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ART Member Spotlight – Black Whale Lighting

Mar 8, 2021 | ART Blog

Black Whale Lighting

Encintas, CA

March is Women’s History Month to highlight women leaders and their contributions to history and contemporary society.   ART salutes Kirsten Recce of Black Whale Lighting for lending a hand. 

Recently, Black Whale Lighting President Kirsten Recce saw a post from a friend who was spearheading a drive to buy and deliver meals to healthcare workers at Scripps Encinitas Hospital. Recce said the hospital has been busy with COVID-19 cases; so much so that it had tents outside the facility to begin the triage process.

So Recce reached out to her friend and asked to take responsibility for buying and bringing enough individually wrapped meals for one day — with a few extras.

“We had to come up with enough individually wrapped food for 75 people,” Recce said. “It wasn’t my vision but the vision so resonated with me that not only were we dropping off food and good wishes, but we delivered thank you cards and later, I delivered candy for Valentine’s Day and things that were individually wrapped and gave them coffee.”

While delivering food to healthcare workers is part of it, Recce said another appealing aspect of the drive was making a significant purchase with local restaurants, including Tin Leaf Kitchen in Carlsbad, Calif. Recce said when it was Black Whale’s turn to lend a hand, she insisted on paying full retail prices because these businesses need all the help they can get.

“What I loved about the program was not just the obvious of feeding the healthcare workers and security guards but also picking restaurants in the community to provide the food.   I picked one that owns three independent restaurants,” Recce said. “I imagine they’re crazy impacted. We called them up and placed the order; no discounts or favors. I said, I want you to charge me in full because I wanted to give money to a restaurant that’s struggling. I love that it was a two-fold thing. Either one would be gratifying but this became a double bonus. ”

Recce said lending a hand in the community is part of the ethos at Black Whale. She said the retailer has contributed to its local Habitat for Humanity chapter numerous times over the years, and personally, she has done a number of things to help out at her kids’ schools.

She said it’s important for Black Whale to be a good corporate citizen and help build a stronger community.

“It was a nice way to become engaged,” Recce said. “It’s easy to be a small business owner working 60-80 hours to get lost. This was a nice way to give back and get to meet people I wouldn’t have been able to meet otherwise.”

Kudos to Kirsten Recce of Black Whale Lighting for taking this initiative.   So inspiring.  For more information on Black Whale Lighting, visit their website.

ART Member Spotlight – Bountiful

Feb 22, 2021 | ART Blog

Jamie Merida / Bountiful Home

Easton, MD

Bountiful shares its bounty in hometown

Over the years, ART member Bountiful Home, an interior design and retail business owned by Jamie Merida, has made it a point to become a part of the fabric of its Easton, Md. community.

“We’re located in a small, close-knit community and have received so much support and loyalty from our customers over the years,” Merida explained. “The least we can do is give back to the community that has given us so much.”

As part of those efforts, Bountiful supports several charitable causes in and around the area annually. They include:

Komen Maryland – Bountiful hosts a Pink Party every October with 20% of sales donated (Merida says he adapted this in the same way during COVID). “This cause is especially important to us because breast cancer has affected so many of our customers, staff, and loved ones,” he said.

A Pink Party to support Susan G. Komen is one of Bountiful’s key annual charitable efforts.

Talbot Hospice – Bountiful hosts a holiday kickoff party with 20% of all sales donated, along with raffle proceeds. During COVID, it adjusted by having a holiday kickoff weekend with 20% of sales from a three-day period donated to Talbot Hospice. This let it continue to support them without having a crowded event.

Mid-Shore Council on Family Violence – Every year Bountiful hosts a “Helping Hands” tree in the store. Customers choose a tag for a local child affected by family violence, and they return a wrapped gift to the store. Merida also serves on their Board of Directors and volunteers time to help with their strategic and fundraising efforts.

Channel Marker Inc – This is an organization that helps individuals with mental illness or addiction issues live more independent lives. When Bountiful expanded and opened our new store, Merida said it donated 20% of sales from its opening party to Channel Marker.

Habitat for Humanity / Restore – Merida said Bountiful works extensively with its local chapter. It donates items it replaces in design projects, and Merida said Bountiful usually uses its own installation crew to gather materials and make the delivery, which helps stretch Habitat’s resources. “This approach also keeps more stuff out of the landfill, which is always good,” Merida noted.

To learn more about Bountiful Home, please visit their website.

