Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM NOVEMBER 2021 38 E ric Shipe, founder and owner of the Alexandria, Va.-based firm Bath + Kitchen, has had an interesting career path – he left the trucking industry and wound up in high- end real estate, a career that gave him a deep appreciation for quality home design, and that led to the founding of his business in 2014, with a team that specializes in cabinetry, design and remodels. Bath + Kitchen's vast cabinet offering serves homeowners, interior designers, architects and contractors. And Eric Shipe, as you'll see, definitely has some thoughts on current trends. NKBA: How did you get into the interior design/showroom business? Eric Shipe: I was working in real estate and property management, and I was at a home show in Washington, D.C. where I clicked with the owner of a design/remodel firm. I ended up working for him for a year, learning the business, and decided this is what I wanted to do moving forward. NKBA: How did you initially select which brands are featured in your showroom? ES: Initially, we started with one cabinet line and today we have six. Over the past year we picked up additional lines due to lead times and having more options. We are in a buying group, SEN Design, that gave us access to a plethora of vendors. Through SEN we've had an opportunity to consider dozens of cabinet lines and other vendors for our showroom. NKBA: What makes your showroom successful? ES: We have an outstanding design team and a design process for learning what our clients want and then designing toward that. Our lead designer, Kat Reynolds, has a CKBD with close to 20 years' experience. I'm not an interior designer, but I do help people with cabinet and countertop selections. NKBA: Do you have any advice for someone who wants to open a showroom? ES: You should have a business in place for at least two to five years before opening a showroom – unless, of course, you have investors or partners. We were in business for three years before we opened a showroom. NKBA: Have you ever considered getting into virtual showrooms? ES: Yes, and we do offer virtual design services now. Our showroom is by appointment only – today we are doing more virtual "up-front" consultations before we meet our clients at the showroom. All four of our kitchen designers work remotely and schedule Zoom meetings with clients. Having said that, I think we'll always need a showroom. People are spending a lot on these spaces and will want to see our work and the materials they're buying. Plus, we have hundreds of samples, and we still need somewhere to store them. NKBA: How can people follow along with your work – what are your social handles? ES: We keep our portfolio page up-to-date with our latest designs on SHOWROOM SPOTLIGHT: BATH + KITCHEN A S S O C I A T I O N N E W S

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