitous ads. They're nice folks. His line was, `If you can talk you can breathe.'". (Last year, Walter E. Smithe resurrected the 1950s-era cartoon that was a holiday staple on WGN-Ch. Someone really needs a new marketing director/CMO/agency because they do not know what they are doing. "With a strategy to continue Smithe parodies of relevant topics, really, the future is limitless," he says. They've relaunched catalogs showcasing their furniture in fully designed spaces. When they get a topic, Smithe says, he tries to figure a way to blend it into an ad. "That's F-A-M-E, with an E". As they grew into their teens, there were the usual summer jobs -- caddying, yard work, selling ice cream from a motorized three-wheeler. Holly Hunt (222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, Ste. Chicago's Best Furniture and Expert Design. 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. 1251 West Thorndale Avenue. We take that very seriously, and we have so much passion for it.". "I was invited to speak to 300-some designers in Oak Brook," he says. The Bob's puppet is a far better actor than the Smithe girls though. ("You should keep that hat on for about three weeks. A wake will be held at Ryan-Parke Funeral Home in Park Ridge on Friday, Oct. 21, and a funeral mass will follow on Saturday, Oct. 22, and St. Paul of the Cross Church in Park Ridge. 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. 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 . Who are these guys? getting a penny or nickel for every clearance tag we pulled," says Meghanthe four daughters of Walter Smithe III have . 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. Newlyweds can now register for exclusive honeymoon stays and experiences at 23 of Auberge Resorts Collections luxury hotels and resorts worldwide More, With two movies out this winter, the actress and producer Salma Hayek Pinault is at the top of her game More, The star of A Beautiful Noise, which just opened at the Broadhurst Theatre, is a big Neil Diamond fan More, The writer and actor makes his Broadway debut in his just-opened play Aint No Mo More, After flying high in the hit sequel Top Gun: Maverick, Glen Powell stars in the new film Devotion, out now More, It's not enough to just be smart. To the Smithe sisters, the company has always been a piece of their identity, an integral thread of their childhood. Nah, I know a few of them. Smithe's wife of 64 years was by his side when he passed, and he . "What about you and your sisters?". [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. walter e smithe furniture & design. "They're having a lot of fun. They seem very pretentious I think. The Smithes: (L-R) Colleen, Meghan, Walter III, Walter Jr., Mark, Caitie, and Maureen. Its no longer that way.. Then when I plugged it in, the place went up for grabs. Edited to add: Looked them up and gee, it's one of the daughters managing the marketing. It was an organic transition for each of us, says Colleen, the youngest sister. walter e smithe, furniture stores near me, ballinger vase buy, gold side end table, tall mirror, walter e smithe daughters, furniture . Today. Since 1945 the company has . Darvin is always yelling about discounts. Compare how recession-proof Walter E Smithe Furniture is relative to the industry overall. 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. 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. 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. At Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design, we are committed to helping our clients love their homes through expert design, quality furnishings, and exemplary service. 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. But even as likable as the brothers are, do they run the risk of oversaturation or going to the well too often? Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design is a family-owned furniture retailer, founded right here in Chicago, back in 1945. "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.". Please enter valid email address to continue. hbspt.forms.create({ Read the rest of the issue. We don't take that lightly.". USA. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. 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. 177 East Army Trail Road, Glendale Heights, IL 60139. And they wanted a way to build the brand. CHICAGO (CBS) -- Walter Edward Smithe Jr., the founder of Chicago's Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design, has died at the age of 86. 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.". (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune). Walter E. Smithe Jr. also earned a master's degree in Anthropology at Loyola University Chicago in 1980. I love the one where they are drinking what looks like Tang out of wine glasses. 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 Smithe brothers are following in the footsteps of other memorable Chicago commercial icons: - Jim Moran: Starting in the late '40s, "The Courtesy Man" sponsored wrestling programs, late-night movies, a country-and-western music show and his own variety show. (847) 933-1481. That can help Walter E. Smithe differentiate itself from the growing number of lower-priced furniture retailers that have moved into the Chicago area in the past couple of years, Walter Smithe said. But learning how to work together while also juggling their busy personal lives -- they have 18 kids among the four of them -- can be a delicate balance. He NEVER blinks. with Maureen Smithe Brusznicki and Caitie Smithe Jisa at Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design. Jamie Sotonoff. We've got the radar out for that," Tim Smithe says. The original simple jingle and slogan was perfect. 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. "That was the best part," she said. "By being so close and meeting so regularly, we're all in the loop with what's happening in each other's sphere. Visit . 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. That was the extent of his pitchman career. Today, they help oversee 10 showrooms, the warehouse and headquarters, working together (generally) perfectly. "But we've also gotten some really nice feedback from people who are happy to see four working women on their TV.". As mothers, all of us have cleaned up a childs spill, or even their vomit, from our furniture, Colleen jokes. However, Lewis Lazare, the Chicago Sun-Times' advertising critic, has defended the commercials. Walter E. Smithe III, is the President of family owned and operated Walter E. Smithe Furniture + Design. 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. Margie, who used to be a buyer for Smithe, moved to St. Louis with her husband, who worked for Anheuser-Busch's ad agency. They're going to be the ones buying furniture for the next 50 years, so we have to be ready to serve them the way they want to be served," said Walter Smithe, 57. It worked really well for a long time, but post-recession, we saw peoples sensibilities had changed, says Meghan. "We're dreamers and we have big ideas," Meghan said. You have this sense of passion and responsibility for it. "People really did love seeing them on their TVs.". walter e smithe. I presented my ideas for this two weeks ago and it will be out on the floor in three weeks. There's a lot of blurred lines, and we have to learn when to defer to each other.". There's a preconceived notion that furniture stores are stuffy and tired, run by men in suits and catering to older generations. One of the first opportunities to test their compatibility was through a partnership with interior designer and TV personality Jeff Lewis. The Smithe brothers have been described as "Chicago's most recognizable furniture purveyors", due to their ubiquitous television commercials starring themselves.

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