ART Member Spotlight – carpenter + company

Feb 8, 2021 | ART Blog

Patti Carpenter – carpenter + company

New York, NY

The mission is to foster an under-acknowledged design community 

For ART member Patti Carpenter principal of carpenter + company and Global Ambassador for Maison et Objet and consultant for NYNOW, stepping out of her normal routine of trend watching and presentation to help others was a calling. Besides the many COVID discussions and how to navigate the changing trends and turbulent times for business, Carpenter was called upon often to comment and offer context. One of the conversations ultimately resulted in the forming of a new non-profit company, the Kaleidoscope Project.

The Kaleidoscope Project is the result of brainstorming by Carpenter and industry sales representative Amy Lynn Schwarzbard. It was founded by the pair with the later addition of Liz Nightingale. This non-profit company aims to address the inequities found in the creative design industries. Their first project is to renovate the historic Cornell Inn, a 28-guest room property nestled in the heart of the Berkshires in Lenox, Mass., which will host a showhouse-inspired exhibition open to the public May 16 to June 6, 2021
“Amy called me early on at the advent of the Black Lives Matter movement and we had this discussion,” Carpenter recalled. “She said she wanted to do something actionable and wanted me to participate. We landed on this model we have and formed a nonprofit company.”

For Carpenter, the chance to showcase a collection of designers who might not ordinarily get the spotlight was the perfect opportunity.   “We wanted to give a voice to those who aren’t often invited to the table at large for magazines to focus on or for showhouse participation,” Carpenter said.

The Kaleidoscope Project has invited 21 BIPOC (Black, Indigenous People of Color) designers to participate. The designers will tackle the main building and the carriage house, and unlike many showhouses, at the conclusion of the exhibition, the designs and products will remain and each room will be named for that particular designer.

The exhibit proceeds will be donated to the Black Artists + Designers Guild (BADG), Parsons School of Design, and New York School of Interior Design (NYSID) in support of their educational initiatives to assist Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) interested in an art or design career.

“It’s a fabulous project. In talking with sponsors, many of them are looking for ways to change how they’ve done business. They are becoming more diverse and adding a new range of designers with whom they work,” Carpenter said. “They love this. There are names on the designer list you’ll know but many you don’t know.”

Participating designers include Rhydima Brar of R/teriors; Everick Brown of Everick Brown Interior Design; Chanae of Oloro Interiors; Patti Carpenter of carpenter + co; Doreen Chambers of Doreen Chambers Interiors; Gail Davis of Gail Davis Designs; Rasheeda Gray of Gray Space Interiors; Rio Hamilton of Rio Hamilton Associates Inc; Linda Hayslett of LH. Designs; Johanna Howard of Johanna Howard Home; Nile Johnson of Nile Johnson Interior Design; Nikki Klugh of Nikki Klugh Design Group; Inc; Jennifer Owen of Designs by Jennifer; Purvi Padia; Dennese Guadeloupe Rojas of Interiors by Design; David Santiago of Casa Santi; Virginia Toledo of Toledo Geller; Denise Gordon, Tanya Lewis and Marilyn Lavergne of Austin Gray Group; Ianatha Carley of Iantha Carley Interiors and Christy Davis of Christy Davis Interiors who will modernize the centuries-old Main House and Carriage House with their distinct vision.

But the showhouse-exhibit isn’t all that Carpenter has been up to. Recently, she was co-emcee for the NYNow awards live show that was recorded.  And, she led a panel discussion with a group of diverse retailers on Feb. 10 at Shoppe Object and has done color and trend projects for ASID and FAIRE.   Carpenter has also been a frequent speaker for ART at conferences and ARTful Wednesdays.   She also works with individual companies to prepare product focused trend reports for sales tools.

For more information on The Kaleidoscope Project, please visit their website.

ART Member Spotlight – Classy Art

Jan 27, 2021 | ART Blog

Classy Art

Houston, TX

Philanthropy part of Classy Art’s mission

For ART member Classy Art, a big part of their corporate ethos is giving back.  CEO Gabriel Cohen shaved his head at High Point Market after raising money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  More recently, this Houston-based company has committed to donating a meal for every piece of wall décor it sells.

