Holiday fun with the whole LaDiff gang

We have this list of core values at LaDiff. There's not much on it you wouldn't expect to see: integrity tops the list, creativity, kindness, intelligence... that sort of 'good stuff.'

There is also one other very important word that, for us, ranks right under integrity: HUMOR. We LOVE to laugh, to make each other laugh, to tell funny stories and bad jokes, and to be a little bit silly.

With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that our annual holiday party for our employees is one giant laugh fest (with some eating and drinking too). 15 years ago, our parties started as potluck affairs at our home in Church Hill. At one of the first parties, even Santa came to visit, scaring the blessing out of then-VERY-young Terrance and Tyler Fisher, whose dad Terry is our warehouse manager. I think those boys were mighty good for the few days between our party and Christmas!

Over the years, we've visited downtown restaurants, dined in empty but candlelit spaces in our building, and... returned to our house again, this time on Cherokee Road, and better sized to handle the crew we have now!

One of my great joys is buying gifts for EVERY LaDiff employee. I do not go online and point & click to some item 30 times. I make a list, and I consider each person's personalities, likes, and dislikes. Some years (and some people) are 'easier' than others. If it's Bernadette, I just channel ORANGE and it works. She's modeling her new orange handbag today, as a matter of fact! Cameron? I just find something that I like that I think she would try to 'steal' from me by telling me it is unflattering on me and would look better on her (ha!). Philip is funny... he loves (and I mean *loves*) to get a McDonald's gift certificate. I'm not kidding.

Like many businesses, we did a 'secret santa' gift exchange for YEARS. Last year, someone on our team suggested we do a Chinese Gift Exchange (with my apologies for the non-p.c. name, but that is what it's called!). What a SUPER FUN idea that was!! So, we did it again this year!

Instead of numbers, we had everyone put their name in a bag. First called? Jim Ramos, who opened a lovely grey shawl... not quite his color though. Jim immediately took it around to show all of the ladies hoping they might 'steal' it from him.

In the end, Cameron got the shawl (which she wanted), after her Russian Vodka (that none of us could read much less pronounce) was stolen from her! Throughout the evening, the most popular (and most frequently 'stolen') items were liquor and gift cards... so when the combination came up (a gift card to a Virginia ABC store - good concept, Juliette!), it was stolen, and stolen, and stolen that final 3rd time... BY ME! (Gotta have something to put in Mr. Thornton's stocking). Which is a good thing, since Ernest ripped a bottle of tequila out of Andy's hand, even though Andy threatened with the 'hey, I'm your BOSS' line... sorry, Andy, that one doesn't seem to work with this crowd!

There are always one or two gag gifts in the mix. This year's attempt turned out NOT to be a 'gag' for the person who finally got it: our 9-year-old daughter. Jennie Kam tried hard to pull a 'gag' when, in actuality, she selected an item that Lucy had put on her Christmas list! Yes, we now have a cobalt blue Snuggie, complete with deluxe book light, adorning our family room.

Now, with the LaDiff holiday party behind us, and the breakroom filled with delicious leftovers, it feels like Christmas has begun. From all of us at LaDifference to all of you, we wish you a very Merry Christmas with your family and friends, a holiday filled with love, sharing, and hopefully a whole lot of laughter!

The LaDiff Christmas Letter

Dear LaDiff Blog Readers and Friends,

Can you believe it's almost Christmas? I'm sure you've been busy shopping and decorating and baking and cooking, just like we are. As seems to be tradition this time of year, we've jotted some notes about what the 'LaDiff Family' did in 2009!

In January, Andy enjoyed a trip to the Koln (Cologne) furniture show, followed by skiing and hiking in Gimmelwald, Switzerland with his friend Ernest. Gimmelwald is where the story-book lass Heidi was from! Andy found some really beautiful furniture in Koln, including the Infinity dining table from Italian resource Porado, in our showroom now! At the end of the month, we had our annual Home Theater event - #6! Ray Lepper of Home Media came back again to share his expertise with all of our visitors. NOTE: that is NOT Andy in the picture ; )

February... our friend Jeff Hiller came to visit and speak at the Richmond Home Show/ Maymont Flower & Garden Show. His topic was Sustainability, so, keeping with the theme, our booth was all about 'living green'.

In March, we expanded our LaDiff-ness into a new venture called Vive (as in Vive la Difference!). Jim and Lisa and Rick and Tom painted and prepped an empty space in our building and turned it into something magical. Vive showcases an assortment of global and ethnic fare that brings a sense of purposeful eclecticism to our LaDiff story! The colors are rich, spicy, earthy; the feeling is distressed, loved, worn; the service, value, and quality are all... LaDiff!

We started April by hosting the Richmond Ad Club award ceremony in our Parking Garage. Wendy Wyne of Fete Studios turned this cold, concrete-floored space into a magical stage for Richmond's most creative to pat each other on the back. After the party, we turned the garage over to our 3rd annual GARAGE SALE and sold lots of great LaDiff stuff at AMAZING bargain prices!!! The month ended with our bi-annual pilgrimage to High Point for the furniture market. There, we started blogging and tweeting for the first time. One of our first blogs was about our friend Tom Moore of Lawrance Furniture in San Diego when he won a contest with American Leather to promote their unique Comfort Sleeper in a video, now preserved on YouTube. (that man is so darn funny!!!)

In May, right before we went to the ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) in New York, we learned about The 3/50 Project, a grassroots project from Cinda Baxter that promoted support of privately held, independent, small local retail businesses. We were thrilled to learn that Cinda would be speaking at the Javits Center and we got the opportunity to listen to her 'campaign', meet her in person, and jump on board the 3/50 bandwagon!

June... another great summer in downtown Richmond and the canal boats were busy every week and weekend (and so were LaDiff's restrooms!). We *love* to see the increased activity in our neighborhood. We also loved sending our delivery truck out with its new, gorgeous 'skin'... check it out! At the end of the month, we had fun sharing the world of retail with Megan, our high school intern from the Cochrane Summer Economics Institute held at the Powell Center for Economic Literacy (based at Collegiate School).

