iDesign Lab Podcast Open

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The following podcast iDesign Lab is an SW Group production in association with Five Star and TW Interiors . This is iDesign Lab , a podcast where creativity and curiosity meet style and design . Curator of interiors , furnishings and lifestyles . Hosted by Tiffany Woolley , an interior designer and a style enthusiast , along with her serial entrepreneur husband Scott , idesign Lab is your ultimate design podcast where we explore the rich and vibrant world of design and its constant evolution in style and trends . Idesign Lab provides industry insight , discussing the latest trends , styles and everything in between to better help you style your life , through advice from trendsetters , designers , influencers , innovators , fabricators and manufacturers , as well as personal stories that inspire , motivate and excite . And join us on this elevated , informative and lively journey into the world of all things design .

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We're excited to welcome Luis Carrillo , a true leader in the home furnishings industry with over 35 years of experience as the exclusive representative for Hickory Chair . Luis has made a significant impact on design . Originally from Havana and raised in Miami , he graduated from the University of Miami in 1982 and began his career at Robert Allen Fabrics . A devoted family man , he's been married to Yvette for 38 years and is proud of his two adult children , katrina and Luis III , who partners with him at Hickory Chair . Luis also celebrates 17 years of sobriety and holds a master's in counseling psychology , which he earned summa cum laude in 2015 . Join us as we explore his inspiring journey and insights on design and personal . Growth us as we explore his inspiring

iDesign Lab Podcast Welcomes Luis Carrillo

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journey and insights on design and personal growth .

Tiffany Woolley

Today we would like to welcome Louie Carrillo to the iDesign Lab podcast Welcome .

Luis Carrillo

Thank you so much . It's a pleasure to be here .

Tiffany Woolley

I know it's going to be a great conversation , so looking forward to this . We know Louie from Hickory Chair , but he has a very rich life that we're going to learn about , obviously through the eyes of design and we're going to have you start and tell us a little bit about yourself .

Luis Carrillo

I'd love to Thank you so much for having us and it was funny how we connected at market I know , and got the ball rolling and I went . Well , this is going to be great . I hope I hear from them and boom , there you were , scott . You followed up beautifully . Thank you so much . You know , mike , we had a great conversation .

Tiffany Woolley

We did we really did .

Scott Woolley

We walked away and we both were saying we enjoyed the conversation . Well , thank you .

Luis Carrillo

Thank you . You know life is funny . You never really know . You know you wake up and you try to do the best that you can every day and there's going to be challenges , but they're all opportunities to be challenged yourself and to grow and to surrender as well . I've had a lot of those in my life . But you know I started in this business .

Luis Carrillo

This was not a plan right you know it's gonna be a question yeah yeah , it was like , okay , how did you get started in this ? Well , my girl , my , my sister's boyfriend was in the textile business okay and there was an opening . He was expanding and taking over some international business and they needed a rep for a date in Broward County , and this was before Robert Allen . I applied for the job , I liked it and that was my start and I was there .

Scott Woolley

Have you ever thought you would go in that direction ? Career-wise Textiles yeah .

Luis Carrillo

What are textiles ?

Luis Carrillo

Right you know my grandmother would sew . That's the only textiles in what we wear , right , you know ? And it was interesting because they were I don't know if you remember the company Barrow they were out of . That was before my Robert Allen experience . That was like getting to the big leagues getting to Robert Allen , but you , you know , you had to pay your dues and right , and so we were selling to upholsterers and drapery work rooms and and that was an interesting job , you know , all of a sudden you go into an upholstery shop and where are my catalogs ? Oh , they're under the six layers of dust over in that corner so it was .

Luis Carrillo

You learned how to do the business right , you know , and I learned such a very important rule that to this day , I did into effect on a regular basis , and that's show up and follow up .

Tiffany Woolley

Mm-hmm .

Luis Carrillo

If you show up and then you follow up , you're going to be successful .

Tiffany Woolley

Yeah .

Luis Carrillo

In this business of repping Right , you know , which is what I've done for over 35 years now did you initially like enjoy getting into the textile industry ?

Scott Woolley

was it a big learning curve or well , you know , first scott it .

Luis Carrillo

Yeah , I didn't know anything about it because and there's so much about it the construction of textiles you know , the warps and the weft , the fabric , what ? Kind of language ? What's a warp ?

Scott Woolley

What's a ?

Luis Carrillo

weft .

Scott Woolley

What is a warp ? I don't even know what that is .

Luis Carrillo

So they do warps . It's the direction of the yarns , how they come on , because when you're running fabric at a mill , especially wovens , you use the same basic yarns and then you can change patterns by the weft yarns that come in on the sides so you can run . You can run a warp for 5 , 10 , 15 different patterns . All you do is you change the interweaving , the weft yarns , and that's what will change colors and pattern . So the first time I went to a weaving's , what will change colors and pattern ? So I mean , the first time I went to a weaving mill , what's here was Valdez Weavers in .

Tiffany Woolley

Georgia .

Luis Carrillo

It was amazing , wow , and I didn't do it until yeah , I did it when I was at Robert Allen . It was just an amazing experience . It's different than a printing facility . Printing is just screens and the cloth is already woven and then you're just applying color and pattern onto it . When you're weaving fabrics , you know jacquards .

Tiffany Woolley

I know and layering .

Luis Carrillo

It's a beautiful thing . So I had to learn about all that it's an art and the structure and the tensile strength . And I learned it really well with Barrow because they had a piece goods division and a cut yardage division . What that means piece goods was all about selling rolls of fabric to people . Okay , bolts .

Luis Carrillo

Bolts people who would either warehouse them in their store , their manufacturing facility I was just thinking before I got here . There's a gentleman that I'm still in contact with . His name is Perry Solomon and Perry was the president of White Craft for a Tan back in the day . And Perry , he was very open first people ever to purchase a tropical pattern tapestry to be used on luxury outdoor furniture , and we're still friends to this day After all those years . He ran Pavilion Furniture for a while .

Luis Carrillo

And I repped Pavilion and he's at Woodard now . So he's been in the business 50 years , Great guy . But I was just thinking about Perry and how we're still connected . You know , this is such a business of relationships .

Tiffany Woolley

It is .

Luis Carrillo

And lifelong relationships , because once you're in , you're in .

Scott Woolley

Right .

Luis Carrillo

You know , when I was with the fabrics , furniture was something that was far-fetched .

