June 2021 | Issue 16
ONE BRAND ONE VOICE By Brad Cates
What a Market! We had more than 100 new pieces to show, and more exciting still, more than half of them are in stock today. Heading into High Point last week, we were certain that the key word would be “immediacy.” Across the board, the industry is still mired in challenges. While here in the U.S., we appear to be in control of the pandemic crisis, rather than the other way around, the news reports out of India, China and Vietnam with an entirely new variant spreading is not good. From a boots-on-the-ground standpoint, we know things are not progressing in a positive way. We also know that business, and how we conduct it, has changed over the past year, and from where I sit, we’re not ever going back to what we all considered “normal.” That said, we find ourselves in a unique position as an industry. People are paying more attention to their homes than ever before, they have more disposable income to make improvements to their living spaces, and here at Sarreid we’re determined to help them—and you—make it happen. We currently have some $8 million worth of product on order and in transit and containers are continually rolling in. And every time one arrives, whether it’s one or ten, we send our sales force a comprehensive list with photographs of everything that’s available to sell as of that moment. Like I said…immediacy!
Add a little bit of body text
Already our new designs are being very well received, and I’m excited to hear your feedback from your visit with us in the showroom. The first thing everyone noticed were the origami birds that welcomed you inside, created from watermarked papers that mimic our wood finishes. The next was the open and airy feel of a showroom poised to help you take flight. We have our friend Mickey Sharpe to thank for that. Since the lion’s share of our customer base is comprised of those in the design field, we thought it appropriate to have a working interior designer create the showroom presentation, and it was a wow. The showroom felt more open and expansive, with the sense of exploration and discovery you expect from Sarreid. Yet, because it was designed by someone who intimately understands the design business, the shopping experience, while inspiring, was also more efficient. To help everyone make the best use of their time in High Point, where once the showroom was peppered with a variety of brands— Encore, Rhapsody, Uffizi—now there is simply Sarreid. We’re speaking with one brand, one voice and one perspective, concentrating on making our whole home vision easy to understand and work with, working hard to ensure that no matter what country a product arrives from, it fits cohesively in the larger picture with finishes that coordinate work closely together across our entire line. Just like our origami birds, we’re ready to take off. Come fly with us!