Megan-the-intern was bright, a fast learner, and lots of fun... and she helped us kick off our annual JULY 4th Sale with a fireworkd-style BANG! Crowds of customers enjoyed sale prices AND burgers & dogs on the grill served by Terry-Teddy Bear-Fisher (aka LaDiff warehouse manager). July was hot-hot-hot!

August included our annual trip to the New York International Gift Show - our 2nd trip to NYC as a family! We visited with friend, lighting maven and jewelry designer Alecia Wesner while there, enjoying lunch at one of our favorite spots in Soho: Lucky Strike. When we returned to Richmond, our new TV spot - The Perfect Seat - was ready to air... featuring the backsides of several important Richmonders (okay, it's our staff and our family... but they're important to us!)

In September, I served on a panel for the Retail Merchants Association's First Friday Forum to talk about how retailers could get involved with the Think.Shop.Buy.Local campaign - our LOCAL, successful offshoot of the 3/50 Project. Later that month, while yours truly was busy prepping for high school reunion #25 (at OUR house), Jennie and Tim and Rick were busy prepping for the Chamber's annual BizLinc event at RIR (that's Richmond International Raceway to those who are not Nascar fans...). And, talk about cool, our booth was right across from the Chamber's booth, where guest speaker Bill Rancic - first winner of Trump's Apprentice title - was signing books and autographs in the afternoon!

October brought another High Point market... this one was MUCH more upbeat than the April show. Vendors were smiling, retailers were smiling... things are looking up! We had new product arriving weekly which means our sales team was smiling too! And, to make the market even more memorable, our own Lisa D got to meet design celebrity Thom Filicia IN PERSON. (And I got to meet Sponge Bob... but that's a whole other story...)

In November, we were proud to host another event, this time to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: a wine tasting orchestrated again by the amazing Wendy Wyne. Our Passion for Dining tv spots brought some interesting and varied responses from our customers... we love the ad! And we ended November by starting two of our favorite 'donations for discounts' promotions to benefit Caritas Works' Furniture Bank and the Central Virginia Foodbank, two very worthy and deserving causes.

And now... it's December. There is always excitement and wonder at LaDiff in December. Andy and I spent the first few days of the month sharing ideas with other contemporary furniture retailers meeting in San Diego, sadly missing the Grand Illumination and rainy Christmas Parade the next day! But we returned to hear the news that long-time-LaDiffer Jaye Erickson received her certification as a 'GREENLeader Accredited Professional' - since she designed and built our 'Green Screen' and is our official onsite recycling pest, we are very proud of her! Now, with only a few shopping days left until the 'big day', the store is decorated, the windows dressed, and our sales team is busily sending out their holiday cards. Our annual staff party is Monday evening - a time to eat, drink, and be merry with each other, think about the year that has passed, and plan for the one ahead. It was a good year...

From all of us at LaDifference to all of you, we wish you a Happy Hannukah, a Merry Christmas, a spirited Kwanzaa, and lots of joy and happiness in the coming new year.

Networking can improve your business and your bowling game.

Okay, so I'm at this conference in San Diego: 15 contemporary furniture stores, all members of the Contemporary Design Group, spending 5 days in a room talking about how we advertise, what we buy, our vendor relationships, our staffs, our rent structures, etc., etc., etc. Naturally, it got me thinking about networking (at 5am California time, because I am still struggling with that 3 hour time difference after 5 days).

I woke up wondering where the expression arose.
Works like 'network' were once as foreign or 'new' to people as 'tweet' is now.

So, I looked it up.

According to ask.com:
network (n)"net-like arrangement of threads, wires, etc.," 1560, from net (n.) + work (n.). Extended sense of "any complex, interlocking system" is from 1839 (orig. in ref. to transport by rivers, canals, and railways). Meaning "broadcasting system of multiple transmitters" is from 1914; sense of "interconnected group of people" is from 1947. The verb, in ref. to computers, is from 1972; in ref. to persons, it is attested from 1980s.

We go back to the first half of the 19th century and find that the word was used, naturally, to describe interlocking transportation systems. Well, that makes sense.

Fast forward to the early 20th century when it was adopted by the very young broadcasting industry to describe their interconnected systems, and the adoptions continued by the computer industry, telecommunications, and, finally, people!

Systems and networks were established to achieve a goal faster: get you from the Atlantic to the Mississippi without leaving water, let Albany hear the news report coming from New York City, allow my computer in San Diego talk to my computer back home.

How does this apply to PEOPLE who network then?

Well...I had a much funnier image of the word origin in my head when I woke up (too early).

I kept thinking about tennis: and, literally, "working the net." There you are, away from that base line comfort zone, approaching your competition - who may also be your friend - face to face. You're trying to get to the ball earlier, before you have to think too much. In a way, this is the benefit of real life person-to-person networking, too!

When we try to figure out solutions all by ourselves, we have to start from scratch. Sure, we can do some educated research, and we certainly rely on, and hopefully trust, our own brain power to be resourceful. Still, in the end, the proof comes back and we've forgotten to include the end date on the sale, or we've neglected to learn that the event is the same weekend as a local college graduation, or we haven't taken into account that two sales people will be on vacation.

I'm a fan of Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point and Outliers. In the former, he talks about how the first person to invent or achieve is often - no, make that usually - NOT the one who is the most successful with the idea. Was it Mr. McDonald or Ray Croc who became a multi-billionaire taking the 'fast food' concept around the world? The iPod was not the first mp3 player on the market, yet it is the best known, best selling of its device category by leaps and bounds.

Why? For several reasons, many of which Gladwell expands upon in his books. For me, one very obvious reason for the 'success of the second attempt' is because they were able to learn from the ones that came before: correct the mistakes and celebrate and expound on the successes!

That is a HUGE benefit of networking when open IDEA SHARING is involved.

The real beauty is that this kind of networking CAN come in the most unusual places. You don't have to network (note the now acceptable verb form) only at cocktail parties and breakfast meetings. You can network and share ideas anywhere you meet someone new. The more relaxed the atmosphere, the more open you - and they - are going to be about sharing, listening, and learning.