Tiffany Woolley

I was going to say was it on your radar or you were just ?

Scott Woolley

So who were you selling to ? Were you selling as a rep ? You were selling the fabrics . Fabrics textiles .

Luis Carrillo

But who were you selling to ? To interior designers mainly . Now Did they give ?

Scott Woolley

you like a list of contacts , or did you just have to find well , your leads and who you're going to sell to yourself , or we're hunters yeah we're always hunting , there's always some , there's always prey out there .

Luis Carrillo

Yeah , you know , we sure there there was a core , because it was a commission only job oh yeah I've been commissioned only for been commission-only for 30-plus years .

Tiffany Woolley

Isn't that amazing , and I wouldn't have it any other way ? No , and it's almost like you're independently your own boss , essentially as well . I mean , you're an entrepreneur .

Luis Carrillo

Well , it's exactly . I'm running my own business within the parameters that I'm given by the company . Like you've got to stay within these territorial limits . I love that You've got to stay within these territorial limits .

Tiffany Woolley

I love that .

Scott Woolley

It's capitalism Right , so you have to design your day to be diligent enough to bring in business and not kind of waste your time or your day Absolutely . Going to a job where you've got a boss and they're telling you what to do . Yeah .

Luis Carrillo

Let's see Like , for example , this A lot of self-discipline . This trip here , I'm doing this with you I this trip here , I'm doing this with you I'm going to see three other clients that are in the area .

Scott Woolley

Okay .

Luis Carrillo

Why not ?

Tiffany Woolley

Right .

Luis Carrillo

I'm here , you know . Go back to rule one show up and follow up Right right , that's really what it is , and you do have to prospect not as much as in the past , I've been with two great brands , which is Robert Allen and Hickory Chair .

Tiffany Woolley

And when I was with Robert Allen I became a multi-line rep the second half of my career there and is Robert Allen . I know it's not any longer , but when you became the rep for Robert Allen , obviously it was in Fabric , which was your familiar place at that time , and then going on to become a multi-line rep . How do other manufacturers feel bringing on other lines ? Do they give you that parameter or do they ?

Luis Carrillo

Well , that's a real good question , and it all depends on how important that one line is to you .

Tiffany Woolley

Okay .

Luis Carrillo

Why did I take on other lines ? Because Robert Allen was the General Motors of high-end cut yardage .

Tiffany Woolley

I'm going to dive into that in a minute , but yeah , finish .

Luis Carrillo

So when they venture capitalists came in that whole deal , let's buy several companies , have them under one central control , minimize overhead and be able to still do what we do , but do it at a lower cost , whatever that is .

Interior Design Trade Showroom Insights

Luis Carrillo

When all that started happening , robert Allen started to lose a little bit of its edge . Robert Allen started to lose a little bit of its edge . So for 10 , 12 of my 20 years at Robert Allen , I didn't need another line . The line provided sufficiently for my family .

Tiffany Woolley

Right .

Luis Carrillo

Now , when that line started decreasing in its ability to capture market , because I could go out there and do all of my , all the things that I do , but if we're not coming up with new product , if we're not being innovative , if we're losing our market share because of our efforts , then that's when I went to management .

Luis Carrillo

I go hey , listen , guys this is what I did last year , this is how we're tracking this year and this is what I did two years ago . We're going in the opposite direction . I need to feed my family and as long as it's not competing if it was another fabric line , they'd have issues with it . I wouldn't need to let them know and I just notify them . I'm telling you this is what I'm doing . If they have a problem with it , then they can tell me .

Scott Woolley

So how do you go out and find other lines to rep or know who's looking ?

Luis Carrillo

for new reps , organically , I'm sure . So I went to High Point .

Tiffany Woolley

There you go .

Luis Carrillo

I was overwhelmed , I was like a kid in a candy store .

Tiffany Woolley

Oh my goodness .

Luis Carrillo

And I really had no purpose . It was more about the experience . So I didn't make any contacts during that time because it was just too much and it's almost like I needed a game plan .

Tiffany Woolley

Reconnaissance . So what I did ? Yes , Taking it all in .

Luis Carrillo

I was just absorbing it . There's so much more out there , yeah . So I came back to Miami and I went to the trade showrooms that I had really good relationships with that carried multiple lines and they had a relationship with me . So who better to refer me to a line than someone that I've been working with for many years ? So that's how it happened . Someone would ask somebody hey , I'm looking for someone in Florida . Now my territory was unique because a lot of furniture reps and this I think , was interesting , also a little niche for me . I only did Dade Broward in the Keys for Robert Allen . I also did international for them . I traveled Central South America and the Caribbean , but that business kind of dwindled with the high value of the dollar . So that was an . I was involved in international finance .

Luis Carrillo

I didn't know it because our currency made a big impact on their ability to buy our product . So just having Dade Broward in the Keys as a territory allowed some manufacturers to say you know something , we want to do a little niche here . Let's carve out this little piece . The rep may be living in Orlando and doing you know northern territories , or living in West Palm or Naples and not wanting a desire to come down to Miami . You know Miami and Broward you know you better bring your passport .

Tiffany Woolley

Yeah , it's kind of its own world . Exactly , it's its own territory .

Luis Carrillo

It's a crazy system down there . I mean , they often refer to it as the Banana Republic also down there but it was an opportunity for them to step out and try something new and it worked . I probably had at one time about 10 different lines wow , but the majority of the revenue was coming from three , you know . Or the 80 20 rule 20 of your business comes from 80 from , uh , 80 of your business from 20 of your customers . Right , and it worked kind of the same way , but it was . It was a great way to get into the door right Right .

Scott Woolley

And basically all this time you're really just dealing with interior decorators .

Luis Carrillo

Yes , interior designers , trade showrooms Trade showrooms are very important .

Tiffany Woolley

So what's a trade showroom Like ? Explain that to our viewers or listeners .

Scott Woolley

Would that be like a Lee Parker ?

Tiffany Woolley

No .

Scott Woolley

No , okay .

Luis Carrillo

Lee .

Tiffany Woolley

Parker is like a workroom , not a- .

Luis Carrillo

A trade showroom Dakota .

Tiffany Woolley

Right and which . I was hoping you would bring up Dakota .

