walter e smithe daughters
It stuck in your head. / CBS Chicago. "There are still people who ask us, 'Where are the brothers? Visit Website (opens in new window) Walter E. Smithe. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. "That was the best part," she said. The company's commercials were originally straightforward descriptions of their products and services, but in 2003, the brothers decided to include outtakes from past filmings, which showed the brothers stumbling over words and laughing at each other. Here, get to know this powerhouse quartet. "As needs within the business grew, positions opened up organically," Maureen said. "We're dreamers and we have big ideas," Meghan said. Tim, 41, is the vice president of sales; he and his wife have four kids and live in Winnetka. Receive a 20 percent discount on sofas, love seats, sectionals, chaises, and more at Cassona (5241 N. Clark St., cassona.com) through March 13. As they grew into their teens, there were the usual summer jobs -- caddying, yard work, selling ice cream from a motorized three-wheeler. 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. About. What The Walter E. Smithe Daughters Do . Home Cities Chicago Meet the Smithe Sisters, The new generation is shaking things up at furniture icon Walter E. Smithe. Spoken like the daughter of a true shop owner, as her father Walter E. Smithe III, president of the eponymous furniture retailer calls himself. It was an organic transition for each of us, says Colleen, the youngest sister. walter e smithe furniture - inc. walter e smithe furniture. walter e smithe furniture & design. 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. This is useful in estimating the financial strength and credit risk of the company. As Caitie puts it, Theres no reason you cant use an entertainment console as a buffet in the dining room.. We dont always agree on things, Colleen says. The Smithe boys started out in a tiny ranch house in Des Plaines, the children of Walter Jr. and Florence. Please enter valid email address to continue. "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.". In recent years, Smithe enjoyed his time with extended family. That was the extent of his pitchman career. It was like the empire jingle. You have this sense of passion and responsibility for it. What she does: Come up with ideas that get people off their couch and into our storesand put my sisters in awkward positions (see our commercials)., What she does: Whether were working or just hanging out, my Type A personality keeps us organized and on track.. Reaching a younger demographic and expanding their clientele has required some creativity, the sisters said. After college, all three gravitated back to the family business, which was founded by their father. There is no true balance for moms in our situation., We cant be everything all at once, Meghan says. Create Comparison. You may have noticed a change lately in those Walter E. Smithe . I presented my ideas for this two weeks ago and it will be out on the floor in three weeks. With a 71-year history and 11 stores sprinkled throughout Chicago and the suburbs, Walter E. Smithe is a local furniture icon. That cartoon of Bob has BDE and you can't deny it. Calkins says that by minimizing production costs and media costs and doing those quick turnarounds, Smithe gets a bigger bang for its advertising buck. They look hungry. Walter E. Smithe is a furniture company based in Itasca, Illinois. Since 1945, we have been Chicago's local source for quality furniture and expert design. Let's go Cubbies! 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. "[7] Maria Coons, a marketing teacher at Harper College, has also defended the advertisements, telling a Daily Herald reporter, "Some people who aren't in that [30 to 60 year old] demographic might consider them dorky, but for their target market, they're not. Press J to jump to the feed. Sometimes it does not pay to work with family. "[5] Of the commercials, Tim Smithe has said, "We wanted to entertain people first, so then when we wanted to inform them they'd already be paying attention". We simply never had that conversation, Meghan says. With a 71-year history and 11 stores sprinkled throughout Chicago and the suburbs Walter E. Maureen in 2002 Meghan in 2014 Caitie in 2015 and Colleen in 2016. 1251 West Thorndale Avenue. Last year there aas a commercial where the puppet quickly moved to close his laptop when someone came in the office. The commercial included the tagline "Change the Name, Change the Luck", a reference to the Cubs' decades-long struggle to reach the World Series. Find locations. But one by one, they followed Maureen's lead and rejoined the family business. Walter was the first of the third generation to join the family business in 1981 . Industry: Home Furniture & Housewares Stores. [1] The 4th generation (the Smithe Sisters), all daughters of Walter III, are Maureen Smithe (buyer), Meghan Smithe (director of marketing), Caitie Smithe (designer, design coordinator and stylist) and Colleen Smithe (director of advertising). The Smithe sisters now serve as the face . One by one, each sister began working in the family business. The store, which has 10 locations in the Chicago area, has been open for nearly 75 years and has faced all the challenges of . 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. I love the attention I get as a local celebrity," Mark says. 