And last night, when our group of 15 stores hit the East Village Tavern and Bowl in downtown San Diego, there was a LOT of sharing. First, our team came in second (I was dubbed the WOOHOO girl... hmmm): led by the inspiring Bruce Selik of Hillside Furniture in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, who coached powerhouse Jerry Nowell of Nowells Furniture in Cary, NC, to aim for those white pins in the center with his 15pound ball. Bruce also encouraged Lora Sigesmund of Perlora in Pittsburgh, PA, to come from behind and beat us all with her game ending strikes! Needless to say there was a LOT of laughter, from when Carol Bell and Tamara Scott-Anderson of Content Interiors in Tucson, AZ, showed up dressed as Laverne & Shirley to the antics of team #1 who shall remain nameless (but included my husband) because of their unusual and tactile 'twisting' after a team member's spare or strike.

Last night, we were not worrying about the economy, our employees, or our advertising budgets. We were having fun. As we watched Jeff Burt of Suburban Furniture do his high scorer happy dance, we knew that the next day (today!) in the boardroom was going to be much lighter, more relaxed, and even more open and flowing with great ideas.

Yes, yes, yes, all that other 'network' stuff about creating a great system for idea-sharing and breeding success in our industry is the main goal of our conference and meetings, but I like the image that was in my head at 5am too: We ran to the net, met our opponent face to face, became their friend, and played the game not to win, but to improve each other's skills too.

Knowing and working with these amazing people with member stores in the Contemporary Design Group only makes LaDifference stronger and better. Thank you, Howard, Sandie, and everyone who attended the conference for making this year's event informative, helpful, and FUN!

Can't wait to do some more 'networking' NEXT year!

My Christmas Tree is Up! ... how 'bout yours?

So, here it is... written out for anyone to see...

I love Christmas.
Some would say I have an addiction.
I'm not sure if it's that bad, but that could just be denial, right?

Right??
Okay, okay, here's how "bad" it is...

For the last 10 years I've kept a spreadsheet (yes, a spreadsheet, in Excel) that shows the gifts we given everyone, where we bought them, and what we spent. Why? Because I gave one person a bowl 3 years in a row... and I was bound and determined not to repeat that little goof.

Also, I cannot walk buy ornaments for sale without stopping.
Anywhere.
Really... I mean anywhere.
This can be Sanibel, FL in March, or Kings Dominion in August.
I.Must.Stop.To.See.Ornaments.

I have finally become disciplined NOT to buy. (at least not ALL the time).

Most retailers I know either love the Christmas season (like me), or they hate it (like my husband).

Think about it... hoards of people mobbing your store with a specific deadline in mind, getting frustrated if you don't have exactly what they came for on the day they want it, even if they did wait until the last minute...

On the other hand, I love the frenzy of the gift wrapping, the 'deer in the headlights' look in the eyes of the (ahem, male) shoppers, the music (LOVE the music).

So, how do we reconcile this?
I handle Christmas (well, all but my own gift and one for his mum).
He handles, well, me. And our daughter, too, who is fast surpassing me in her love for this crazy, wonderful holiday.

I love decorating early.
I love shopping early.

By doing both, it means I have time to ENJOY the holiday.
I can bake, and cook, and visit with friends.
I can watch Christmas specials on TV - the good, the bad, and the sappy.
I can drive around Richmond and see all of the beautiful lights.

And... I can ENJOY our customers who come in to shop for others or for themselves.
I hope you'll come by LaDiff this holiday season to shop, to say hello, to see our beautiful downtown all dressed up (especially this Friday, Dec. 4th for Grand Illumination!).

I'll be the one Decking the Halls...falalalala... LaDifference...

Help us help the Central Virginia Foodbank

Last year, for our 'holiday sale', LaDifference decided to do something, well, different. We wanted to give our customers a holiday 10% discount, but with a twist. For every donation of 5 cans/boxes of food or a donation of $5 to the Central Virginia Foodbank, a customer received get 10% off one item in the store.

With no limit to the number of donations & discounts, the program was a success. We raised enough food & money to provide nearly 10,000 meals to the CVFB, who works with Meals on Wheels under the umbrella of Feedmore to provide meals to our area's neediest citizens.

Because success breeds success, we're doing it again.

Starting today, Nov. 24th, for every donation of $5 or 5 cans or boxes of food that you bring to LaDiff for the Central Virginia Foodbank, we will give you 10% off one really cool LaDiff item of your choice... the more your donate, the more 10% discounts you'll get. The promotion runs until Sunday, January 3rd, so you have plenty of time to help the foodbank while you help yourself to sale prices on furniture and home accessories.

If you are on our mailing list, watch your mailbox for the postcard about the event, and you'll see ads pop up in local papers, too. Thanks to the team at Elevation (Aaron, Frank, and CJ, big shout outs to you), we have a beautiful, hopeful television spot too, that you can see right here.

At the end of the sale, in the first week of January, we'll tally up the donations of canned goods and money brought to LaDiff and present everything to the foodbank at that time. As you can imagine, the need is greater than ever right now. The extraordinary team at our area foodbank knows how to stretch your single dollar into 5 meals... so that $5 donation in exchange for a discount can add 25 meals to someone's week. Pretty powerful. You can learn more about the Central Virginia Foodbank at their website or follow them on Twitter. (Please note, they are also looking for volunteers this season, too, to help with sorting and the like!)

To learn more about LaDiff's holiday promotion to help us provide food for our area citizens while helping our customeres save on fun furniture, visit our website for details.

From the LaDiff team to you, Happy Thanksgiving.

Why we love a GOOD Sale

Sales are fun...and I'm not talking about just for the consumer - which I happen to be.
(And I'm quite good at being a consumer, too!)

At LaDiff, we have FUN with our sales.

First, there are the 'games' we've played...in the past we've asked our customers to

• search for secret items
• sing patriotic song
• wear specific colors and/or outfits

But the real fun is in knowing that we're offering really cool LaDiff stuff ON SALE.

Right now LaDIFF is in the midst of our first HALF OFF sale.

When you have a sale called 'half off' you get a lot of questions. We've tried to answer the most frequent ones on our website page about the sale. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Is everything HALF OFF? ... all of the ads say "select items" and "over 600 items". And wouldn't we tell you if it's the entire store? So, the short and easy answer is "no" (we aren't crazy).