Luis Carrillo

For example , century who ? Is our parent company has a trade showroom there . Yes , so trade showrooms , and they're throughout major metropolitan areas . There's a couple in New York , 200 Lex in the D&D building . La has got a big one . Houston I think Dallas has a big one , so there are places where companies that don't sell directly to retail consumers display their products to be sold through interior designers .

Scott Woolley

Right , okay .

Luis Carrillo

Their partners are the interior design industry , the interior designer that's going to buy below retail .

Tiffany Woolley

Right .

Luis Carrillo

And market up .

Tiffany Woolley

And personalize it .

Scott Woolley

So the average consumer does not realize that Correct . The average person thinks interior designer , interior decorator is too expensive or they're going to be expensive , but doesn't realize that it's a lot of value .

Luis Carrillo

Well , you know there's First . You're going to have access to lines that you didn't .

Tiffany Woolley

Hickory chair is not available , you can shop it , you can romance it online , but you can't buy it online and can't customize it .

Luis Carrillo

So you can only get it through a design professional .

Scott Woolley

Right .

Luis Carrillo

And there's a lot of lines like that , contrary to the European models that like to manufacture and sell direct , like Roche-Boubois .

Tiffany Woolley

Okay , yes .

Luis Carrillo

They're all about branding , but who are they selling to ?

Tiffany Woolley

Consumers .

Luis Carrillo

And consumer .

Tiffany Woolley

Yeah .

Luis Carrillo

They don't even offer a trade program .

Tiffany Woolley

Oh , I know .

Luis Carrillo

So it all depends which way you want to go . We've always as a company , hikotier was very innovative in many things that it did . It was one of the first companies to shift gears from retail to interior designers , because we kind of saw that the retail business it's a difficult business because you know as a manufacturer you come up with 10 sets and you got to make 100 of each and have them available . So then you're going to sell them at market to all these different retail stores and if it doesn't sell , you're stuck with the product . So they even changed the way they made business that they made furniture .

Luis Carrillo

We make parts and then assemble . Make furniture to orders one at a time , as opposed to doing multiple units . Correct , but that only works if you're selling to interior designers .

Tiffany Woolley

The high-end , yeah , the high-end .

Scott Woolley

It's one of the reasons I keep saying this on this podcast and why we started this podcast is to really try to help educate consumers the value that an interior designer , interior decorator , brings to the table . When you're going and redoing your home , or you just bought your first home , they should be thinking about going to an interior designer because at the end of the day , they most likely will save money , time and have a much better product than just gawking into a furniture store . It's like this chair . This is what they're goingawking into a furniture store .

Scott Woolley

It's like this chair . This is what they're going to sell in the furniture store . But go to a hickory . You can change the fabric , you can change the this chair can be done in so many different .

Tiffany Woolley

Literally a limitless skew .

Luis Carrillo

Correct . You can do the outside , the outarms and outbacks , in one fabric . You can do the wealth in a different . You can do the in arms and in backs .

Tiffany Woolley

The sizing . I mean you can do all kinds of things Leather , fabric combinations .

Scott Woolley

And people . The average person out there doesn't understand it . It doesn't realize it , it doesn't know that .

Luis Carrillo

It's an extremely value-added service that interior designers bring to the quality of a home . Now we moved up to Vero Beach from Miami .

Tiffany Woolley

Okay .

Luis Carrillo

And my house is a little hickory chair showroom .

Tiffany Woolley

Right .

Luis Carrillo

Okay .

Tiffany Woolley

That's a perk .

Luis Carrillo

We did some little touch-ups on paints here and there , but the furniture speaks .

Tiffany Woolley

Right .

Luis Carrillo

Okay , I'm going to say it my house looks like a little model .

Tiffany Woolley

Right .

Luis Carrillo

It looks gorgeous , beautiful , and people come in and they go , wow , now my wife has got great taste . She's always had great taste . When I first got into textiles I was a blue , red , white and black guy . You know the basic colors . I think we're very similar .

Tiffany Woolley

This industry can only make you love and appreciate multitudes of the myriad of what's available . I mean you want more .

Luis Carrillo

And so she taught me more about color . Was she ever in the business . She's always been very artistically inclined and when I started with Robert Allen , I got to the point where we were able to hit certain goals and they were able to help me bring her on board .

Tiffany Woolley

Really .

Luis Carrillo

Well , we had an incentive . I love that If you hit this goal , we're going to pay you more commission so that you can bring in your wife , so she can handle more administrative work for you so you can be out there and doing what you do best , which is be in front of clients , right .

Scott Woolley

So you moved to Vero Beach from Miami .

Luis Carrillo

Yes .

Scott Woolley

But when I think about that , I think about A . It's beautiful in Vero Beach , but it's not like it is in Miami or Dade County in terms of the population and the amount of interior decorators and designers .

Tiffany Woolley

Oh you'd be , surprised decorators and designers oh , you'd be surprised , were you ? Well , am I wrong ? No , you're absolutely right

The Heritage of Hickory Chair

Tiffany Woolley

.

Scott Woolley

Timing it again brings a huge I mean , I listened to tiffany and she keeps on talking about we need to start doing more north , more north , more north .

Luis Carrillo

Well , okay , hickory chair is . It's not your grandmother's hickory chair anymore , right we have that we should talk about that I know .

Tiffany Woolley

I do want to talk about that .

Luis Carrillo

We have a lot of that , but what's happened is Miami and Fort Lauderdale is very contemporary .

Tiffany Woolley

I know I say they're not into the heirloom furniture anymore .

Luis Carrillo

No , they're not . Legacy is not part of their vocabulary .

Tiffany Woolley

They're a quick fix , okay .

Luis Carrillo

I'm going to share Cold . I they're a quick fix and I'll . Okay . I'm going to share Cold . I'll share a little story .

Tiffany Woolley

Yeah , okay .

Luis Carrillo

And I know not directly , I was not involved but a furniture retailer in Miami has been there for many , many years and he had a client and the construction of the home was probably I don't know $7 to $8 million Okay . Right , and beautiful chandeliers , beautiful artwork , but when it came down to the furnishings , the budget was $250,000 . That doesn't fit , no , but because there's no value attached to heirloom furniture .

Luis Carrillo

I know I can sell the house . I can sell the Rolex . I can sell the Ferrari I'm going to look nice with my $20,000 purses . I can sell those too but furniture I don't put the same value in it . It is amazing . It's almost like a short-mindedness . I don't know if it has to do with the fact that in Miami in particular maybe Broward there's a lot of new money . There's pockets of old money . But when you go to places like Vero Beach , palm Beach , that's money , that's been around .

