Tim offered Walt brotherly support after a just-completed scene. One of my friends used to live near Fullerton and Western, and she would always tell people she lived near Tile Outlet. 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 . An added factor in the commercials' success are the brothers, who come across as regular guys. The new generation of Smithes are featured in the company's new advertising. Meghan was hired in 2013 and now serves as director of sales strategy. Smithe brothers aim for 'Sex' appeal in latest quirky commercial, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Walter_E._Smithe&oldid=1127865487, This page was last edited on 17 December 2022, at 02:33. "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. Their grandfather, who is in his 80s, remains active in the company, frequently visiting showrooms and making connections with clients. Since 1945, the company has established itself as a reliable family-run retailer, with the second- and third-generation Smithe men at the helm. Main Telephone (630) 285-8000. Or "Hardrock, Coco and Joe." Courtesy of Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design. Only a year apart in age, the lively, fast-talking Smithe sisters consider one another best friends. There have been more than a thousand of them since, and thanks to the magic of cable TV he is now a national celebrity. Now its only the wives and zero about the furniture. Assuming your a dude your not supposed to understand the commercials. walter e smithe. We take that very seriously, and we have so much passion for it.". What she does: I make spaces beautiful for clients homes, our catalogs and showrooms, and play couples therapist for clients who cant agree on a sofa.. The Smithe sisters are working to expose the brand to a new customer base Photo credit: Robin Subar. So, somewhat reluctantly, they let themselves become the public face of Walter E. Smithe Furniture. Im stunned when people watch one of our makeovers and are surprised that Smithe carries so much of what they like, says Caitie. A new collection at Holly Hunt, discounts at EuroFurniture, a First Friday event at Hubbard Woods Design District, and more. Its very much in line with our desire to offer the most beautiful pieces that are of the highest quality. They seem very pretentious I think. Edit: I have been informed that they are the daughters, not the wives. 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. The four women have been taking on bigger roles at the company and star in its new ad. You have this sense of passion and responsibility for it. Receive a 20 percent discount on sofas, love seats, sectionals, chaises, and more at Cassona (5241 N. Clark St., cassona.com) through March 13. 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. They can really do great things. Contents. [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]. The company made its website easier to use and more modern-looking. 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! To see these serious, stuffy guys laughing and having fun someone yelled out, `You should use that as a commercial. Colleen Smithe, Director of Advertising We dont always agree on things, Colleen says. 9's "Garfield Goose" and "Ray Rayner" shows. walter e smithe furniture & design. View info about Walter E. Smithe Furniture (smithe.com). 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. /r/Chicago is the place to discuss and stay updated on the daily happenings of Chicago, Illinois, USA. Watch. What she does: I use both sides of my brain: left for all the analytical spreadsheet stuff and right for the creative vision. Young. "That's F-A-M-E, with an E". But one by one, they followed Maureen's lead and rejoined the family business. walter e smithe furniture inc. "We're not your parents' furniture company," Caitie said. 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. The seven pieces featured in the Quincy Master Bedroom vignette below (chair, trunk . Like most mothers, whether theyre working or staying at home, we do what we can, she says. Press J to jump to the feed. He also hosted telethons. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune). Walter E. Smithe Furniture, Inc. is headquartered in Itasca, IL. Favorite design style: Modern mixed with traditional. The Smithe sisters, all in their thirties, worked in the family business as teens but pursued different career paths in adulthood. Holly Hunt (222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, Ste. I'm a brand manager and their commercials make the brand seem like a discount bin. But now a new generationsisters Meghan, Colleen, Maureen, and Caitie . In the 1970s Walter left Smithe and Shanahan (His brothers remained with the original company) to start his own company - Walter E. Smithe. We can be real nimble when we're this tight and this spread across the business.". - 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. "We're all rolling up our sleeves and getting dirty. (He's now semi-retired, having turned the business over to his sons about 10 years ago.). The 4th generation (Walter III's daughters) join the business after careers in their respective fields; Maureen in 2002, Meghan in 2014, Caitie in 2015, and Colleen in 2016. Compare how recession-proof Walter E. Smithe Furniture is relative to the industry overall. The sisters are making their official debut in a new campaign theyve recently launched called the Smithe Family Makeovers. Fielding countless applications, the Smithes choose a home where they redesign a space and showcase the full range of interior design services and furnishings Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design offers. 