2. Is this the best price? ....uh, it's half off. HALF OFF our regular price. Let me put it this way: this is BETTER than what our employees pay. So you're getting the employee discount and then some. Woohoo! (short answer: "yes")

3. Is my HALF OFF purchase final sale? ... you bet your bippee it is. Period. End of story. (P.S. We also need you to be IN the store when you purchase, because most of the items are last-of floor samples... you'll want to look it over before you buy.)

4. Are you going out of business? "Wait, people really ask you that?"...Whenever we have a clearance sale, we hear this question or a variation of it from at least one person during the event. Crazy, huh? That said, in today's economic climate, and having watched many of our friends and colleagues close their businesses, the question is at least more reasonable. The answer is a resounding NO! We enjoy what we do, our business is strong, and we can't wait to show you all of the cool stuff we have on order coming in 2010... which is the reason we are making room with a HALF OFF sale to begin with.

Sometimes, with clearance sales, we look around us at a sea of 'older than it should be' inventory and too many 'as is' items. This time, however, the buyers are thrilled at the selection we are offering our customers. One of my very favorite chairs sold early on the first day of the sale: a gorgeous, comfy swivel chair from Italy in a truly luxurious leather. Mmmmm.

Want to know what makes us (or any furniture store) decide to put something in a sale like this?

• Vendor discontinuation: means we cannot order it any longer - for our store or for you.
  
• Older floor models that we want to change up to another finish or color or style.
• Too much inventory of one thing! We get a little over-eager sometimes...
  
• Scratch & dent - accidents happen; we touch 'em up and mark 'em down!
• Something that just doesn't make the 'best seller' list. We love everything we buy. Some items are 'hits' and some aren't. That's just the way it is...
  
• Something new is on the way to take it's place! When we need to make room, we mark down what's 'in the way'.

So... there you have it... the little secrets of the method behind the HALF OFF markdowns. The idea is to reduce inventory to make room for new product. So, they are not going to apply to custom orders. They are not going to apply to new items. They are not going to apply to best sellers.

In the end, there were over 710 items marked at HALF OFF... and, with day #3 of the sale starting today, there are still LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of terrific bargains left FOR YOU!

The sale ends Sunday, Nov 22nd. Come on down and
LET THE FUN BEGIN!

So, what did you REALLY think?

We knew we were taking a risk.

Double entendre is always risky.

Some people won't hear the 'risky' part, and the joke goes over their heads. Others ONLY hear the 'risky' part, and ignore the safe part, and take it far too literally.

Since mid-October, LaDiff has been running a TV commercial called "Passion for Dining." The concept came from Aaron Dotson, Frank Gilliam and team, and was produced by C.J.Hawn, all of Elevation Advertising. Very talented people with very creative ideas... and this was no exception.

Let me back up.

In July, we asked Elevation to create our 4th of July tv spots.
They were animated and hit the mark.

For our 'Perfect Seat' upholstery sale in September, they came up with an even more clever idea including a variety of 'seats' (young, old, small, large, dressed up, casual, etc.)

But....... they had this other idea they wanted us to do. It was a take-off of a Cialis or Viagra or similar spot: the one with the two bathtubs. Andy would be in one and I would be in the other. The copy would be about it 'being time' and 'being in the mood'... then 'yes, let's have a sale.'

Yeah, ... cute... but, uh, no.

The 'butt' ad was clever. Lucy loved shaking her booty for it, as did quite a few LaDiffers.

The next ad... for our dining sale... was all about the double entendre.

Here we were, sitting around the conference table: two 40-something women, a 20-something woman, and my 50-something husband, listening to the Elevation ideas. They were great. If we'd had the money, there would have been three spots that would have run in rotation so often you'd think we were an upcoming Lifetime movie! Instead, we decided on one. This one. The one that has gotten a lot of attention.

We even got written attention in Holly Buchanan's blog about 'marketing to women'... and she did NOT like it.

But... We like it.
It's risky.
It created buzz.
And... it's "LaDiff."

Check out Holly's blog and the reactions/comments... and watch the ad itself... right here... and let us know what YOU think. (To friends who have already commented on the blog and/or on Facebook... THANK YOU.)

Too much???

Elevation is doing our NEXT tv spot too: about our promotion that benefits the Central Virginia Foodbank. Stay tuned... it's wonderful.

(by the way, dining furniture is STILL on sale for one more week... sale ends 11/15... so, hurry, if that's the room you need to furnish or redecorate next!)

Comfort, Color, and a some 'star' sightings....... LaDiff's recap of the October 2009 High Point furniture market

1. COMFORT is king: deep, plush seating wowed us. Sink into comfort. Don't want to get up and keep walking comfort. No 'perching' on the edge of your seat; we're talking become one-with-the-furniture comfort.

2. FABRIC is BACK in modern design. While microfiber covers and ultrasuede are still out there, and still have their places, ‘REAL’ fabrics in rich textures are BACK: linens, chenilles, woven cottons, etc. This only adds to the lushness of the COMFORT (see #1!).

3. Where there is FABRIC, there is COLOR. After the safe sea of brown, brown, and brown (okay: tan, taupe, and chocolate), we loved seeing the other colors of the earth splashed around: cranberry reds, plum purples, ocean-inspired teals, and pumpkin oranges, all mixed with new neutrals like pewter grey! Our friends at American Leather did it particularly well!

4. MID-CENTURY MODERN was the style inspiration. Heywood-Wakefield-inspired case pieces, trim upholstery, clean lines – minimal yet fun and funky. Keeping with that feeling, AMERICAN WALNUT brings the essence of the 1950’s and high craftsmanship to the almost 2010’s. LaDiff faves Copeland, Skovby, and BDI showed it off with new introductions throughout.

5. INNOVATION – George Emerson presented his Geneva Sound Systems, where you can get really big sound out of sexy, small boxes: it is SO MUCH better than some other European options we’ve seen, and a whole heaping lot prettier in your room!

6. ‘PURPOSEFUL ECLECTICISM’ (defined in an earlier blog) from was rampant in the urban rustic/loft living looks from GUS* Design, Archetype, and Design Workshop. Cold, raw steel mixed with distressed woods; clean lines and minimal arms on a deep seated down-filled sofa; rustic textures against glass & metal. GUS* even puts ‘tree trunk’ patterned texture onto an otherwise very mod clear acrylic accent table: love it.