Tiffany Woolley

I mean and I'm not talking snob , I'm talking the appreciation of quality , well-made pieces that are going to last for several lifetimes and people who set a table and people who truly entertain at home , and you know that's like the heirloom qualities that I mentioned . I struggle with that even here with clients . You know people want things quickly People . You know , when I started in this business , I was only doing complete custom , all high end . Doing complete custom , all high end .

Tiffany Woolley

And then , just as business changed and I started doing younger families who were just getting started , you know some of them couldn't understand or grasp and I would say I would come home , scott , I'm like these people . They spend this much to send their kids to school , they spent this much on a car , this much on , you know , traveling and like how can you know a five thousand dollar sofa be so out of the realm when you're living and sitting on it every single day ? The good news is I do think that I see the younger generation actually kind of pivoting and coming back . The whole grand millennial , uh , aesthetic is a thing and I kind of feel like we get to play into that and bring hickory along , at least in our firm .

Luis Carrillo

I look at myself as a consumer of furnishings , and my taste did not become as sophisticated as it is today until I was a little older .

Tiffany Woolley

Where I was appreciating things a little more .

Luis Carrillo

It was more about okay , what's my budget First , what are my needs ?

Tiffany Woolley

Yeah .

Luis Carrillo

And then what's my budget and how can I match those together and find something that's decent ? Now , most of that furniture I don't have anymore because I wasn't able to purchase the pieces at that time .

Tiffany Woolley

Right .

Luis Carrillo

Now , I'm not able to buy them now either . I just get them at a great price .

Tiffany Woolley

Price yeah , that's the perks .

Luis Carrillo

My budget is not my client's client's budget , but that's all right it is . We're here to satisfy those needs anyway .

Tiffany Woolley

Yes .

Luis Carrillo

But you know the services of an interior designer , and these are the things that I think are extraordinary . It's the layering .

Tiffany Woolley

It really the layering of the textures .

Luis Carrillo

Oh , that's what makes it , and we see it all the time .

Tiffany Woolley

I know .

Luis Carrillo

You know , we've had the pleasure sometimes of being involved with installs or getting photos from the final installation . With installs or getting photos from the final installation , and it's just that , layering those minute details that make such an incredible difference .

Tiffany Woolley

Right .

Luis Carrillo

You know , and those are kind of the things that we also offer with Hickory Chair .

Tiffany Woolley

Right .

Luis Carrillo

That you can really make a one-of-a-kind piece .

Tiffany Woolley

Were you involved with Hickory Chair and Robert Allen at the same time ?

Luis Carrillo

No , okay , it was a God incidence that I got involved .

Tiffany Woolley

A heaven wink .

Luis Carrillo

Absolutely . I got involved with Hickory Chair , you know , when I was at Robert Allen . For all those years , henrodown was the brand that you wanted to work for .

Tiffany Woolley

Other people said that .

Luis Carrillo

Just because of the volume . And Henrodown was made in the USA . They were that high-end quality . Well , they went offshore .

Voice Over

Hickory Chair stayed in the States .

Luis Carrillo

It didn't go anywhere . So I started to learn more about Hickory Chair . So I ended my relationship with Robert Allen and I'm out seeing a client and I'm talking to the client and letting him know . Yeah , you know , ended with Robert and I just wasn't working out for either one of us so it was time to go . But if you know of anybody you know , let me know . So we're chatting . You know , talk about relationships . These me know , right . So we're chatting . It's all about relationships . These have become friends . And then comes a gentleman that looks familiar but I didn't know , and he's saying goodbye to the owners of the business , telling them listen , this is my last month .

Luis Carrillo

It's been great working with you for all these years , but my fiancee has put her foot down and I have to move to Atlanta to be with her full time . So if you know of anybody , let me know , and I happen to be sitting amongst them , standing right there . They pointed me and I raised my hand like if I was in second grade .

Luis Carrillo

I'm available . Wow , that was with Hickory , that was with Hickory Chair . That happened towards the end of March and I interviewed in my things a little bit before market and after market and I started May 15th . So tell us about Hickory Chair .

Scott Woolley

What's the history behind it ? It's made in the States , it's North Carolina , correct ?

Luis Carrillo

Yes , sir , well , the company started off in 1911 .

Tiffany Woolley

Really the same facility that it's at right now , so it's over 100 years old .

Luis Carrillo

Absolutely , and we were called Hickory Chair because the only thing that we made was a chair . That was it . Other people made the tables . It was that specific the manufacturing , and we've been around since 1911 . So imagine all the things that the company has been through

Legacy of Hickory Chair Furniture

Luis Carrillo

.

Tiffany Woolley

Family owned and operated . We've had several owners . Okay .

Luis Carrillo

And we went from that family ownership privately held to investments . Okay , Remember Furniture Brands International when they did all the conglomerate buy ? Yeah , we were part of that group . And then Heritage Home Group bought us from them . And now we're back to furniture people .

Tiffany Woolley

Okay .

Luis Carrillo

People , that a family , the Shuford family .

Tiffany Woolley

Okay , right , we've heard of the— .

Luis Carrillo

Alex Shuford and his family third generation furniture folks . I mean they when they came in to speak to us the day that I went I went to bed one night at market working for a company .

Luis Carrillo

Overnight I was unemployed and I woke up an independent contractor for another one . Wow , it was insane , wow . So Alex came to talk to us and he said something very interesting . He said you know , we have a responsibility to people . At the time , hickory Chair , I think , had like 450 , 400-some-odd employees and I think as a company I think they were a century and their companies had over 1,000 . So there was a lot of responsibility . And he said you know , we know that there are years where we're going to make money , there are years we're going to break even and there are going to be years where we make , lose money . But we're here for the long run . We have a responsibility to our neighbors , to the families that provide for us and the services that they do , and so we're in this for the long run that they do , and so we're in it . We're in this for the long run .

Luis Carrillo

And very sharp people , very conservative , brilliant hmm , I mean so Hickory chair , which was , which is an heirloom brand correct it's now . It's probably one of the best furniture manufacturing families that we can ever have dreamed of being with .

Tiffany Woolley

Where did the Shuford family start ?

Luis Carrillo

Well Century .

Tiffany Woolley

Century okay .