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. Shop the clearance. It's not included in a shorter version now airing on TV. Smithe's three sons the Smithe brothers Mark, Tim, and Walter III became executives in the business and were regularly featured in the commercials. What are they up to?' Walter E. Smithe is a furniture company based in Itasca, Illinois. "Smithes have fun at the old ballpark". 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. While we still have traditional pieces, our showroom appeals to a number of different lifestyles. 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. "They've done a wonderful job building a distinctive brand," says Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University. It takes work and sacrifice.. Thats fast, but it shows what we can do. Then he and Thorson meet with his brothers and throw ideas around. That's a galaxy away from the current "Star Wars" parody. Reaching a younger demographic and expanding their clientele has required some creativity, the sisters said. 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. The girls got the bedrooms; the three boys shared a room in the basement. Ellen is very serious about design and had a definite voice in what this modern-rustic-meets-farmhouse collection would be. "They go a long way with a limited budget through the use of creativity," he says. The Smithe sisters have always been close -- and growing up, it wasn't always by choice. Woven Roman shades, a jute rug and a blonde wood vanity usher texture and warmth into the otherwise minimalist design. walter e smithe furniture - inc. walter e smithe furniture. 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. Walter E. Smithe wants to create a series of similar videos to give customers a behind-the-scenes look at their services and the company. Through March 16, enjoy savings of up to 20 percent on select rugs (hopscotch, anyone?) 1428, hollyhunt.com) has expanded its Great Plains textile offering with the Foreign Affair collection, which has a mix of warm and cool neutrals. Building upon the Smithe family legacy is a big responsibility, the sisters said, one they've embraced with fervor. 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. 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. Who are these guys? 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. 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. This is not how you attract a premium buyer or build a premium brand. "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. 22 miles. Determine whether Walter E. Smithe Furniture grew or shrank during the last recession. The CBS Chicago team is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on CBSChicago.com. It was a natural fit, she said. We are a 4th generation family-owned business, and our employees are an integral part of . ". Find out where to go, what to eat, where to live, and more. 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. But I never forget that these are my sisters and I completely respect them. Its a tough balance, but I like figuring out the retail puzzle.. Now, a lot more people know about us than knew a few years ago.". "It's always positive, and it's nice to be part of it. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune). Updating your home theater? officially retires, although he still enjoys visiting showrooms and meeting clients. "KFC dances to beat of familiar drummers". "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. That's why when she and her three sisters -- Maureen, Meghan and Caitie -- were asked a few years ago to transition into the role their father and uncles held for so long, they weren't immediately receptive. Sometimes we present to our dad as a united front and other times we need him to be a tie breaker. As they grew into their teens, there were the usual summer jobs -- caddying, yard work, selling ice cream from a motorized three-wheeler. walter e smithe. Margie, who used to be a buyer for Smithe, moved to St. Louis with her husband, who worked for Anheuser-Busch's ad agency. Then the commercial came on. They've been able to weather the unexpected storm of the coronavirus pandemic. A matte black bathtub, vanity mirrors and hardware pop against the airy walls in this modern primary bathroom. 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. View a map of participating First Friday locations. Am I the only one who just thinks he looks like Louis CK? The Smithe boys started out in a tiny ranch house in Des Plaines, the children of Walter Jr. and Florence. 