We have been super busy around here getting the SM2 line ready for the OctoberHigh Point Market. I know it might seem a little early, but we still have a lot to do! We have to finalize all the sizing, make sure all categories are covered, create test prints, start framing, enter everything in the database, price, catalog, build a website, re-work weak ideas, and finally decide what makes the cut for High Point and what doesn’t. Now all of that wouldn’t be a problem if it was the only thing going on, but thankfully we are really busy with projects and orders on top of that so we are all running around trying to get everything done and consuming lots of coffee (well at least I am). Luckily we have a great team around here and I get a lot of help from my fav digital ladies Allison and Amanda !!(they did most of the stuff you see below)Woo Hoo!! So lets get to the good stuff…here are some more SM2 previews. I hope you all enjoy!!!

-Tracy

YOU ARE THE FUTURE.

Let that sink in for a moment.

If you are an independent designer working with limited or no resources in the way of staff, the home fashion world will soon beat a path to your door, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say: your computer.

Why? Modern business dynamics call for a shift in how our industry communicates and delivers its message. Whether it’s “new media”, social networking or the ubiquitous iPhone, the old model of jumping into your car or worse: an airplane, is an inefficient use of time and certainly not “Green”. Our vision is to liberate you from cross-town, cross-state and cross-country trips to view or buy products you can easily buy from your home or office.

Years ago the furniture giants treated designers as a nuisance, relegating them to a “distributor” (read RETAIL) outlet. In High Point, the major exhibition center would not let you in until their “official” bell rang and even then, you were categorized as a segmented part of the show. “Real buyers” had stores. The tide has turned however. Today, you are the impetus for tectonic market shifts in High Point and elsewhere. Where you were once shunned, you are now courted-big time.

With that in mind, this coming week we launch the e-Commerce component of our website. For the first time, you will be able to buy from our collection of designer art and wall decor without a sales person traveling to you, without the need to go to a design center or travel to a major Market. This may not sound like much if you live in L.A., San Francisco, Chicago or New York, but if you live in Ventura, CA or Sacramento or Springfield, IL or Albany or Jacksonville, you know the hours you spend in traffic just getting to the products. If you live in Louisville or Littlerock? Good luck.

We look to provide a full spectrum of options and grant full access to the Interior Design professional. Convenience and value are what you will get. You will be able to browse our entire catalog, save images, show clients (with or without pricing), view your discount options, buy and pay for your art and receive it freight-free within 2 to 3 weeks of placing your order. You can purchase 1 picture or as many as you need. No minimum: simple, efficient, empowering. -EM

Find out more at www.soicher-marin.com.

After more than 40 years at the International Home Furnishings Center (IHFC) in High Point,  we are moving to our new home at the Commerce and Design Building and open for business starting this October Market.

Speaking with a close friend the other day about a move he had made 17 years ago from Miami to Sarasota. He told me that in pondering all the options, he and his wife understood that the decision to move was: life changing, necessary and a little scary because it was the “unknown”. The key to their final decision was that they realized in all the cogitating that they were not running away from anything. Rather, they were running toward something infinitely better. That something was a new community far from a home they’d known all their lives; a community that wanted them, their soon-to-be born children and their small business. And they were told as much: The community made their desire for my friend and his family unambiguous, warm, affectionately human and attractive in every way.

So it is with the same sense of humility and adventure that we bid farewell to the IHFC and our good friends and neighbors in our hallway for the last 30 years. We say hello to our great new neighbors Sarreid, Visual Comfort, Guildmaster and many others. We will be on the second floor, just off the escalators and a few short steps from Visual Comfort Lamps. Our space is nearly the same 5,000 sq. ft. we currently occupy. You’ll hear more about our plans, and how it will be great not only for us, but for you our loyal and most important clients. -EM