Luis Carrillo

Century , so they are Rockhouse Farms .

Tiffany Woolley

Yeah , Rockhouse Farms .

Luis Carrillo

Rockhouse Farms family of brands . Right Is a holding company that owns Century Hickory Chair , highland House , maitland Smith .

Tiffany Woolley

Hancock .

Luis Carrillo

Moore , Cabot Wren , which is a contract line , and Jessica Charles .

Tiffany Woolley

Wow .

Luis Carrillo

And you really have a good , better best menu of brands . You really have a good , better , best menu of brands , so it's nicely diversified their portfolio and we're treated as a family of brands .

Tiffany Woolley

I know you feel that actually between even your reps . They all feel that and that's like the feeling that you have when you're in market too .

Luis Carrillo

Yeah we're all friendly , but you know , you've heard of sibling rivalries right . So that does exist . We want to get the one up on our siblings , but don't come against us if you're not a sibling , because then we will . You know , get together and attack the enemy , if you will , I would think that hickory is probably their jewel . I would say so . You know we're different . Century is an amazing company . They have a much broader offering than we do . Highland House is also a great company .

Tiffany Woolley

Love .

Luis Carrillo

Highland House . Yeah , you know , they do some beautiful things , hickory Cherry . We they do some beautiful things , hickory Cherry . We just do some unique pieces that at a capacity that is really unique to us . You know when .

Scott Woolley

But everything is custom correct , Everything is made to order .

Luis Carrillo

Everything is made to order . Over 90% of the products are made there in Hickory . We do import , outsource some items , things that have stone or metal . All of our case goods . No one does case goods in the States anymore . Most of the case , goods are imported and finished in the States .

Scott Woolley

How big is the line ?

Luis Carrillo

Oh goodness , scott , that's a difficult question In the hundreds of items , oh , thousands .

Tiffany Woolley

Really .

Luis Carrillo

No , and then you have the all different the partner brands .

Tiffany Woolley

Yeah , like with the designers .

Luis Carrillo

Or the alliterations of a piece , because if I can make the sofa from a chair to 120 inches and everything in the middle , those are all different skews . If you are one skew but different alliterations of it yeah , I would say thousands , on a yearly basis .

Scott Woolley

From a design standpoint , is there a lot of new designs or new things coming out ? Oh , yeah , and is , is , is , but is it like the things that are going to be coming out this year , in 2025 , were they created in the order of last year , three years ago ? Because some companies are two , three years ahead . Oh , absolutely .

Luis Carrillo

For example , there are collections that are in the works for 26 , april 26 and october 26 . Uh , you have to be that far ahead , right ? Because , don't forget , it's not only , it's not only the design . Then you have to do the engineering and then you have to do , you know , the , your , your mock-ups , your , your prototypes for market right and then , and then we are . We're furniture snobs , scott , we're gonna . If it doesn't , if anybody that's involved with many making that piece does not give the thumbs up , it doesn't , it doesn't go into production . Okay .

Luis Carrillo

So we , we , the so it's got a layer , a lot of layers of design in terms of approval well , from from the guy guy who springs up the spring decks , from the guy who does the upholstery , from the ladies and the gentlemen who do all the sewing . All those people are involved in the process how the fabric is laid out . You know , this is looking good , this seam should be a little better . So everyone has a say in the piece before okay , we're . Okay , you get all thumbs up from all departments . Now we can move forward .

Scott Woolley

So do they bring you or reps like you involved ? Do you think you can sell this ? What do you think they can ?

Luis Carrillo

Well , that happens at market , At market okay .

Tiffany Woolley

At market . Do they get feedback after market ?

Luis Carrillo

Do you ?

Tiffany Woolley

strategize amongst each other .

Luis Carrillo

Tuesday at our wrap-up meeting , we go through all the new introductions as a team and we will give the thumbs up or thumbs down . We will give our opinion and what we felt , based on the feedback that we've gotten from our appointments and visits through market of what people were leaning towards . And , mind you , you're going to have several different opinions because we're all from the whole country , so the Southeast doesn't buy like the Northeast .

Tiffany Woolley

Correct , and somebody has to manage those expectations . So then our head of merchandising .

Luis Carrillo

who's phenomenal . What a team . What a team Megan Barrett .

Tiffany Woolley

Well , and I feel like Hickory does a lot of brand ambassadors , or they work directly with designers creating lines of furniture . What does that process look like ?

Luis Carrillo

Oh , it's the same .

Tiffany Woolley

The same .

Luis Carrillo

But it's the same in a certain way . Hickory Chair , we've got items in the line from the 30s that we're still selling .

Tiffany Woolley

That's so wild Really , which I love that , though yeah .

Luis Carrillo

We were one of the first companies to bring outside designers in to help us design a lot Really . Yeah , to design a collection , why not ? I agree , designers in to help us design , really , yeah , design to design a collection , why not ? I agree , you know . So that's been something that we've done for many , many years . Mark hapton was a very successful designer that before he died . And then alexa hampton yeah , was one of the designers also do they promote ?

Scott Woolley

they promote those designers on the line .

Luis Carrillo

Well , Scott , they have their own collections .

Tiffany Woolley

Right .

Luis Carrillo

Suzanne Kastler .

Tiffany Woolley

Right , Suzanne Kastler is our long well right now they're licensees . Yes , that's , right Okay .

Luis Carrillo

Okay , so what they do , they design , they bring to us , we review , we go through it , can we make these changes ? And okay , okay , we're adding 15 pieces . By the way , this last market that you guys were at , we introduced over 122 new pieces of furniture the most that we've introduced in in in since 1999 that's a lot of pieces .

Luis Carrillo

You know , we are your marketplace , tiffany , so we felt that we need to provide as much as we can , and we did a little bit of everything . There was a lot of Hickory Chair internal design merchandise and there were several pieces from every designer that we have , because , you know , hickory Chair is the brand and they have their own textiles as well some of them do , yes , but not necessarily through us .

Luis Carrillo

Like , uh , I believe david phoenix has some collections with kravit , right , right , uh , and they also they have lighting lines . Some of them are involved with lighting , which is fine , you know , involved with area rugs , a wallpaper , you know , do whatever you need , tougs , wallpaper , you know , do whatever you need to do , but we , you know , you're here with us for furniture only , and so there's a wonderful collaboration . We work very well , you know , like , for example , ray Booth . Ray Booth and David Phoenix . They have a modern edge to them , a sophisticated modern edge . Susan Havel is mid-century modern , she's an artist , so you see that in her styling , very different and unique . And then Suzanne Kastler , you know she's very European influenced , her scale is a little smaller .

