DECEMBER 2021 ISSUE | NO. 22
Home for the Holidays NEW ARRIVALS ARE HERE
Home for
the Holidays
(and more) by: Brad Cates To paraphrase the popular holiday song, there’s definitely been no place like home this past year, and I’m proud and very grateful for all that the Sarreid team has been able to accomplish through this entire, record-breaking cycle. Yet as we all raise our glasses to strains of “Auld lang syne,” this year more than ever it will behoove us to remember the actual meaning of those words, which quite literally, translate from the Scots as “the good old times.” In other words, this is no time to be resting on our laurels, er, pine branches, because by all indications, business is finally beginning to normalize. While I’m thrilled that we gained unprecedented market share in 2021, we are working harder than ever to ensure that there will be plenty of fizz left in our glasses to tickle your fancy, as well as that of your clients’ and customers’ as we welcome 2022. Right now, we’ve got more product in development, more new product in purchase orders, than ever before. If your customer needs it now, if they want new and fresh, and something they haven’t seen before, then you can count on us to be your best partner. It should also be noted that we are not loading our sleighs with singles. Everything is backed up with available stock, and that means that anyone who wants to do business now, who wants to be able to say “Yes!” to their customers and make their holiday wishes come true, needs to be checking the Sarreid website daily to find out what’s new and ready to fly. Again, thank you all for an extraordinary year, and here’s wishing you the merriest. As the big man in the red suit might say, “Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!”
NEW & IN STOCK
IT'S A 2021 CHRISTMAS MIRACLE! VIEW OUR UPDATED NEW PRODUCT PORTFOLIO
New Product Portfolio
Curves Ahead Ask anyone who attended the last High Point Market....contemporary curves are hot! From upholstery to casegoods, curvy silhouettes were everywhere. Our New Jonas Wine Cupboard is sleek with its sliding door fronts and brass ferrules. It is Made from reclaimed Pine and finished in either Stone Grey (shown) or Antique White. #53685-1 64"w x 19"d x 34"h
Textured Sage Our Signature Sage finish continues to be on trend. We have expanded our offerings to include the most extraordinary designs to date.The Peyton 2 Door Commode is just one of many new introductions to round out the year 2021. Made from Pine and available in Sage or Antique White. #53577-4 50"w x 18"d x 43"h
New Dining Tables Sarreid and Dining are synonymous! From our formal Jupe Tables to our more rustic farmhouse tables... Sarreid will always have the style you need. We cannot wait to see the designs you create with the Andre Dining Table. Made from Reclaimed Pine in a natural finish. #53690 79"w x 31"d x 31"
Crisp White We have seen plenty of white furniture in the last few years, but now it is all about the details. For example, the Victor Side Table is anything but plain.... custom carving makes this small piece an attention grabber. Made from Reclaimed Pine and finished in Antique White. #53687-3 24"w x 20"d x 24"h
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
with Don Dilauro
Though many in the home furnishings business readily acknowledge the connection between apparel fashion and home fashion, few can speak to the parallels between the industries quite like manufacturer’s representative Don DiLauro Jr., who serves as the face of Sarreid for retailers and designers in the Sunshine State. Those who know him well understand that’s because while Don has called Florida home for the past two decades, he got his start in the New England area as a regional merchandise coordinator for Ralph Lauren. In fact, fresh out of school he specifically catered to large retail accounts in the men’s sales division of the storied fashion house with names like Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, where he served as the in-store rep in the famed 59th Street store. And, given that the brand’s namesake himself lived on the Upper East Side back then, it was not at all unusual for Lauren himself to often appear in the department unannounced. Suffice it to say, the young executive was exposed to the fast pace and excitement of the New York fashion scene and fell in love. Literally actually, and (long story short) that’s how he ended up in Naples, FL in the early ‘00s, representing a well-known contemporary home collection. Sadly, the personal relationship that brought him South didn’t last long, but it actually led to DiLauro finding his true passion, which turned out to be the home furnishings business. “I was drawn to home furnishings because it was an offshoot of the fashion world, and quite similar in that it’s easy to get really excited about selling beautiful things, and goods that improve someone’s life. At the same time, I’m very fortunate to work with great people in a vibrant and busy region. What I love about Florida is that from tip to tip it’s completely different. You can be in Boca, and drive to Delray barely a mile away and the demographic is completely different.
Or, go to Miami, just two hours from where I am in Naples, and you find a whole different international culture.” That is one reason why he’s so fond of his relationship with Sarreid. “Florida is such a diverse landscape and what immediately attracted me to the company is that the line had so much variety— from the clean-lined, higher-end Jupe tables and our multi-finish program, to the antique reproductions in really complex finishes that are our wheelhouse—I can literally open my bag in any area of the State and have something wonderful to offer and a great story to tell.” The power of story was something DiLauro understood early on, interacting with the fashion icon who is arguably one of the best storytellers in the business. “ Ralph wasn’t actually doing anything new. It was all about taking things from the past, pulling it together and telling a story of a lifestyle that he himself wished he had as a kid. It’s well known that he loved the movies, and he essentially pulled together elements of things that he perceived as super luxurious, that he aspired to as a kid growing up, and then he told the story in a way that everyone got on board.”
Don’t be surprised then, in the rare quiet moments inside the Sarreid showroom at Market, to find DiLauro deep in discussion with product people and designers. “Success today requires a design-oriented, productoriented vocabulary, and I love the product, the process and picking the brains of the product developers and designers when I see them at Market, because I want to be able to effectively translate the stories to my customers. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a beautiful fabric, or a species of wood, the romance is what sells the goods, especially at Sarreid’s level. The consumer or client wants to be able to share what makes the product extraordinary with their dinner guests….’Oh, that tabletop? Well, it’s made from a fossilized shell that was underneath the earth for a million years, and then they dug it up, and veneered and polished it,’ and so on.” In the end, DiLauro says, “What makes Sarreid truly stand apart is that there is so much soul to the line, and the firms that I work with feel a connection to the company that extends far beyond the product. Really, it’s the most collaborative company I work with. Everyone tells their reps they want feedback, but Sarreid actually listens to the people on the front lines. There is always someone on the other end of the phone every time you call, and they are all dialed in, ready and willing to help. That’s rare.”
“What makes Sarreid truly stand apart is that there is so much soul to the line, and the firms that I work with feel a connection to the company that extends far beyond the product."
The Casual Jupe Table is a Florida Favorite #78-184-5
Warmest Wishes
TO YOU AND YOURS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
WITH LOVE,
YOUR SARREID FAMILY
Jodi's Famous Pound Cake Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease bundt pan with Crisco and 3 Sticks Butter all-purpose flour. Cream together 3 Cups Sugar butter and sugar. In a separate bowl 3 Eggs mix dry ingredients (cake flour, 1 1/2 cups Sour baking powder, and salt). Add eggs Cream one at a time to the butter mixture . 1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Add vanilla. Alternate adding sour 3 cups cake flour cream and dry ingredient mixture. 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Pour in pan and bake for 1 hour. Let Powder stand for 10 minutes before 1 1/2 tsp. Salt removing from pan.
Ingredients: