Most independent designers could open an account with almost any line they wanted. That's not the problem. The problem is what it takes to keep each one healthy: opening orders, yearly minimums, updated price lists, and someone to chase every order.
One account is easy. Thirty is a job.
A single line is manageable. But a real project pulls from upholstery, case goods, lighting, rugs, art and accessories. Multiply the upkeep across every line a project needs and the paperwork starts competing with the design work.
- Minimums you have to hit, whether or not this year's projects need that line.
- Price sheets that change, and need checking before every quote.
- Freight, lead times and backorders to track, one vendor at a time.
What a co-op changes
When designers buy together, the accounts are kept up once, by a team whose job it is. Each designer gets access to the lines and pricing without carrying the upkeep. That's ordinary group buying, the same idea behind buying co-ops in many industries.
Every order is reviewed by a person before it goes to the vendor, and every price you see is tied to the line's own catalog. If we can't confirm something, we say so.
Your time is worth more at the drawing table than on hold with a vendor.
Written by
Amy Crawley
Founder & Principal Designer, Trade House Collective
Amy has designed commercial and residential interiors since 2004. She and her team built Trade House Collective so independent designers can buy from the lines they love without carrying every account themselves.
The Trade House letter
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