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1251 W. Thorndale Ave. Itasca, IL 60143-1149. Draftfcb. Woven Roman shades, a jute rug and a blonde wood vanity usher texture and warmth into the otherwise minimalist design. Smithe says that doing everything in-house allows them to be quick on their feet. Smithe was born in 1936 to Margaret Slifka and Walter E. Smithe Sr., and grew up in the Northwest Side's Belmont Central neighborhood. And Amy is a singer and songwriter. 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. "In what seems to be their unending and over-the-top zeal to self-promote, they just may be helping drive traffic," he wrote, adding, "If nothing else, the advertising suggests the chain has some suits with personality attached. 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. "We were kind of like dorks, geeks, growing up," Mark says. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. In some of the footage, youll see my dad installing a dimmer or my uncle driving a truck. Falling asleep. 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. Happy Hour With Jeff Lewis + Walter E. Smithe - fountainof30.com As Caitie puts it, Theres no reason you cant use an entertainment console as a buffet in the dining room.. We strive to bring our clients the best in home furnishings for every style, budget, and. Courtesy of Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design. Timothy Smithe Jr. (m. 2013-2018) Kyla Lynn McCarthy (born October 8, 1986) is the daughter of politician and former Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy. Walter E. Smithe Furniture: Contact Details and Business Profile 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. The chemistry among this familial foursome is something parents can only hope for from their children. Relevant. Our lives can be overrun with technology, commitments and schedules. At that age, it was very exciting to come home and brag that we sold maybe hundreds or thousands of dollars in furniture, Meghan recalls. "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. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design - Chicago's Furniture Store and 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. Weird. 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. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. 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. He attended the University of Notre Dame and earned a bachelor 's . We had no grand plan.. "And they've been able to personalize a retail chain through the use of the brothers. Since 1945, the company has established itself as a reliable family-run retailer, with the second- and third-generation Smithe men at the helm. College was a turning point for the sisters, who now call one another their best friends. For example - my favorite large upholstered dining chairs are under $200. 1 Early life; 2 Television; 3 Personal Life; 4 References; . As mothers, all of us have cleaned up a childs spill, or even their vomit, from our furniture, Colleen jokes. Sometimes we present to our dad as a united front and other times we need him to be a tie breaker. Getting the Smithes in front of the camera wasn't easy. 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. And then fate gently tapped them on their shoulder. Find out where to go, what to eat, where to live, and more. How could the Itasca-based company break the mold and reach a new audience while still carrying its message into a fourth generation? Then they brought in the wives. We connect families with the best local resources, advice, stories, things to do with kids and much more. Walt and Tim mocked Mark's new haircut. The Bob's puppet is a far better actor than the Smithe girls though. (He's now semi-retired, having turned the business over to his sons about 10 years ago.). But one by one, they followed Maureen's lead and rejoined the family business. "It's been about reworking how we approach visually what we want to convey about the product that we're selling," Meghan said. Over the last 13 years, one by one, Walters daughters have been hired on at Smithe as the jobs became available. She is a celebrity who is genuinely interested in how her furniture will do and be perceived, Maureen says. The business grew in popularity as they approached adulthood, at which point friends would regularly sing the jingle and colleagues would ask about the creative TV ads. [4][5] In 2008, they filmed and edited a takeoff of the Sex and the City franchise, with the brothers sipping "Smithe-o-politans". The 3rd brother, Tim Smithe, retired in 2016. Lewis teamed up with Smithes merchandising team to create in-store vignettes, and also featured the store on his show. Feb 20, 2022 - The 4th generation of Walter E. Smithe family stops by to visit Bob and Marianne. Jamie Sotonoff. His daughters were hesitant at first, questioning whether they were ready for such a responsibility. "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. Jeff Lewis's collection of vignettes is available at Walter E. Smithe's 11 showrooms in Chicago, and online. Walter E. Smithe Furniture, Inc. Corporate Profile - Winmo Walter E. Smithe and Bill Shanahan founded the store anticipating a booming economy in the wake of World War II. "That is the top priority for the four of us," Meghan Smithe said. A few bucks later, the clunker is off to Victory's Bensenville lot. Its unjust to think that women can somehow balance it all, Colleen adds. To see these serious, stuffy guys laughing and having fun someone yelled out, `You should use that as a commercial. 