The Digest | New Jersey Magazine
Issue link: https://magazines.vuenj.com/i/1546512
VUE: When you joined the company, what did you believe was already special about what Eli built and where did you see the opportunity to take it somewhere it's never been before? Ira: I think Eli looks at products differently than most people, and I noticed that from the first meeting I sat in. Most people, when they talk about products, talk about how many square feet can we sell, or how much of it can we sell, what is the price. And he does talk about those things, but he sees the customer in use. He sees where it's going to be used. He talks about it with a passion that's not quite the same as typical people talking about consumer products. I think the pairing of that mindset with my experience of rolling out retail experiences and scaling a business pairs really well together. When you go to visit one of our showroom locations, for example, in Manhasset, Long Island, next to the Americana, it's not sitting in an industrial products neighborhood, it's not sitting alongside other building materials. It's sitting alongside other luxury goods that people all over the world will recognize. We endeavor for a client's experience walking into our location to be equal to the experience they have when they walk into any of the other luxury goods stores that are right by us. VUE: I think so much thought and research goes into 'where is the next location,' and what's interesting is you're not following the pattern of 'this is the design district' or 'these are the five other home-interior-decor-design brands.' You're putting yourself in a place that's just a daily shopper's path. Ira: Yeah, in fact it's the contrary; if you tell us there's a design district, we probably don't want to be there. We're looking the opposite way. I think the same person who loves the pair of shoes they're wearing, or the watch that they're wearing, or the shirt they just bought, or the trip or the experience they're about to go on, also wants to walk into their home and love what's on their floor. Tile is an interesting product. Once you put it down, it doesn't come up very easily. You really do have to have a passion for it. V U E H A M P TO N S . C O M 7 9