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. "I was at Dulles Airport in Washington, waiting for a 9:30 flight at night," Mark says. The four women have been taking on bigger roles at the company and star in its new ad. The brothers are recognized on the street, in grocery stores and coffee shops ("I got a free Starbucks latte once," Tim says). He began working in the . 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. walter e smithe. His signature line: "Linn Burton for certain!". (847) 933-1481. The Bob's puppet is a far better actor than the Smithe girls though. 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. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_E._Smithe. Its very much in line with our desire to offer the most beautiful pieces that are of the highest quality. They decided on an ad campaign that would, simply, pitch their product. When the boys took over from their father, there were about a half-dozen stores. 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. I dont think anyone in the furniture industry does advertising well. His line was, `If you can talk you can breathe.'". Her sisters had fallen into their own specialties and were pursuing different paths at the time. Itasca, IL 60143. Others have been parodies of reality television shows, such as The Apprentice and The Bachelor. Walter E. SMITHE corporate office is located in 1775 W Rand Rd, Arlington Heights, Illinois, 60004, United States and has 382 employees. portalId: "6766057", Sometimes we present to our dad as a united front and other times we need him to be a tie breaker. No surprise why the quality is so crap. To the Smithe sisters, the company has always been a piece of their identity, an integral thread of their childhood. Visit . Someone really needs a new marketing director/CMO/agency because they do not know what they are doing. Plus, they seem like nice guys. But the sisters also know they can always turn to the leaders who came before them. The company made its website easier to use and more modern-looking. One of the first opportunities to test their compatibility was through a partnership with interior designer and TV personality Jeff Lewis. 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. His daughters were hesitant at first, questioning whether they were ready for such a responsibility. "It's made us focus on what we do best, which is designing our clients' homes," he said. and runners at CB2 (800 W. North Ave., cb2.com). (He's now semi-retired, having turned the business over to his sons about 10 years ago.). The Smithes: (L-R) Colleen, Meghan, Walter III, Walter Jr., Mark, Caitie, and Maureen. Further confused by the commercials now. 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. 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. So I'm speaking, and they're half listening, you know. "Still hard for me to imagine.") Over the last 12 years, one by one, Walter's daughters have been hired on at Smithe in an official capacity. 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. So is there a `Wally and the Sofa Factory' in our future?". Timothy Smithe Jr. (m. 2013-2018) Kyla Lynn McCarthy (born October 8, 1986) is the daughter of politician and former Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy. 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. 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. But even as likable as the brothers are, do they run the risk of oversaturation or going to the well too often? However, Lewis Lazare, the Chicago Sun-Times' advertising critic, has defended the commercials. 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. "KFC dances to beat of familiar drummers". The two renamed the store Smithe and Shanahan, but Bill Shanahan eventually sold his share to Smithe's brother Charlie. Smithe's three sons the Smithe brothers Mark, Tim, and Walter III became executives in the business and were regularly featured in the commercials. The Itasca-based company has 10 locations across Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, where the sisters ply their fourth-generation talents. You could say that the Smithes are a bit obsessed with quality. One spot was modeled after Apple's weird commercials. Dont burden yourself with the boredom of a matching wood set. From 5 to 8 p.m., select retailers will offer refreshments while highlighting unique designers. Take dress up and glam up a notch with a self-care day at this luxurious spa for kids and tweens. A new collection at Holly Hunt, discounts at EuroFurniture, a First Friday event at Hubbard Woods Design District, and more. "It almost feels like the business is, in a weird way, a member of the family. We connect families with the best local resources, advice, stories, things to do with kids and much more. Sisters Take Smithe Spotlight, More High-End Barware, and a Sofa Sale, 2020 Chicago magazine / A Chicago Tribune Media Group website, map of participating First Friday locations, Design Controls - Facebook Instant Article. Chicago's Best Furniture and Expert Design. 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. In fact, none of the sisters seriously considered having a career in the company, founded by their great-grandfather in 1945. Walter e smithe daughters. 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. And they wanted a way to build the brand. He attended the University of Notre Dame and earned a bachelor 's . The Feldco guy creeps me out more. 