Road-based Designer Library, owned and operated by Chad Mitchell and Janine Guerin, is taking an unusual turn for these pandemic-plagued times: It’s opening an IRL, gallery-style location in a town house in Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood. Representing a swath of textile, wall covering, lighting, furniture, rug, and outdoor fabric brands—among them Zimmer + Rohde, Made Goods, Elitis, the Vale London, and more—Designer Library’s founders call themselves “road people with a showroom—not a showroom with outside road reps.”
When the pair launched their business in 2019, they were meeting with five to seven different designers five days a week, and hand-delivering samples. Today, in spite of the havoc the pandemic has wreaked, they’re working toward achieving a long-held goal—to operate a brick-and-mortar showroom designed to facilitate and support the in-person connections they make while on the road. Below, they share their key takeaways as they build a hybrid model, combining the best of both worlds.
A rendering of the Designer Library showroom, set to open in February.
SONNY+ASHAD PRO: What is the role of the road rep in today’s design climate?
Guerin: Based on both of our firsthand experiences, we have seen how the outside sales rep’s role has evolved significantly in the last 15 years. The position was traditionally defined by promoting new collections and showing the new product to as many people as possible. The “casting a wide net” or “throwing everything against the wall and seeing what sticks” method has evolved; reps have become a valued industry partner—helping their designers with as many aspects of their business as they can, from material sourcing to product education, marketing to social media. The relationship with the interior designer has grown deeper and more intimate.
A good sales rep is a crucial resource. Designers who are already aware of this see the time and energy they can save by taking advantage of our material resources and the experience, education, and advice to guide the designer to a better product or solution for their projects. In this regard, we are just as crucial to their team as their wall covering installers, painting contractors, electricians, et cetera. Being trained by our brands and then going on to present three to four times a day, four days a week, you get to know your product technically and intimately.
AD PRO: The life and work of road reps is driven by in-person experiences and interactions. Your forthcoming physical showroom will also be a place of connection. How have you fostered engagement with clients during the era of COVID?