Tiffany Woolley

I know I love her scale . These are some beautiful designers .

Scott Woolley

These are designers . Do you know what most of them were before ? Little smaller , I know I love this beautiful designers . These are designers . What , what ? What ? Do you know what most of them were before like ? Were they an interior decorators or were they ?

Luis Carrillo

just furniture . Oh yeah , oh , scott , they . They were all well , well-known , successful interior designers in their own , so did they come ?

Scott Woolley

present to hickory . Yes , yes , or does Hickory find them ?

Luis Carrillo

I think I haven't been involved in that process . From what I understand , it's a collaborative effort . If we see someone that we like what their look is , we may reach out and start a conversation and see if they're interested or not , because there's always new talent out there right .

Tiffany Woolley

So would you say that's a way that hickory chair tries to stay current is by these collaborations I I think it's as a company , we we stay current on our own okay okay , I .

Luis Carrillo

I think this is like a value added . It's a team effort . They're doing their specific collections based on what their aesthetic and their design profile is right , and then we're kind of filling gaps .

Luis Carrillo

every once in a while we come up with a great program like a wonderful chair that's done great for years Now . We've added six different arms to it and a bunch of different bases , you know . So we'll do things like that . We'll look within our product line and say , okay , uh , where do we have opportunity ? You know , if we were to offer this and and we get involved in that , uh , at the wrap-up meetings we'll even throw out some suggestions . Hey , we heard that if we could do this and offer these options , it could be something that would work , and we have a great dialogue with product development . I mean , we are the boots on the ground , correct ?

Tiffany Woolley

But they also have .

Luis Carrillo

Their vision is intense .

Custom Furniture Design and Legacy

Scott Woolley

I ask these questions because I've seen over the years just recently Tiffany has clients and recently there were three beds you did for a client and the client . She couldn't pick the exact thing that the client wanted and the client didn't like really anything that you were picking out . So tiffany started sketching what she thought the client wanted as a bed and the client's like , yes , that's it . And then she has me get on the phone because she has two different companies . She works with one in North Carolina and one in California . Send these sketches to them and see what the price will be and I'll get on the phone with them and tell them the rest of the details . And she did . I don't know , maybe four months later five months later the beds are being delivered Custom , but she's done this for chairs and tables and I've said to her numerous times you should start putting a book together of all these things that you can present .

Tiffany Woolley

We'll get there . We'll get there .

Scott Woolley

But this all goes in hand with what is the design process . So people who are listening to this podcast understand with Hickory , because what I learned it was the first time for me going to market . Tiffany goes all the time and I was , like you said earlier , how you were overwhelmed . I couldn't believe what High Point was . We were heading to the airport , leaving after about four days of being there , and I said to her you need to bring like most of the clients here , because in two days walking around , you can appreciate so much .

Scott Woolley

They can pick so much out Well you appreciate . But I learned you know and especially with your company the amount of selections , like we just talked about . What's the process that people should understand , like they pick a sofa , but now there's so many different selections it's pretty easy for someone to people like hickory make it easy well , you know , if it's , if it takes more than three steps , then we have a problem .

Luis Carrillo

Okay , that , so that seems pretty easy Because what I learned is it is pretty easy . You know , you got to think one , two , three .

Tiffany Woolley

Yeah .

Luis Carrillo

Okay so pick a frame , pick an arm , pick a base . Those are your three main things , and this particular it's called the Jules chair , best-selling chair . It's kept the lights on at the factory forever .

Tiffany Woolley

Remember , I showed it to him .

Luis Carrillo

That is the chair right , and the funny thing is we've been copied on many occasions often imitated , never duplicated never duplicated , because they cannot achieve the comfort right they can't , and it's that you know .

Luis Carrillo

You know that that thumbs up process right . That's what that's all about . If it doesn't sit just right , if and it's the pitch on the back and the support underneath if that's not the way that it needs to be for how the chair was designed , and then we got to go back but each one of those three steps that you mentioned , like the legs , there's , but then there's who knows how many different colors or stains .

Luis Carrillo

Oh , goodness , there's 40 to okay . So we have over 40 different stains and paints . But then if we don't have one that you like , tell me which one you'd like and we'll send you . We'll mock up a sample and send it to you for your approval , right .

Tiffany Woolley

It's limitless .

Luis Carrillo

So fabrics over 40% of all of our upholstery is COM . Com is when the designer sends us the fabrics . Correct . So what we do as far as saying , okay , how are we going to select fabrics in the future ? Right , well , we need to see what the trends are now . So we'll literally go to every COM that comes in and cut off a little , two by two .

Tiffany Woolley

That's so , what a fun .

Luis Carrillo

Keep it in bags and then go to product development . The team puts them all on boards to see where the market is trending . Now , it's not telling us where it's going to go , but it tells us where it is and it can kind of give us good direction . So yes , imagine . Behind the scenes research . Imagine the scenes research behind the scenes . Cool , right so so the designer is always involved , whether they know it or not , I love that you know , feedback I mean we'll have .

Luis Carrillo

We have something that's called special construction . Now , this is this is something that no , none of the bigger manufacturers do , because it's impossible to do , it's very time-consuming and you have to be nimble to be able to do it . Okay , louie , I love this credenza that you have . It only comes in either a two , a four or a six-door , so you have some flexibility . But I have a big space . I want to make it shallower , but wider . Yeah , okay , how wide ? Give me your dimensions . Okay , let me submit them to our engineering department . I'll send the the item number and the size that they're looking for and within 72 hours I will get a yay or a nay and how much of an upcharge to produce that piece . Now , that's something that you can only get done at local workrooms or companies like the one that you mentioned .

Tiffany Woolley

Yes , furniture .

Luis Carrillo

That they were going to make the piece . Now that's a very expensive proposition when you're designing yours right .

Tiffany Woolley

Correct and you lose the name of buying a hickory piece which goes back to that legacy , mindset and customization . Well , we've spoken like how exciting hickory is and one other thing I wanted to kind of bring into it it became a family business for you , not only with your wife , but while we were there we met your son . What did ? How does that evolve and what does that look like ?