7. ECO-FRIENDLY IS AFFORDABLE – it does NOT cost more to be GREEN. The discovery of highly affordable and completely eco-friendly upholstery resource BKind3 was a delight, and speaking to Carl Gustavson about his BiOH-foam (soy) cushions, SFI lumber frames, and fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles, inspired us to “be kind” to our planet. We are also ‘getting in bed’ with North American mattress manufacturer Natura who has been eco-friendly since before the expression existed!

8. Last, but certainly not least, some LaDIFFERS get star-struck by famous designers: Lisa hunted down Thom Filicia , and I came within spitting distance of Candice Olson (note, I would never spit on Candice: 1. b/c she is very tall and could hock one right back on top of my head, 2. b/c she is truly divine). Thom is adorable, and Candice is gorgeous, and both are talented and charming, but neither had the naive appeal of this uber-star, Mr. Squarepants himself...
High Point just doesn't get any better than this!

---

P.S. if you aren't on LaDiff's email list yet, or following us on Twitter or Facebook, you'll want to! We have big exciting stuff happening that will only be told to our ONLINE audience! Sign up now!

Friends

The best part about spending 2 weeks a year in High Point, trudging around from showroom to showroom, sleeping in a strange bed, working 14 hours/day?

Seeing friends.

Yep.

That's it.

Sure, it's fun to see really cool furniture - especially when some of our friends have been particularly inspired - but the best part is the 'catching up.'

"How ARE you?"

"We're good... we're good."

"How is business?"

"Better... we think it's getting better. Yes. Definitely getting better."

"Ours too... what a year."

"No kidding!"

"And your kids?"

"Still growing!!!"

"See you tonight?!"

"Absolutely!!!"

Yep......... buying furniture (on EVERY level -supplier to manufacturer, manufacturer to retailer, retailer to consumer)... is ALL about the relationship.

... and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Purposeful Eclecticism

There is a trend afoot in decorating and entertaining that I will call 'purposeful eclecticism.' It's where the home/apartment dweller has purposefully mixed styles and eras and colors and textures... not because they had to (think hand-me-downs) but because they wanted to... and they want it to look 'effortless', like they accumulated their goodies over time.

I find this intriguing and delightful.

It used to be that people aspired to have "the complete set", or... sorry, hate this furniture term... the "suite". The bedroom suite, the dining room suite, the living room suite: think sofa, chair, and loveseat that ALL MATCH. People saved their pennies to buy their furniture this way, and then they lived with that 'suite' all the rest of their lives.

Which makes me think that today's eclecticism is not something born of 'need' but because of 'want'.

Think about it... true eclectic decorating usually starts out of need: can't afford the 'matched set' so you figure out how to make the mismatched one look terrific. My parents' apartment while my dad was in grad-school was the ultimate in mismatched items, many of which were later painted this odd shade of green because, naturally, they had gallons of leftover green paint from some other project. Items are repurposed from bedspreads into draperies and pillows. It was recycling at its finest.

Now, however, the appeal of DIY, the lure of the thrift store or yard sale, and the encouragement to re-purpose and recycle, has created a new level of eclecticism that is truly purposeful (with the illusion of appearing 'effortless').

On a recent episode of Dear Genevieve (yes, like many of you, I HEART HGTV, especially Genevieve, Candice, David, and Vern...)... Genevieve Gorder (who got her TV start on Trading Spaces many moons ago) brought life to a couple's Victorian era dining room by buying them MISMATCHED dining chairs from different periods. She then covered the seats in the same fabric, to bring them 'unity'. Her decorations? Fruits and vegetables. There were two big pieces in the room that she bought new: the table and the chandelier. Everything looked great.

Okay... so why would I - a retailer of NEW furniture - be espousing the ideas of purposeful eclecticism? Well, first off, because I like it, and I do it myself. My living room has an antique carved Brazilian cabinet, an early 20th century baby grand piano, an original-to-the-house stone fireplace, and... lots of modern furniture, lighting, & rugs.

Designers are touting the beauty and benefit of 'mixing things up.' LaDiff friend and Richmond designer Kathy Corbet recently led a seminar titled 'Mix it up! Incorporating Contemporary Styles into a Traditional Home.' On her blog, Kathy says "Simple touches can provide a smooth visual transition when combining periods and adding modern touches."

We LaDiffers love to mix things up. Our belief is that as long as each piece has integrity unto itself, and YOU love it, you can make it work. If you trust your own instincts, you'll find that you are drawn to similar colors or textures, that, when mixed together, become something layered and wonderful. (In fact, mixing things up is part of the reason we started Vive - more global/ ethnic/ one-of type furniture, located next door to LaDiff.)

Compare it to fashion:
* a beautiful antique cameo pin worn on a chic black sweater is truly elegant
* a vintage 1960's dress looks sexy with sleek modern boots
* jeans and a t-shirt are instantly dressed up with a vintage scarf and handbag

Now let's do it with furniture:
* you've inherited Gramma's antique iron bed - flank it with glass tables for a modern update or warm it up with solid cherry
* vintage 1950's white laminate kitchen table? how 'bout some Danish inspired colorful bent-ply chairs to go around?
* that exquisite antique Persian rug from Aunt Mary? sleek black Corbusier-inspired leather upholstery lets the rug be the star
* naugahyde lazyboy circa 1974? ... we recommend that you donate that item to Caritas' furniture bank and start OVER (there are some things we just cannot help)

You don't have to start from scratch! In fact, we wish you wouldn't. If your furniture has character and 'good bones', work with it. Just add some quality, fun, and color where needed.

Purposeful Eclecticism... hard to say... fun to do! Let's do it together. Get started at: www.ladiff.com

Toot! Toot! That's our 'own' horn you hear!

Well... it's Monday... so it's time to write another blog entry.

This morning, Carol Hazard and the Metro Business section of the Richmond Times Dispatch did it for me.

The comments from Jerry Epperson, furniture industry expert & analyst and downtown Richmond neighbor, are so flattering that our buttons have been popping off our shirts all day!

A big shout out and thank you also to Alice Lynch, with the Virginia Capitol Foundation, and, of course, to our partner of almost 30 years, Ivor Massey for their nice words, too!

