Happy Friday from The Chaise Lounge. Today, Nick talks with Leslie Bowman, founder of The Design Bar, a company that runs a 7,000 square foot showroom with a constantly shifting inventory but also offers design services as well as construction and renovation all out of the same shop.
Accounting for taste
Bowman started her adult life by getting her undergraduate degree and becoming a certified public accountant. In her work as a CPA, she kept books for real estate developers and learned through exposure about construction and design until she discovered she had a flair for the design side as well.
She returned to school to get an interior design masters and built from there, using her talents in with both interiors and money to build a business that provides half a dozen services to people in need of interior-based help.
The showroom
Originally, the Design Bar was planning to rent more of an office space, but- while the plans were coming together- a local Burr Ridge showroom was about to close down after decades of operation, so Bowman lucked her way into a 7,000 square foot space to store an eclectic collection of furniture and accessories her business can use in its design projects as well as its retail function.
To see what sort of pieces go into Design Bar designs, check out the website
For years, our customers have been telling us it’s so fun and rare to work with an interior designer that also has a retail showroom open to the public. They love that whether they want to tap our services for a whole home remodel, re-freshen just one room or simply need a special gift or stylish home accessory they could stop by our store and find exactly what they want.
Chaise Lounge Updates
We’ll be covering Spring High Point Market 2019! Stay in the loop on our Instagram and Facebook pages and keep an eye our for our upcoming market events!
Our new podcast Coast to Coast Design is live! Give it a listen to learn about just how many ways there are to run a design business.
Resources
Upcoming Markets
Modernism Week – Feb 14 – 24, 2019
BD West – Mar 13-14, 2019
Design Influencers Conference – March 24 – 26, 2019
High Point Market – April 6 – 10, 2019
Wrap Up
If you would like to hear more episodes, please visit us on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app! We’d love it if you post a review, you may even hear your review read live on our next podcast. Also, find The Chaise Lounge on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. With that said, keep dreaming big, and keep designing a great design business. See ya!