Luis Carrillo

I'm getting emotional . I mean it is . That's how special it is to me . I know , Hold on . I got to bite my lip for a second , so it was happenstance . It was another God incidence

Family Business Success Stories

Luis Carrillo

. I never intended for him to be involved in the business , but he'd been trained and I didn't even know it when my kids were 15 years old . They're five years apart , yeah , six years apart . When they were 15 , I would take them out with me to see clients to learn how to drive . Come with Dad , today You're going to learn driving up and down I-95 .

Voice Over

Oh , my God , I love that . I'm going to be in the passenger seat . I got a driver for the day Get work done .

Tiffany Woolley

It was like a win-win . It was phenomenal , I love it .

Luis Carrillo

So I did phenomenal . So I did that with my daughter and she learned how to drive . And you know , rain , all the all the difficult situations I go . This is , this is life , you know . And then I did it with my son , but when my son I would have him . Hey , son , I'm a little bee . Can you , can you take in the next two books and and talk about him ? My voice is a little hoarse and what I say , dad , and let's just tell him feel the fabric and show him the price point in the back and and he'd do it and and you know he didn't feel , you know , fearful or anything . He was with his dad and and his clients are his dad's friends , so he's just talking about stuff that his dad talks about . So he felt real comfortable . So , you know , covet hit and he had been interning at a consulting company , uh , and he graduated early and that final year was terrible because they were stuck I know that generation it's and uh .

Luis Carrillo

So when it was time they said listen , when you graduate , come see us and we'll see . So it was time he graduated and went to see me . He says we can't help you , we've lost too many clients during COVID . So that was August . I spoke to my wife and I said honey , would you mind if I talked to Louie about maybe coming up the market ? And he says I think it's a great idea . I spoke to him . You want to try this out ? No guarantees .

Tiffany Woolley

Right , I don't know .

Luis Carrillo

You may like it , you may not , you may run towards it , you may run away from it , but I'll ask permission to bring you . And at the time Alex Shuford was running our company . I reached out to Alex and I said , hey , I'd like to just bring my son introduce company . I reached out to Alex and I said , hey , I'd like to just bring my son introduce him to the business . Don't know what he wants to do . And he said , oh , please , we'd love to meet him Next generation .

Luis Carrillo

Remember we were talking about earlier in the program , about how I was with fabrics and about getting into furniture . Well , it was like the good old boys club , you know , and you would have this . Generational openings were not available , you know . It was very difficult to get into it , you know . And so there was a blessing when he was open-minded to it . And so my son and I , we studied on all the product and we went up to Mark and I told him son , you're going to be on a six-day interview . So whether this is something you want to do or not , just know that you're going to be watched .

Tiffany Woolley

Right .

Luis Carrillo

Did he deal with people coming ? On oh my goodness , I got caught in a pickle where I had to deal with somebody else and someone else showed up and it was one of our top accounts and he jumped in there and was he owned it . He owned it . I mean , I got comments back from the buyers oh my goodness , he's phenomenal . So what's he doing now ? He is my partner .

Tiffany Woolley

What a blessing .

Luis Carrillo

Yeah , he's working . He's in his third year with us , with me . He's working on the west coast of Florida . He moved to the Fort Myers Punta Gorda area .

Tiffany Woolley

What a great area .

Luis Carrillo

Beautiful new community called Babcock Ranch . I'll put in a plug for them . Oh my God phenomenal . He's very , very happy there . So he works from Marco Island to St Pete that's his territory . He got married this last summer . So did my daughter . My kids like to abuse this july and august weddings .

Tiffany Woolley

It was phenomenal literally yes the same year .

Scott Woolley

Yes , oh my yes yes , it was a month apart .

Luis Carrillo

Yeah , yeah , it was a blur , oh my god . But you , we're so thrilled for them . They're so happy , you know , when you see a couple get together and they're better together than they are apart . That's what I see in our new family members .

Tiffany Woolley

The holidays were probably really fun this year .

Luis Carrillo

Yes , we did Thanksgiving up in Vero with two grandpuppies and we did christmas down in miami . Oh yeah , it was great . Yeah , I love that that's amazing .

Tiffany Woolley

Well , it's such a full circle business . I'm hoping that we would have the same you know fortune one day , that one of our kids would come and take part in what we do here . So it's here . So it is like the home industry is a big family , so it's like under the same roof , you know .

Luis Carrillo

Absolutely Well . Who are you going to leave something like this to ? You know , you sacrifice a lot , but one of the things that I had to learn in working with my son was okay , he's my son , but now he's my partner . So I had to change how I was communicating , how I was interacting . You know , ask for opinions . I mean , I refer to him as a new and improved version , because he is , you know , he has a different skillset . You know and and and . As as parents , how do we , how do we capitalize on that and surrender somewhat and and allow them to flourish in an environment that that we're ? We're not parents .

Luis Carrillo

We become associates or partners support yeah , and and and it's , and sometimes you got to bite your . You got to bite your tongue and not say something or say it at another time . You know which is which , which is hey , hey , I'm Cuban , I got that blood , so I got to bite hard and not say it . But it's been a learning experience and I think it's improved our relationship tremendously .

Tiffany Woolley

Oh , I would assume , yeah , my first 11 years in business .

Scott Woolley

My partner was my father . We had grocery stores here in South Florida . It was tough .

Luis Carrillo

I bet Well , that's a different generation . It's two of us working together . It's a different generation . Yeah , yeah .

Tiffany Woolley

And I feel like our generation is a lot more open-minded to surrender and to communicate and collaborate versus dictate .

Luis Carrillo

Exactly , I lived in a 10-acre farm down in Redland . Are you familiar with the Redland area down in Dade County ?

Luis Carrillo

Yeah yeah , yeah , it's a breadbasket for the Midwest . That's where green beans , tomatoes , all that stuff is grown down there . And I had a place where my dad was helping me . We had 22 horse stables and wow , and so he was . He's always been involved with horses his whole life . So I go hey , dad , I'm gonna do this . You want to come live with us ? So he had his own , he and my mom , and . But it was difficult and you're talking about that , that other generation , you know , uh it , he was still the boss .

Tiffany Woolley

Right .

Luis Carrillo

You know , even though it was my , my place , you know my business , he was still the boss .

Scott Woolley

My dad and I butted heads like , yeah , he was a tough , tough character .

Luis Carrillo

Yeah , it's .