You can read the article online by clicking here.

Below are a few photos that appeared in print, including the wonderful 'empress of LaDiff' (as my dad calls her), Miss Lucy.

And, of course, if you want to know even more about LaDiff, we hope you'll visit us in person. For starters... visit ladiff.com and check out our story and our 'stuff'. Thanks!

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

"Turn and face the strange ch-ch-changes..." sang Mr. Bowie, a long long time ago.

For the last few months I've been busy reconnecting with former classmates, with the culmination of our 25th high school reunion occurring this past weekend.

It was a blast. A great turnout; fun people; good conversation; a LOT of laughing; and many, many walks down memory lane.

Which got me thinking about just how much the world HAS changed in 25 years.

The year that I left high school ... 1984, with all of its Orwellian overtones...

• AT&T - a.k.a. MaBell - was 'divested' (broke up into lots of smaller companies)
• Apple introduced the Mackintosh computer (which was mostly used by new college freshmen to play donkey kong)
• One month before winning 8 Grammy's for Thriller, Michael Jackson's hair caught on fire while filming a Pepsi commercial, begin his spiral into drug dependency.
• The Soviet Union (yes, not yet Russia again) boycotted the summer Olympics in Los Angeles, allowing the women's gymnastics team, led by Mary Lou Retton, to take home lots of gold.
• Virgin Atlantic Airways made its inaugural flight.
• Vanessa Williams becomes the first Miss America to resign her crown after nude photos of her show up in Penthouse (oops).
• Crack cocaine is first introduced in Los Angeles beginning what became a drug epidemic
  

Oh, and all of my papers were typed on an electric typewriter, my car still had an am only radio, and I listened to albums and cassette tapes (although my boyfriend at the time had a new-fangled 'cd player').

How far we've come in 25 years.

As people, as a planet.

... with so many opportunities left for innovation, for creation, for improvement.

I wonder what the next 25 will bring?

Deadlines are opportunities

I have to admit it... I love a deadline.

In fact, I need one.

It propels me to act.

This Saturday, the president of LaDiff (aka my husband) and I are hosting MY high school reunion at OUR home. 100 people (about 65 classmates plus some brave spouses/dates) will be coming to our house to reminisce, eat, drink, listen to great (yes great) 80's music, and tell stories. I agreed to this 5 years ago (no, I'm not telling you which reunion this is, but the previous music hint may have given it away), so it was not a surprise to my husband when I reminded him back in the spring.

The reunion has given us "a deadline:" a deadline to landscape, to paint, to hang light fixtures, to change some furniture...

Some of it felt like drudgery (I'm not a fan of planting multiple tiny all-green plants into a bed - it's boring, back-breaking, tedious), but the end result, going room to room, outdoor space to outdoor space, to make improvements big or small, has been worth it.

In fact, just yesterday, the husband said "It's been good to have a deadline to force me to get some of this done."

Deadlines are good.
They prompt us to start a project AND finish it.
We take action.
WE MOVE!

We might curse a deadline when it's in front of us, but we are grateful when it's behind us, when we've we met the goal, when we've finished the project.
When we view a deadline as an opportunity to improve, learn, change, it can enrich us.

I like a good deadline. (oh... and the husband, who is also the President of LaDiff, is the most amazing, selfless, helpful person you could meet, since he's been painting, tilling, planting, piling, cleaning... and it's not even HIS reunion... he's a darn good man, that man I married.)

(Is this a good time to remind you that the DEADLINE to save in the Perfect Seat Sale is Sunday, October 4th? Especially for the Comfort Sleeper sale, since this was the FIRST TIME they had a sale, and we have NO IDEA when they'll do it again? It's a GOOD deadline... that gives YOU a real opportunity to save money.)

Think.Shop.Buy.Local - redux

On Friday, September 11th, after taking a moment to pause and reflect on the tragedies of 8 years ago, a Westin hotel ballroom filled with retailers and fans of retail gathered to celebrate.

The agenda for this particular Retail Merchants Association First Friday Forum breakfast was the Think.Shop.Buy.Local campaign - its origins, its mission, and its future direction.

Panelists were Michael Guld of Mainline Broadcasting & the Guld Resource group as moderator, Tom Silvestri, publisher of the Richmond Times Dispatch, and....... me. Michael presented the program, the website, some of the media opportunities. I presented the retail perspective: how to 'get on board and make it happen.' Tom presented the contributions that retailers make to the community and the hopeful impact of the TSBL campaign on the Richmond area.
The follow up in the Richmond Times Dispatch on Saturday was spot on (thanks, Louis Llovio!). While this is a WONDERFUL campaign, it will be critical for local retailers to think globally about the nature of their business. We cannot work in a vacuum; we have to continue to differentiate, grow, and improve to compete with the 'big boys'.

The big surprise follow-up came on Sunday, when Tom Silvestri posted a FULL PAGE editorial in the RTD, celebrating the achievements of local retailers. He flattered, he honored, he told stories, and he showcased the individuality, the success, and the personality of Richmond's retail community. He began his Richmond-Retail-Horn-Tooting by revealing his 'angle':

"I admit I have a bias. My livelihood and that of approximately 625 colleagues at the Richmond Times-Dispatch and another 925 of our independent contractors depend on retailers who advertise and inform the public using our newspapers and Web sites to attract customers.
As they go, we go."

But isn't his bias one that EVERYone in Richmond has?
Don't we ALL rely upon local business to keep the engine going?

It's all a tightly knit interwoven circle.
You put money in my hand. I in turn use that money to buy goods or services from someone else. They in turn do the same.

It's our THINKING about whose hands we'll choose that makes all the difference.

THINK before you shop and buy...
You have the power to build your community, to improve your community, to sustain your community, when you make the decision to keep it LOCAL.

Thanks for the campaign, Retail Merchants Association.
LaDifference is going to do what WE can to continue to spread the word and 'make you proud.'

BiOH - Ask for it by name...

In the furniture world, for those of us trying to be 'more green', nearly every furniture category and every furniture surface can be redesigned in a more environmentally friendly way. Wood is sourced from sustainable forests. Lacquers, paints, and surface treatments release no VOC's (volatile organic compounds) into the atmosphere. And vendors reuse, repurpose, and recycle wherever possible. And consumers respond.