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. The are the Smithe sisters, Meghan, Colleen, Maureen and Caitie. The Smithe brothers used good-natured humor on countless TV commercials selling furniture. "Pam, Bill and I are always on the watch for pop culture. As their father, the company president, has told customers for decades, Life is too short to sit on uncomfortable furniture.. While they took breaks from the biz to make their own way after college, each came back when the right positions opened up. Their advertising is creative, it's timely and it's interesting, so people remember it and they like it.". But the truth is, I love coming to the office. While it may not be usable 365 days a year, the days that your outdoor space are in fact usable should be embraced. E. Smithe sisters Caitie, Colleen, Meghan and Maureen were introduced to the business at a young age. walter e smithe, furniture stores near me, ballinger vase buy, gold side end table, tall mirror, walter e smithe daughters, furniture . "Instead we did it on the turn of a dime. Compare how recession-proof Walter E. Smithe Furniture is relative to the industry overall. Nothing will be worse than the commercials they ran the last time the Cicadas were in season. You want it to succeed and do well.". 1251 W. Thorndale Ave. Itasca, IL 60143-1149. Nothing is left unchanged, Meghan notes. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . The Empire Carpet Guy, of course. Now, the Itasca-based furniture and interior design company wants you to get to know the Smithe sisters. Haute Living is a network of luxury publications with bimonthly regional editions in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. It took the mother of six children a few years to figure out how to juggle her demanding career and busy home life. She has a few ideas for how to add a little spring to your home. The company gained national exposure from Lewis' collection, and each sister was able to shine in her own specialty. Even with little ones underfoot, the Smithe sisters make balancing their family furniture business and their growing broods look effortless. . There is no rule book that says they all need to matchmetals always compliment one another. 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. Only a year apart in age, the lively, fast-talking Smithe sisters consider one another best friends. I'm so annoyed that I won't buy anything from there. - 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. High School," Walter says. Lewis teamed up with Smithes merchandising team to create in-store vignettes, and also featured the store on his show. It was founded by Walter Edward Smithe and Bill Shanahan in 1945. Now its only the wives and zero about the furniture. This began a long series of lighthearted television commercials, which became increasingly elaborate over the next few years. This article originally appeared in the April 2019 issue of Chicago Parent. They're not egomaniacs. Chicago magazine newsletters have you covered. - Nick Celozzi and Maury Ettleson: Starting in the early '70s, they waved fistfuls of cash at TV viewers and reminded everyone that Celozzi-Ettleson Chevrolet in Elmhurst was "Where you always save more money!". 2023 Zoe Communications Group | 332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite #LL-M974, Chicago, IL 60604 | 708.386.5555 | Website by Web Publisher PRO, ParentEd Talks: Free Virtual Speaker Series, A Concerned Parents Guide to Gun Violence and Gun Safety. Walter Smithe III and Mark Smithe (the Smithe Brothers) are the sons of Walter Jr, and serve as President and VP/Legal Counsel, respectively. Over the last 13 years, one by one, Walters daughters have been hired on at Smithe as the jobs became available. This initiative calls for all hands on deck. 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. October 12, 2022 / 3:27 PM Read the rest of the issue. "And I'd be yelling, `I can't breathe! Subscribe for free today! 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. We see this country chic trend currently happening as a design emergency, says Maureen. [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. 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. His sons, Walter, Tim, and Mark, joined the company in the 1970s and 1980s. - Lynn Hauldren: Who? Edited to add: Looked them up and gee, it's one of the daughters managing the marketing. 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 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. [4], Many of Walter E. Smithe's commercials have been pop culture parodies. But repeated airings of the ad have made him and his door legendary. 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. Their dad, the company's president, continued filming his signature ads with his brother, Mark, for a short period of time, Colleen said. The daughters took over the company. The Smithe boys started out in a tiny ranch house in Des Plaines, the children of Walter Jr. and Florence. "So that drove us, I think, to be successes.". Explore more of the publications in our portfolio here. Holly Hunt (222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, Ste. The campaign was inspired in part by a partnership with designer/house-flipper Jeff Lewis of the Bravo show Flipping Out. They've been able to weather the unexpected storm of the coronavirus pandemic. I was probably in elementary school when I would come in to work in the warehouse sweeping for a nickel Colleen says. They seem very pretentious I think. So, somewhat reluctantly, they let themselves become the public face of Walter E. Smithe Furniture. "Staying fresh, young and relevant is how we're going to sustain the brand into the next 75 years. USA. He NEVER blinks. The Smithe sisters now serve as the face of the firm, offering a female perspective that better reflects the company, the industry and the country today. "It was kind of ingrained in us," Caitie Smithe said. With a 71-year history and 11 stores sprinkled throughout Chicago and the suburbs, Walter E. Smithe is a local furniture icon. Warehouse workers go over every piece of inventory awaiting delivery with a fine-tooth comb, looking for things an untrained eye would never see. Introduced to the family business at an early ageI can recall pigtails in my hair, getting a penny or nickel for every clearance tag we pulled, says Meghanthe four daughters of Walter Smithe III have embraced their own roles for the Itasca, Illinois-based company; Meghan is director of marketing, Colleen is director of advertising, Maureen is a buyer, and Caitie is a designer. 