Scott Woolley

Yes , I can relate , I mean you talk about , like you know , having your kids drive you . I kind of went through the same thing . I was 12 years old . I was 12 , 13 years old . I was driving my father to work .

Luis Carrillo

I love it .

Scott Woolley

But it was on Saturdays and Sundays , but at 5 o'clock in the morning and in the winter this was in New York , on Long Island , and in the winter this was in New York , on Long Island , and in the wintertime , and it's zero degrees out . He would open up the windows in the car and I'm driving freezing and he would say to me over and over every single weekend , no , every weekend . He would say to me you like this , you enjoy this ? I said , of course I don't , getting up at four o'clock in the morning and all this bitter cold , and I'd say , no , of course not . Well , that's why you better do good in school , so you don't do this the rest of your life ?

Luis Carrillo

wonderful lesson , yeah , but then I graduated from college .

Scott Woolley

And where am I ? I'm in back in the grocery stores with him . You know we he had moved here and retired , but we opened up one and then grew it to 42 of them .

Luis Carrillo

Wow , fabulous . Well , let's see , but the hook , there was no snow , correct yeah there you go , correct Great weather .

Tiffany Woolley

Great weather .

Scott Woolley

So we have a couple of questions we'd like to end the podcast with oh sure .

Tiffany Woolley

They're fun little , just design tidbits , since you're in the industry . One is what is a favorite design element like in your home , or just something that piques your interest ?

Luis Carrillo

There are . Whenever I see upholstery and wood detailing , we have these chairs that are hickory chairs , alexander chairs , and they have this wood framing on the outback that then ties into the arm and it's just a little sliver , it's an inch of wood . That's just saying hi .

Voice Over

I'm pretty , I know it , you know .

Luis Carrillo

And the contrast , with the fabric and it's just that , because you don't need to have it there .

Tiffany Woolley

Yeah .

Luis Carrillo

It's not a need .

Tiffany Woolley

Yeah .

Luis Carrillo

It's just that special touch , it's those little things that stand out to me . You know , I'm very visual and if I see it like if I see a flaw , I'll see it forever until I fix it .

Tiffany Woolley

I like that .

Luis Carrillo

You know , and I'll continue to see it . Okay , I got it . Okay , stop it .

Tiffany Woolley

Stop it . I see you .

Luis Carrillo

Yeah , so that would be the Alexander chairs , and it's the way that the arm detail of the wood Imagine the top of the arm is upholstered . There's a sliver of wood underneath .

Voice Over

And so the wood .

Luis Carrillo

Imagine the top of the armor is upholstered . There's a sliver of wood underneath , and then it's upholstered underneath , and then that same detail goes along the back of the outback of the chair .

Tiffany Woolley

Amazing .

Luis Carrillo

It's just so pretty .

Tiffany Woolley

It is .

Luis Carrillo

Yeah , so elegant . I think it's those little architectural details , Detailing Correct that make it , oh wow .

Tiffany Woolley

They make you appreciate them .

Scott Woolley

Yeah , yeah . So , thinking about design , is there a restaurant that comes to mind that you would say the design is just outstanding . I love the design of that restaurant .

Tiffany Woolley

It could even be the lack of design .

Luis Carrillo

Well , there was this one restaurant that we went to in Miami . It was a little loud , but it's called the Bayshore Club , newly opened , probably a couple of years old . It's on the water , modern design style , open air .

Tiffany Woolley

The vibe .

Luis Carrillo

The vibe , the music , the bars on one side , the energy . It's Coconut Grove at its best and the food is good and Coconut Grove on the like near Monty's or yeah it's closer .

Scott Woolley

Like the Whole Foods over there . Yeah , in that area .

Luis Carrillo

Yes , it's on the water . It's where the Dinner Key Auditorium used to be . If you go down 27th Avenue , you hit South Bayshore , you make a left and then you make your first right . You're going to find it . It's right next to the City Hall , right next to the Miami City Hall , which is an Art Deco building , very , very funky . It used to be the Pan Am um for the amphibious planes you know pan am had , oh yeah that would go to where the bahamas oh , cuba , cuba yes , yeah , uh what , uh , that was their place .

Luis Carrillo

Yeah , so they converted that to miami city hall . Great . And inside the building they have all these mosaics .

Tiffany Woolley

And they're original .

Luis Carrillo

Yes , it's a beautiful building . Oh , my goodness , you should go and go to the Bayshore Club . You'll have a great meal .

Tiffany Woolley

So that is so cool , so cool . Do you have a favorite coffee table book ?

Luis Carrillo

Okay , ray Booth . Okay , suzanne Casper's got some beautiful books , she does . But Ray Booth has a book . What was it ? Evocative Interiors , I think is the name Ray . Forgive me if I got it wrong .

Tiffany Woolley

Oh , I like evocative .

Luis Carrillo

But the preface or the intro , that's done on the book was written by Bobby McAlpin McAlpin , designed out of Tennessee , who was Ray's professor at Auburn , who then brought Ray from New York to come work with him . The words that they use to describe design is something I've never heard before .

Scott Woolley

Really yeah . What's the name of the book ?

Luis Carrillo

I think it's Evocative Design .

Tiffany Woolley

Is it Rosoli or ?

Luis Carrillo

I don't know who I'm going to look it up . I'll find it before we leave In the photography . It's all about evoking that thing that you get when you like . When I look at the Alexander chair , that is evoking an emotion inside of me . It's more than it's a feel , a touch , a look , a sensation that they strive for .

Tiffany Woolley

In their interior .

Luis Carrillo

So that book is amazing .

Tiffany Woolley

Yes , I love that . I love that . I want to go look .

Luis Carrillo

And forgive me , Ray , if I got the wrong name . I don't sell books .

Tiffany Woolley

Well , that's awesome . I think on that , evoking of a great feeling today was wonderful . Thank you for joining us .

Luis Carrillo

Oh , it is my pleasure you know , these are so much fun . Thank you for taking a risk on this . Non-stocking sales rep up in High .

Tiffany Woolley

Point . I love it , we love it , we're grateful , thank you .

Luis Carrillo

My pleasure .

Tiffany Woolley

My pleasure .

Voice Over

Until next time . Idesign Labs Podcast is an SW Group production in association with the Five Star and TW Interiors . To learn more about iDesign Lab or TW Interiors , please visit TWinteriorscom .