All of that is great.
Except for one rather important omission... the SEAT.

FOAM - a fossil-fuel dependent substance - has been the primary resource for the seating (and bedding) industry for decades. Why? Because consumers (particularly American) find it comfortable. Foam is resilient, can be cut and carved into shapes, and lasts a long time, particularly when it is very dense. But, it is still a fossil-fuel reliant substance.

What's an environmentally savvy consumer to do?

Well, some go back to down filled, but that creates a whole different set of problems (plucking feathers from birds and all that). Down seating also gets very slouchy (some say sloppy) looking over time, and down is much much firmer than most foam seating... which means that most manufacturers who work with down still combine it with - you guessed - foam, for that softer, cushier, longer-lasting feel. Back to square one.

In the last few centuries, before 'foam' was so prevalent, cushions were stuffed with anything from straw to horse hair. Ever sat on an antique sofa with horsehair cushions? Rather, um, firm.

Now there is an alternative: BiOH polyols.
Created & developed by Cargill, BiOH polyols offer retailers and consumers an option to seating that relies 100% on fossil fuels.

Founded in 1865, Cargill* is a privately held company that employs 160,000 people in 67 countries. An international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products & services, Cargill is dedicated to helping their customers through collaboration, innovative, research & development. It is through these efforts that BiOH polyols came to be.

"BiOH polyols are a soy-based ingredient for flexible foam used in upholstered furniture and bedding, carpet backing, and automotive seats. Traditional foam and carpet backing ingredients are derived from petroleum-based products. BiOH products are made from a renewable resource - soybean oil." BiOH polyols can be used to replace about 20% of the 67% of polyphenols used to make upholstered foam cushioning, without losing the durability, strength, and comfort that American consumers desire in their seating. (To learn more about the research & development of the product and the science behind it, visit the BiOH website.)

When LaDiff learned more about BiOH polyols, we were impressed. This would tie into our efforts to educate our consumers about environmentally friendly home furnishings options. We were even more pleased to learn we were already carrying furniture made with BiOH seat cushioning, when we saw this video blog on BiOH's website about one of our FAVORITE upholstery & leather suppliers: American Leather.

We jumped on board the BiOH bandwagon and started talking about it on Twitter with BiOH horn-tooter (and marketing manager) Jessica Koster and mistress of all BiOH social-media, Leslie Carothers. They gave us the full story and explained that the goal is to get consumers - HEY, THAT'S YOU! - to know enough about the benefits of BiOH that they ask for it by name. We figure that once consumers - YOOHOO, calling YOU again! - realize that there IS a choice in upholstered seating that includes renewable resources, asking for it by name would be a natural 'next step'.

Think of it like the Intel Pentium chip. Go back about 10-12 years, when computers just started getting 'fast' (to be able to interact with the quickly evolving world of the internet). Intel had this great product, but it couldn't be sold alone. It was always put inside of another product: the pc you chose. (Okay Mac people, just bear with me for a minute). So Intel started marketing this chip... telling people to ASK FOR IT when they bought a computer. Pentium became a household word for computer-savvy consumers. They sought out machine builders who incorporated the Pentium chips into their builds. Success!

Why can't BiOH become like the Pentium chip?

And, unlike some decisions that are 'good for you', BiOH is not 'tasteless' in the sense of design. Some of the country's top furniture designers and manufacturers are using BiOH... which takes us back to American Leather. We're still working on getting American Leather to hang tag all of their product to shout out "hey! this has BiOH!" In the meantime, we'll do it ourselves... "Hey, you guys! Check out the very cool furniture at LaDiff that includes BiOH polyols! It's better for the environment... and better for all of us too."

psst... to you LaDiff upholstery suppliers who are NOT using BiOH foam yet, you might want to look into it for your company too!

*Information on Cargill found at http://www.bioh.com/.
*Thank you to Leslie Carothers (@tkpleslie) & Jessica Koster (@BiOHforALLJK) for providing us with information and education to write this blog.

The Making of the LaDiff Television Ads

By LaDiff's Graphic Designer & Marketing Kid,
Juliette Heydenrych


I have my sticky little fingers in all kinds of things. From design to DIY, writing web code to ramping up our Search Engine Optimization, and from designing print advertising to managing social media, we designers are expected to do it all. The title "Graphic Designer" often expands and demands that one wears a variety of hats at the workplace. It’s easy to sit back and wonder, in any position, if you’ve missed your calling in life. As a designer, if you think you’ve missed your calling, it’s just because you haven’t been asked to do it yet.

If there had ever been any doubt in my mind that I should have perhaps gone into a field such as, say, film production, it was about to be put to rest.

The task at hand was to create two TV ads to promote two months worth of events: The Bedroom Sale in August, and the Upholstery/Seating Sale in September… so when Andy and Sarah called in Aaron Dotson and Frank Gilliam of Elevation Advertising, I knew we’d be in for a treat. They seemed so mild mannered at first, but after the initial business formalities were out of the way and the discussion got going, I had the feeling that this was going to be a hoot. Our little conference room roared with laughter as we pushed ideas around, and by the end of the meeting I returned to my office, wiped tears from my eyes, and watched as Aaron tweeted that “concepting TV spots is the best stress reliever ever”. Glad to be of service, Aaron. And we couldn’t wait to see what they would come up with, either.

In the coming weeks, we would be back in the LaDiff conference room. We would be regaled with concepts, we would choose wisely which ones would come to fruition. Elevation would then set to work on a storyboard, and get the folks together to produce the ads. Just days before we were slated to film, I met a gang of Elevation cohorts to scope out the space within which we would assemble props, stage bedrooms, and film. I also met with CJ Hawn, graphic designer, to choose nightstands, lamps, props and clocks for the ads. I shyly showed her around the store, offering up opinions on different nightstand/lamp combinations, while secretly envying her arty insights, design experience, and general expertise. While I was stumbling to find appropriate inventory, these are the concepts CJ was mulling over:

The Bedroom Sale ad, (follow the link to see the ad) on-air for the month of August, essentially featured a series of alarm clocks going off in various rooms using various alarm-clocky sounds. The sounds come together to create a rhythm, which moves faster and faster until building to the end of the piece, where hands are seen slapping each clock into snooze. The concept? This bedroom sale is a snooze button’s best friend (because that’s just how comfortable you’ll be!).