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. between Scott Ave. and Tower Rd., Winnetka, shophwdd.com) hosts a First Friday event on the North Shore. (847) 933-1481. They were each only a year apart, at one point covering all four grade levels at Barrington High School. 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. This has been our priority since we first began serving the Chicago area back in 1945. Courtesy of Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design, - Courtesy of Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design, Paddock Publications, Inc. is an Employee-Owned Company. Since 1945, the company has established itself as a reliable family-run retailer, with the second- and third-generation Smithe men at the helm. 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. hbspt.forms.create({ 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. The Smithe sisters now serve as the face . A family affair: How four sisters are bringing a 75-year-old store into 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. Margie, who used to be a buyer for Smithe, moved to St. Louis with her husband, who worked for Anheuser-Busch's ad agency. "And I'd be yelling, `I can't breathe! "They're having a lot of fun. 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. '", "I was at a gym on a treadmill," Mark says of the first time he caught one of the commercials. Business Profile for Walter E. Smithe Furn-Itasca. First published on October 12, 2022 / 3:27 PM. The two renamed the store Smithe and Shanahan, but Bill Shanahan eventually sold his share to Smithe's brother Charlie. 'Flipping Out' Where To Get Jeff Lewis' Furniture Collection Their camaraderie is genuine, and they can easily share ideas and bounce between conversations. Receive a 20 percent discount on sofas, love seats, sectionals, chaises, and more at Cassona (5241 N. Clark St., cassona.com) through March 13. We can be real nimble when we're this tight and this spread across the business.". A matte black bathtub, vanity mirrors and hardware pop against the airy walls in this modern primary bathroom. 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. Sibling revelry; Their offbeat commercials have made the Smithe brothers cult heroes. But even as likable as the brothers are, do they run the risk of oversaturation or going to the well too often? Tim, 41, is the vice president of sales; he and his wife have four kids and live in Winnetka. [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. 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 company began in 1945 as Tone Appliances and Furniture, a single store on Belmont Avenue in Chicago. This article originally appeared in the April 2019 issue of Chicago Parent. 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. 1251 West Thorndale Avenue. Still, the Smithes have had to weather various challenges since joining the company, including the retirement of their uncle, Tim. 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. They're not egomaniacs. Explore more of the publications in our portfolio here. Their dad, the company's president, continued filming his signature ads with his brother, Mark, for a short period of time, Colleen said. I dont think anyone in the furniture industry does advertising well. Updating your home theater? So I'm speaking, and they're half listening, you know. Assuming your a dude your not supposed to understand the commercials. In the 1970s Walter left Smithe and Shanahan (His brothers remained with the original company) to start his own company - Walter E. Smithe. "Some dabbled and moved on and others just weren't interested.". 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. So is there a `Wally and the Sofa Factory' in our future?". The girls got the bedrooms; the three boys shared a room in the basement. While they took breaks from the biz to make their own way after college, each came back when the right positions opened up. 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. This began a long series of lighthearted television commercials, which became increasingly elaborate over the next few years. [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]. Read the rest of the issue. The daughters took over the company. "They go a long way with a limited budget through the use of creativity," he says. Main Telephone (630) 285-8000. Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design (Old Orchard) 17 miles. I love incorporating an unexpected element into a room. 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. 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. But the sisters also know they can always turn to the leaders who came before them. For people who are in their 40s and have families, that's how brothers act around each other when they get together. ", Says Tim Smithe, "Pop culture is always changing and so are we.". 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. 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. Oct 2012 - Apr 20152 years 7 months. Furniture Stores. But I never forget that these are my sisters and I completely respect them. Walter E. Smithe Jr., founder of Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design "I think it's time for us to get out of these TV commercials," Walter said. CHICAGO (WLS) -- Walter E. Smithe, Jr., founder of Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design, has died at the age of 86, his family said. Colleen loved being able to point out that her dad and uncles, Mark and Tim, brainstormed and executed the ideas themselves. 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. 