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. and runners at CB2 (800 W. North Ave., cb2.com). We not only respect this, we embrace it.. She had been a buyer for Abercrombie and Fitch for a few years after college when a job opened up in the Smithe merchandising office. But shes quick to point out that the business is still very much a multigenerational effort, noting that their 81-year-old grandfather still regularly meets with clients. Indian Trail, High Street intersection work approved in Aurora, Suspect in high-speed chase crashes into, kills veteran Indiana State Trooper trying to stop him: officials, Educators get peek at Paramount play about artificial intelligence which is set to tour schools, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. The brothers are recognized on the street, in grocery stores and coffee shops ("I got a free Starbucks latte once," Tim says). And youll see each of my sisters doing what they do best.. As their father, the company president, has told customers for decades, Life is too short to sit on uncomfortable furniture.. We take inspiration from the world of interior design to curate customized . 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. They got on each other's nerves and learned to talk quickly at the dinner table if they wanted to get a word in. We are sad to announce that on October 9, 2022 we had to say goodbye to Walter E. Smithe Jr. of Chicago, Illinois. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. The commercial included the tagline "Change the Name, Change the Luck", a reference to the Cubs' decades-long struggle to reach the World Series. You may have noticed a change lately in those Walter E. Smithe (smithe.com) siblings-on-a-couch commercials. The Smithe boys started out in a tiny ranch house in Des Plaines, the children of Walter Jr. and Florence. "We're kind of strategically positioned in different departments," Meghan said. All three attended St. Mary's College in Winona, Minn. Walt got an MBA at Notre Dame, Tim got one at Northwestern, and Mark got a law degree at Loyola. For example, Meghan had to miss her sons Valentines Day party at school this year, due to work responsibilities. Mark admonished Walt to keep his feet off the furniture. 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. The new generation of Smithes are featured in the company's new advertising. 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. 1 Early life; 2 Television; 3 Personal Life; 4 References; . Sometimes it does not pay to work with family. Kneen & Co. (399 W. Fullerton Pkwy., Ste. Three generations are involved in the family-run Walter E. Smithe Furniture and Design, including Walter Smithe Jr. (far right); his sons Walter III (far left) and Mark; and his four granddaughters, from left, Maureen, Caitie, Colleen and Meghan. Darvin is always yelling about discounts. My sisters and I represent the viewpoint of our younger clientele, Meghan says. About. Trendwise, Caitie says the color gurus at Pantone were right on when they selected a bright shade of green as Color of the Year. His sons, Walter, Tim, and Mark, joined the company in the 1970s and 1980s. We feel like we can now speak to the multitude of generations who shop with us, she says. Caitie Smithe, Designer and Stylist. Hauldren -- an advertising copywriter who created the character -- first appeared in the ads in 1973. I was probably in elementary school when I would come in to work in the warehouse sweeping for a nickel Colleen says. 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. 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.. Shop the label. You can send your sympathy in the guestbook provided and share it with the family. Its unjust to think that women can somehow balance it all, Colleen adds. We get that question all the time, and that was to be expected," Colleen said. She has a few ideas for how to add a little spring to your home. Walter e smithe daughters. "There was some physical violence between the brothers," Walt says with that satisfied look of a big brother who got to dish it out. Were not trying to portray an image that working mothers can pull off everything without something falling through, Maureen says candidly. Walter E. Smithe III, is the President of family owned and operated Walter E. Smithe Furniture + Design. Their interactions were zany, their dialogue lighthearted, their catchy jingle -- "you dream it, we build it" -- recognizable throughout the region. My sisters and I loved being a part of it.. Home Cities Chicago Meet the Smithe Sisters, The new generation is shaking things up at furniture icon Walter E. Smithe. In the late '60s, the growing family -- there are also four sisters, Cindy, Margie and . The Smithes: (L-R) Colleen, Meghan, Walter III, Walter Jr., Mark, Caitie, and Maureen. 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. [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. I gave up sleep and TV, Maureen jokes. As the oldest sibling, Maureen was the first to officially join Walter E. Smithe in a professional capacity in 2004. 