“This idea hit me while packing for market, I saw my pink suit hanging there, and I recognized that it wouldn’t fit after packing on my quarantine weight. I then realized that there was not going to be an official Pink Out Market day that normally occurs during October markets,” Cohen said. “So, it struck me that just because our attention has been diverted towards the pandemic, we shouldn’t forget about the struggle that so many women have faced long before COVID-19 and will face long after the virus is gone. Our founder, my mother, Biatriz Cohen and her sister are both breast cancer survivors, so this issue hits close to home for me, and I feel like most people have had some encounter at some level with this shattering diagnosis. While I was eager to raise a good amount of money, what I am really hoping for is to inspire others to take action as well.”
The challenge –  Let’s raise some money for the breast cancer cause and if we do, I’ll shave my head.   So on Oct. 19, 2020 at 6 p.m., after noting that their High Point Market fundraising effort had raised $3,600 (which the Houston-based wall art company matched), Cohen sat down in his company’s Center Point on Hamilton showroom and parted with his locks.

Cohen said since shaving his head, he has received plenty of outpouring from inside and outside the industry.  “That was fun but I do miss my hair. We received a nice handwritten thank you card and the people reaching out—I had no idea we had so many friends that were survivors,” Cohen said. “That was cool, but scary because of how many people it has impacted. It was nice to hear from everybody.”

The National Breast Cancer Foundation was hand selected by Cohen because the charity had one of the lowest salaried CEO as well as lowest administrative operating costs  leaving the majority of the funds for research and programs.

In this new year, Classy Art is at it again.  In early January, they announced that for each piece of art they sell, the company will donate one meal to the Million Meal Movement. This nonprofit, based in Indianapolis, has a two-fold vision: feeding the hungry and teaching the importance of volunteerism. They feed the hungry by working with food banks to deliver meals to more than 600 food pantries. They unite the community by empowering volunteers of all ages and backgrounds to make a difference through hands-on, high-energy meal packing events.

For more information about Classy Art, visit their website.

HEARTS Awards Auction Exceeds Fundraising Goal

Jan 22, 2021 | Press Releases

HEARTS Awards Auction Exceeds Fundraising Goal
—70+ plates reimagined by top influencers and celebrities garnered more than $10,000 for No Kid Hungry—

DALLAS / CHARLOTTE — January 21, 2021 — Dallas Market Center and ART, the creative home furnishings network, have announced that the HEARTS Awards auction exceeded its fundraising goal. The online auction, which featured more than 70 one-of-a-kind plates creatively transformed by artists, designers, celebrities, influencers, and special guests, raised more than $10,000 for No Kid Hungry, a national campaign to end child hunger.

Dallas Market Center extends gratitude to all of the associations and bidders who participated in the auction, and also to the large team of figures from the world of product design, interior design, and the arts who reimagined plates. Participants included Jane Seymour, Thom Filicia, Bobby Berk, Justina Blakeney, Thomas O’Brien, Jamie Drake, Libby Langdon, Adam Glassman (O, the Oprah Magazine), Julia Buckingham, Anna Bond (Rifle Paper Co.), Joe Ruggiero, Jeffrey Alan Marks, Jason Phillips (Phillips Collection), George Sellers (Global Views), Dann Foley, Alexander Julian, Bunny Williams, Barbara Barry, and Beatriz Ball. Special thanks also to Rosenthal for providing the plates for the silent auction and to Freightwire and Global Views for their generous donations to support the auction.

The top-earning plates were:

• “Piecemeal: Cotton Candy” by Alexander Julian, which raised $915

• “Cobalt Vase Plate” by Anna Bond, which raised $545

• “Boca Grande” by Kelly O’Neal; which raised $305

“Thank you to the organizations and individuals who worked so hard to help us raise funds and feed families,” said Sharon Davis, executive director of ART. “We look forward to hosting an in-person awards event this summer where we may gather together and celebrate leadership.”

“Generous artists and bidders helped us exceed our goal and providing relief to those in need during a challenging year,” said Cindy Morris, president and CEO of Dallas Market Center. “It is a tangible testament to the giving spirit of our industry community.”

Media sponsors included: Aspire Design and Home, Designers Today, D Home, Furniture Lighting & Décor, Furniture/Today, Furniture World, Gifts & Decorative Accessories, Home Accents Today, HFN, and Home Textiles Today.

The HEARTS Awards is a one-time special event being held in partnership and solidarity with thirteen leading industry organizations to honor thirteen companies that have shown outstanding leadership, empathy and service during the COVID-19 pandemic by going above and beyond in service to their industry and/or community. The celebratory event, which will pay homage to the “hearts and heroes” of 2020 will be held during June Total Home & Gift Market, and hosted by Carson Kressley and Thom Filicia.