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.. Then they tie in pop culture it shows that they're sort of a with-it furniture company. Meghan was hired in 2013 and now serves as director of sales strategy. The Smithe sisters have always been close -- and growing up, it wasn't always by choice. Walter E. SMITHE: Employee Directory | ZoomInfo.com My sisters and I represent the viewpoint of our younger clientele, Meghan says. Walter E. Smithe is a family business in every sense of the word, the sisters say. "So that drove us, I think, to be successes.". We get that question all the time, and that was to be expected," Colleen said. Walter E. Smithe is a furniture company based in Itasca, Illinois. "As furniture commercials go, what the Smithes are doing is great," he says. 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. But now a new generationsisters Meghan, Colleen, Maureen, and Caitie Smitheis shaking things up in a big way. Take dress up and glam up a notch with a self-care day at this luxurious spa for kids and tweens. The Smithes: (L-R) Colleen, Meghan, Walter III, Walter Jr., Mark, Caitie, and Maureen. And they wanted a way to build the brand. You may have noticed a change lately in those Walter E. Smithe (smithe.com) siblings-on-a-couch commercials. 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. He cites the U2 music video takeoff. Lewis Lazare. Along the way, they got married, had children (17 in all!) For instance, finding that perfect piece of decorative furniture that creatively doubles as a toy box for kids games, toys and video devices. 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. The founder of well-known Chicago-area furniture company Walter E. Smithe has died, his family announced Wednesday. 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. "They've done a wonderful job building a distinctive brand," says Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University. Create Comparison. Caitie Smithe is aDesigner, Design Coordinator + Stylist atWalter E. Smithe Furniture + 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. 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! Whoever said brick-and-mortar is dead hasn't met the Smithe sisters. "It was kind of a neat way to kick off our involvement in the business as a group.". Walter E. Smithe Jr. died peacefully at age 86, his family said in a prepared statement. 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. Building upon the Smithe family legacy is a big responsibility, the sisters said, one they've embraced with fervor. "People really did love seeing them on their TVs.". Tomorrow, Hubbard Woods Design District (Green Bay Rd. It was a natural fit, she said. Not as long as they keep the commercials clever and topical, O'Neil says. "They were loved," said Colleen Smithe, the youngest daughter of Walter Smithe III. Explore. Contact Information. 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. One of my friends used to live near Fullerton and Western, and she would always tell people she lived near Tile Outlet. We take inspiration from the world of interior design to curate customized . Postpartum bladder leaks are common but there's help. We've got the radar out for that," Tim Smithe says. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune). 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. Then when I plugged it in, the place went up for grabs. 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. 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 Furn-Itasca | Better Business Bureau Profile We simply never had that conversation, Meghan says. I'm so annoyed that I won't buy anything from there. "It was kind of ingrained in us," Caitie Smithe said. Like most mothers, whether theyre working or staying at home, we do what we can, she says. There's a lot of blurred lines, and we have to learn when to defer to each other.". Pinterest. 74% of employees would recommend working at Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design to a friend and 70% have a positive outlook for the business. As the oldest sibling, Maureen was the first to officially join Walter E. Smithe in a professional capacity in 2004. '", "The business steadily increased since we started the commercials," Walt says. The company made its website easier to use and more modern-looking. It took the mother of six children a few years to figure out how to juggle her demanding career and busy home life. 20 White Bathroom Design Ideas | HGTV Shop now. Walter E. Smithe, Jr., founder of Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design, has died at the age of 86, his family said. 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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Walt got an MBA at Notre Dame, Tim got one at Northwestern, and Mark got a law degree at Loyola. As mothers, theyve learned its not only possible, but preferable, to have a functional yet beautiful home. Colleen, Caitie, Meghan and Maureen Smithe, all between the ages of 33 and 37, represent the fourth generation of the family business and are daughters of company President Walter Smithe, the grandson of the business's namesake. Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design - Home - Facebook Hotel Mousai Puerto Vallarta, Room Request: Four Seasons Hotel Bogota Casa Medina, New Restaurants and Bars in New York City, Clare V., Mulberry and More New Retail Openings in NYC, Tony Robbins Challenge to Provide 1 Billion Meals Nears its Goal, Get behind-the-scenes pictures on Instagram. They've relaunched catalogs showcasing their furniture in fully designed spaces. 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. "There are still people who ask us, 'Where are the brothers? Walter E. Smithe Jr. Obituary (1936 - 2022) | Chicago, Illinois