To showhouse or not to showhouse?

In today's fickle economy, when we small retailers are trying to not only carve a niche for ourselves, but also create credibility with potential customers, sometimes it's necessary to consider promoting ourselves and our talents outside of the comfort zone of our stores.

As a retailer who also offers interior design services, there is no question the revenue from design jobs is what keeps our business thriving. Don't get me wrong: our regular customers who pop in for candles and fur throws and a good dose of gossip are always welcome, but the bottom line is that like many other retailers, high-dollar design jobs are a necessity to meet payroll and overhead. We know we have great portfolios and amazing talent. The question is: How do we showcase our true capabilities to a larger audience of consumers who can afford our services and our products? Enter the Decorator showhouse.

Decorator showhouses are fund-raisers for non-profit organizations, where the public pays to tour a totally decorated and landscaped mansion. The lucky designers who are selected to participate in any showhouse can present their talent to thousands of potential clients in a room they are assigned to decorate from top to bottom. Sounds like a win-win-win situation, right? The showhouse makes money from ticket sales; the designers can woo potential clients by creating rooms that show their talent and imagination, as well as sell the products in their room; potential clients can walk through and either dismiss or make a note of designers without scheduling a consultation.

But is all that glitters really gold?

I recently participated in one of the country's premier decorator showhouses, one sponsored by the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. When I moved my business to The Kentlands this past year, I knew it would be an unbelievable opportunity to promote our new location as well as our design services. Little did I know the hurdles I would have to jump not only to be accepted to participate, but the effort it would take to pull the whole thing off.

For those of you considering a showhouse, and a tip of my hat to the Got Milk? question, here are my pros and cons to consider:

• Got Thick Skin? There were 24 spaces available in the Washington showhouse and more than 500 applications. It's not true that only the top designers get in — the design panel is looking for continuity for the flow of the house as well as originality in design. However, whether you're a designer whose work is constantly splashed on the pages of shelter magazines or a fledgling, be prepared for criticism. Your room can make or break your reputation as a designer, and once the doors are open to the public, those French-manicured claws will either caress you like a kitten or slash you to bits. You have to be prepared for both.
  Pro? If 20,000 people see your work firsthand and only 1% like it, you have enough business for the next 10 years. Con? If you can't handle hearing direct criticism about your work (for dahling, everyone has an opinion!) your business may not be able to survive your inferiority complex. I heard everything from "it was the best room in the house" to "what was she thinking?" from patrons when they visited my room.
• Got Cash? There is nothing more exciting than getting that phone call from the Design Committee telling you that you have been selected for the showhouse, and nothing more depressing than hanging up the phone and trying to figure out how you're going to pay for it all. No, Virginia, there is not a showhouse Santa Claus. Contrary to popular belief, vendors do not just give you product to outfit your room. Granted, some may give you a generous discount toward product, but believe you me, from the yardage for the window treatments to the cost of installing the wallpaper, nothing in the Wonderful World of Showhouses is free. Gulp!
  When we pitched our design concept, we selected a room small enough to ensure our costs for outfitting it would be relatively low, yet we still spent more than $12,000 for product alone. Add into that figure the scads of additional business cards you must have for the room ($1,000), custom takeaway postcards printed with images of your room plus photography fees ($1,500), extra staffing for the space during private parties and weekends ($2,500), additional insurance, liability, advertising in the program book, etc. and you are easily at $20K even for the smallest room in the house. Don't get me wrong: everything in your room is technically for sale, with a percentage going to the charity, but even though we sold more than $3,000 of product, it didn't begin to cover our costs. According to my accountant, these costs are deductible, but you still have to spend out of pocket just to play in this league.
  I opted to design a child's room. My strategy was that it would take a lot to "diss" a darling kids room, and I used the added punch of designing a room for a boy, which is hardly ever seen in the showhouse circuit. My gamble paid off: not only was our room well received, it landed me a full page editorial in Washington Spaces magazine, a feature clip on the CBS Early Show (one of only three designers profiled nationally), an article in our beloved Home Accents Today, and coverage in an upcoming issue of Traditional Home magazine. The price of this free publicity for my business? Nothing to me, but it would have easily cost double what I invested had I bought the coverage through traditional means. Did I benefit from my hard work? You betcha!
  Pro? Your investment can really pay off if your design catches the eyes of the press who will attend. Not only is your investment deductible, you should recoup your investment and then some with future jobs. Con? If your room is not well received, or in an area that is not well trafficked, your investment may be for naught. Granted, you may be able to tout the fact that you were one of the showhouse participants, but honey, touting don't pay the bills.
• Got Stamina? If you think you are exhausted just running your business, try adding another entire workload. From the time you have been awarded a space to the time you have to have it completely installed, ready for photography and then the public, you've got about six weeks. Yep, that's not a typo. From getting custom furniture made and delivered to hanging wallcovering and window treatments, the frantic pace is not for the faint of heart. Not only are you under contract to produce your design under this timeframe, you have to make sure that your vendors are keeping up with their end of the bargain as well. This is not the time for backorders or freight delays. Aside from the general stress of trying to get the product in time, you have to dance around the other 24 designers and staffs when it comes to delivering product through the same front door that everyone in the house uses. I'll never forget the day when a certain diva caused my delivery truck to wait at the foot of the driveway for 45 minutes because she was "too busy" to move her SUV that was blocking the driveway. Yes, we have to grit our teeth, pick our battles and beg our employees to work extra hours to make our visions come to life, but in the long run it can be worth it.
  Pro? No matter what your age or your temperament, all the running up and down the stairs and the catfights that invariably ensue make you feel 20 years younger! Con? Is there ever a con when it comes to a catfight?

All joking aside, it is an honor to be invited to participate in a decorator showhouse. From Charlotte to Seattle, there is a myriad of amazing opportunities for retailers and designers alike to showcase their wares, their knowledge and their talent. For a lucky few it can catapult them into a realm that others only dream of. All it takes is a little tenacity, a belief in your talent, and the effort to make it all come to fruition. From our showhouse exposure, we have written more than $250,000 of business that we would not have gotten if we had not participated. For us it was well worth it, but as with any endeavor it's important to make sure your strengths can support your dreams.

For more insight about participating in a Showhouse, feel free to e-mail me at Lynni@Lynni.net. I may not be able to reply to everyone individually, but your input and experiences will be used in a follow-up column right here in HAT. Until then, keep your confidence high and your cash registers ringing all the way to the bank!