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. Sometimes you have to act fast. 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. Smithe's wife of 64 years was by his side when he passed, and he . 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. Feb 20, 2022 - The 4th generation of Walter E. Smithe family stops by to visit Bob and Marianne. 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. 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. Bringing new and various textures into a room can take it from plain and lacking in interest to exciting and memorable. "That's F-A-M-E, with an E". "With a strategy to continue Smithe parodies of relevant topics, really, the future is limitless," he says. Currently, there are 3 generations involved in the business: Walter Smithe Jr is retired, but regularly visits the showrooms. 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. The Smithe sisters are working to expose the brand to a new customer base Photo credit: Robin Subar. Contact Information. 177 East Army Trail Road, Glendale Heights, IL 60139. Additional partnerships with the likes of Cynthia Rowley and Ellen Degeneres have exposed the company to a new customer base. Were a Chicago company that was given national exposure. There have been more than a thousand of them since, and thanks to the magic of cable TV he is now a national celebrity. Zajdel was a driver for Victory when he made the commercial a quarter-century ago. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. College was a turning point for the sisters, who now call one another their best friends. Explore. To see these serious, stuffy guys laughing and having fun someone yelled out, `You should use that as a commercial. Now, a lot more people know about us than knew a few years ago.". Brothers Walt, Tim and Mark Smithe -- the faces of Walter E. Smithe Furniture -- seem to have hit on something with their ubiquitous ads. We are a 4th generation family-owned business, and our employees are an integral part of . 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 . How could they ensure the 75-year-old brand would be sustainable for decades to come? The slogans "You dream it, we build it", or "That's Smithe, with an E" are commonly used. But now a new generationsisters Meghan, Colleen, Maureen, and Caitie . Chicagoans came to know and appreciate the three Smithe brothers who starred for years in quirky TV commercials touting their family-run furniture company. Woven Roman shades, a jute rug and a blonde wood vanity usher texture and warmth into the otherwise minimalist design. 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. 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. Smithe then went into the computer industry working for General Electric and IBM in 1967, according to his obit. 70 reviews of Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design "This is a really good store for when you hit age 40 or so and realize your house still resembles a college dorm. Unlike their brothers, they chose other careers. officially retires, although he still enjoys visiting showrooms and meeting clients. 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.". As the oldest sibling, Maureen was the first to officially join Walter E. Smithe in a professional capacity in 2004. Walter E. Smithe, Jr., founder of Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design, has died at the age of 86, his family said. Smithe was born in 1936 to Margaret Slifka and Walter E. Smithe Sr., and grew up on the Northwest Side in Belmont Central. Be sure to visit Sawbridge Studios, which will showcase sustainably harvested, live-edge furniture by David Stine. The best commercial -- at least the one viewers relished -- featured this grating kid getting hit in the face with a pie. 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. By last year, though, each had returned to the company their great-grandfather founded. /r/Chicago is the place to discuss and stay updated on the daily happenings of Chicago, Illinois, USA. Sibling revelry; Their offbeat commercials have made the Smithe brothers cult heroes. Courtesy of Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design. It worked really well for a long time, but post-recession, we saw peoples sensibilities had changed, says Meghan. The company makes, sells, and repairs furniture, specializing in custom upholstery, and operates ten showrooms throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. "Staying fresh, young and relevant is how we're going to sustain the brand into the next 75 years," Meghan said. That's a galaxy away from the current "Star Wars" parody. "But we've also gotten some really nice feedback from people who are happy to see four working women on their TV.". "We have wonderful clients who are my generation or older, but we have to figure out how we cater to this new generation that's setting up households now.