The Upholstery Sale ad, (follow the link to see the ad) now dubbed the Perfect Seat for your Seat Sale, is about just that- finding the perfect seat. The concept was to show a variety of seats with their corresponding rear-ends. Quirky, cute and a tad cheeky.

In preparation, we pulled about 8 different nightstands off the sales floor, with 10 lamps, 2 alarm clocks, and some random accessories from the gifts department. We also painted part of the wall in our empty neighboring space yellow, to serve as one of many backdrops to the “bedroom” scenery. I kept my fingers crossed that Elevation’s crew would cover the rest as far as props and equipment, as discussed (just in case). They did.

We started by filming the “Butt Ad” for the Seat/Upholstery Sale. Friends and employees of LaDiff took turns standing shyly in front of a white screen. We stood patiently on a piece of masking tape as the lights and camera were adjusted- custom tailored to frame each toosh. When the film was rolling (actually I think it’s all digital now), we shifted, swayed, turned and twirled. As one of the seats in the ad, I can say that I’ve never felt more awkward than I did then- knowing that all eyes- and the camera- were on me. Well, parts of me. It’s not as though I’ve never been “checked out” before… but it’s different when you’re shaking your derrière on command. ;)

We needed as many butts as possible, so it became my duty to start herding folks into the film-space. After all of the LaDiff volunteers had shaken it (like a Polaroid picture) and signed their release forms, we were still hoping to collect a few more. I ran frantically throughout the store, grabbing LaDiff employees who had most certainly NOT volunteered and shoved them next door. At one point, I even sent a couple of troops upstairs to the Massey Cancer Center to herd us a “suit butt”- someone wearing a suit, trousers, anything but denim! They even found him too, unwittingly having some happy hour drinks with colleagues. The slightly tipsy suited-butt stranger graciously followed us downstairs, agreed to help out, and jiggled his badiggle for our cameras.

As the evening wore on, we were ready to shoot the second ad. One by one, each “bedroom” was set up, staged, and scrutinized. CJ took her time arranging each vignette, adjusting the alarm clock just-so, adding picture frames or trinkets- things you’d see on any nightstand, adjusting the background and hiding price tags and lamp cords. Cameras were set up, adjusted, lighting played with… it’s surprising how the reflection on just a small piece of chrome lamp-base can throw off an entire scene. The actual amount of set-up time (oodles), vs. the actual amount of time filming (seconds, minutes at best) is… well, pretty boring.

Then, one by one, each hand actor would set on the floor next to the stage. Lights, camera, action! Over and over again, Elevation filmed multiple takes of hands hitting alarm clocks. Touching alarm clocks. Tapping alarm clocks. Finding alarm clocks. Falling alarm clocks. Et cetera.

And…Cut!

Generally speaking, I’m not a woman with much patience. The process of waiting while everything is staged, put together, painstakingly adjusted, and eventually filmed was practically agony! As enlightening as the experience was, I’m certain I did NOT miss a calling in a film career. I’d do it again, certainly, it was fun… but call somebody else if you have a feature film you need help with.

Of course, the anticipation to see these ads come to fruition post-production was agonizing as well, but well worth the wait. We are thrilled with Elevation, thrilled with their work, thrilled with their staff, and just thrilled to show these off.

Elevation, my hats go off to you.

LaDiff goodies from the NYC gift show

Each August, LaDiff heads north to enjoy the sights and sounds of Manhattan and to walk aisle after aisle of the carpeted concrete of the Jacob Javits Convention Center for the New York International Gift Fair. Hundreds (thousands?) of vendors come to NYC in August hoping to see lots and lots of retailers with big 4th quarter budgets!

2009's gift show understandably brought questions about attendance and spending. There were fewer vendors showing - so many fewer that they only needed one Pier instead of two for spill-over, and so many fewer that there were several "buyers' lounge areas" in Javits. From our perspective, that just made the show a bit easier to walk.

The vendors there were serious, engaged, and ready to sell.
The retailers there were prepared, enthusiastic, and ready to buy!
A good match.

So........ what did LaDiff find?

Here's a sneak peak of what you'll see in our store this fall....

Wall stickers from France for 'grown up' walls, in designs like bamboo or poppies or abstract art.



<<<Beautiful laser cut felt wall panels that can be re-sized to suit your space simply by removing squares. Great as room dividers, draperies or even an interesting headboard treatment.

and, from the same company, ethereal pendants that add romance to any space>>>

We also picked up two new Brit suppliers - J-Me and JosephJoseph, who share warehouse & design space in London with Black & Blum, one of our favorite vendors.

From JosephJoseph, we found kitchen items that are not only super practical and easy to use, but are so attractive you'll WANT to leave them out on your counter all the time. Founded by twin brothers Richard & Antony Joseph in 2003, this company has won international acclaim in the worldwide housewares market. Check out INDEX... 4 cutting boards neatly stored in a stylish silver 'file box'. (One of these is definitely coming home with us!)

The talented Liora Manne continues to impress us with her beautiful LaMontage rugs, doormats and placemats, adding new designs AND custom size options to her collection.

Her LaMontage rug & mat designs can be used both indoors & out because of the antimicrobial treatment. Come check out the catalog & swatches this fall!

The list goes on and on of the beautiful, NEW items we found, loved, and will be adding to our showroom this season. More goodies will be pictured in upcoming blogs, so stay tuned!


And no review of the New York Gift Show would be complete without a recap up of the 'extracurricular' activities enjoyed by the buyer (moi) and her traveling companions (A and L).

* Favorite daytime excursion: Circle Line's SHARK speedboat ride to the Statue of Liberty and back. When they say it goes fast AND you'll get wet... they are not lying.
* Favorite evening excursion: watching Shrek & Fiona belch their way through a song on Broadway.
* Favorite meals: but we enjoyed 5 nationalities in 5 nights (Mexican, French, Italian, Brazilian, Japanese). And a great American diner for breakfast.
*Favorite shopping: busman's holiday to the Kartell store in Soho



And now... signing off to process those orders and make room for all the new goodies coming SOON to LaDiff!