We wistfully attended a preview last evening that marked the beginning of the closing down of a well-established antiques gallery. In the design district, their target market was, naturally enough, interior designers who turned out for the closing party in force. Collectors? If there were any, their numbers were rather thin on the ground, but that wasn’t this dealer’s client base.
While I didn’t see any sales made, I presume there must have been some. Amongst the throng, some members from prominent firms were in attendance- not the principals, mind you, but people we nevertheless recognized. Unfortunately, a number there were what might be termed ‘the usual suspects’- people Keith always says would go to the opening of an envelope.
What’s more interesting, for those designers with whom we engaged, all of them told us how busy they were with projects. Yet they are attending a going out of business event- at least the third in the neighborhood in the last couple of weeks, and the design firms themselves are laying off staff right and left. What’s wrong with this picture?
What’s wrong, of course, is the unsettled state of the economy, with fear driving the designers’ clients. Frankly, I believe the designers who told me they were busy were telling the absolute truth. Those who’ve survived are busy- albeit with ongoing projects for the same clients. What’s happened is their clients wish to keep projects alive by chalking up an hour or two of design fees every month, but the clients are either not making or are postponing any real decisions (read ‘anything that would cost money’) for an indefinite period. Design firms can survive this by contracting staffing levels down to only the senior designers and firm principals. The busy-ness for the designer comes from the same pool of work, but shared by fewer designers, and those fewer doing grunt work that, until a few months ago, was delegated to their minions. Unfortunately, those trades people and vendors whose revenue is dependent on the designer’s clients making some big money decisions- the antiques trade, the fabric houses, etc. – are, in this environment, sunk.
Of course, there were in evidence at the function a number of free-loaders, but aren’t there always? But I think the significance of the prominent designers in attendance, though, is more worth noting, as it bodes well for the near-term. Yes, there are fewer of them still in employment, and yes, they may not have many new projects, but the mere fact of their attendance last night means that purchases are in the offing. Even at a no-pressure, ostensibly social event, the better interior designers have always been notoriously shy about attendance if they have no work. The reason is obvious- if asked if they are in work, and they are always asked, they wish to be able to not obfuscate but answer a resounding yes.