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.. "Some dabbled and moved on and others just weren't interested.". (Last year, Walter E. Smithe resurrected the 1950s-era cartoon that was a holiday staple on WGN-Ch. The founder of well-known Chicago-area furniture company Walter E. Smithe has died, his family announced Wednesday. - Linn Burton: He started selling appliances in Polk Bros. ads in 1953, but the majority of his 35-year TV career was spent hawking cars -- Kaisers, Frazers, Joe Rizza's Pontiacs and, most famously, Bert Weinman's Fords. 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. "That was the best part," she said. This led to the development of Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design. Get 5 free searches. "[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". Her sisters had fallen into their own specialties and were pursuing different paths at the time. Is she OK? [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. / CBS Chicago. Calkins says that by minimizing production costs and media costs and doing those quick turnarounds, Smithe gets a bigger bang for its advertising buck. It worked really well for a long time, but post-recession, we saw peoples sensibilities had changed, says Meghan. Then they tie in pop culture it shows that they're sort of a with-it furniture company. with Maureen Smithe Brusznicki and Caitie Smithe Jisa at Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design. - Lynn Hauldren: Who? Visit . The two renamed the store Smithe and Shanahan, but Bill Shanahan eventually sold his share to Smithe's brother Charlie. 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. "People really did love seeing them on their TVs.". At-a-glance. 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. 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. Nothing is left unchanged, Meghan notes. Since 1945 the company has . But the truth is, I love coming to the office. Let's go Cubbies! They're nice folks. The answer -- and the sisters' secret to success -- can be summed up in three key words: Fresh. It was like the empire jingle. "And I'd be yelling, `I can't breathe! Over the past 76 years, the company has grown to include 10 Chicago area showrooms. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. between Scott Ave. and Tower Rd., Winnetka, shophwdd.com) hosts a First Friday event on the North Shore. Currently, there are 3 generations involved in the business: Walter Smithe Jr is retired, but regularly visits the showrooms. Get Eric Clark's email address (e*****@smithe.com) and phone number at RocketReach. By last year, though, each had returned to the company their great-grandfather founded. Jeff Lewis's collection of vignettes is available at Walter E. Smithe's 11 showrooms in Chicago, and online. Further confused by the commercials now. 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. And Mark, 40, is Smithe's general counsel; he and his partner live in Lincoln Park with Petey, a 4-year-old bulldog. 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. 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. 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. We connect families with the best local resources, advice, stories, things to do with kids and much more. We all trickled back in, and it happened really organically, says Meghan of the industrious quartet, who collectively has 17 children. [4][5] In 2008, they filmed and edited a takeoff of the Sex and the City franchise, with the brothers sipping "Smithe-o-politans". ", Instead they talk about the U2/iTunes takeoff, the brothers' version of "The Apprentice" or the Olympic parody from last year. Were a Chicago company that was given national exposure. '", "The business steadily increased since we started the commercials," Walt says. I love the attention I get as a local celebrity," Mark says. "By being so close and meeting so regularly, we're all in the loop with what's happening in each other's sphere. In fact, none of the sisters seriously considered having a career in the company, founded by their great-grandfather in 1945. Weird. "The brothers have no acting talent," Tim says. "It's made us focus on what we do best, which is designing our clients' homes," he said. Our dad always put an emphasis on hard work, and it stuck with us.. Smithe then went into the computer industry working for General Electric and IBM in 1967, according to his obit. How could the Itasca-based company break the mold and reach a new audience while still carrying its message into a fourth generation? 1251 W. Thorndale Ave. Itasca, IL 60143-1149. "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. So as long as strangers keep serenading them with the company jingle instead of pelting them with "Hardrock, Coco and Joe" DVDs, and as long as the business continues to grow, they'll keep doing the ads. In recent years, Smithe enjoyed his time with extended family. So much misogyny in these comments, their commercials have always been cheesy and annoying. 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. 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. [6], One of Walter E. Smithe's most discussed commercials aired in late March 2006. "And there's 10 televisions, all tuned to the same station.