Bonita Clark

Kevin & BonitaHi, I am Bonita Clark! Kevin, my husband, recently asked me if I would write a blog for our website. My first reaction was to say no — but as I thought more about it an idea came to me. As much as I love design, fabric, furniture and all of the things that go into creating a beautiful room — what I really love is meeting our customers and making new friends. And that’s what I want to blog about.

We’ve worked with so many great people in the more than thirty years we’ve been in business! I’m going to share stories about our customers and our employees.

My husband, Kevin, went out shortly before Christmas to buy my gift (a really good idea).  He had an idea what he was looking for.  But when it came down to decision time, it was far harder than he imagined.  We’ve all been there: This looks comfy, but I don’t like the color.  Will she love or hate that pattern?  Why am I stressed out over a gift?

Then sales lady asked a few questions about me.  Then she smiled and said, “This one is beautiful.  And, it has this feature that makes it so comfortable.  She’ll love it.”

Wow.  The relief.  Buying presents was fun again.

We so want to help make creating your room fun again.  Sure, a room is more complicated than other decisions.  That’s why we sketch, do floor plans, try hundreds of fabrics and look through catalogs.  We’ll try to understand those crucial questions.  But we’ll also try our hardest to remove the stress and worry… and add back the laughter and fun.

Bonitagift

 

 

Winter Do-Over at Home

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I love the Christmas season but am always ready to get everything put away and get new things out for the winter season. Marlene Warren, our merchandise manager here at by Design, has been working her miracles here at the store.  New merchandise has been arriving all month and she is making everything look so [...]

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Fall Market Excitement Starts With PreMarket at Norwalk

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We just got back from Pre-Market at Norwalk Furniture in Norwalk, Ohio.  We drove and got to enjoy the beautiful fall all along I-80 .  It was so pretty! We had a great time at Pre-Market.  We got to see allot of new fabrics, trends, furniture styles and old friends.   Kevin and I have [...]

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Melissa’s Mirror

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This is what we love to do!! A client came back into by Design.  She had bought a really (really, really) cool table from us — but it just wasn’t complete.  So we played.  We found a wonderful mirror.  We thought it needed some sparkle, so we added a lamp and some other accessories!  It [...]

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Integrity deserves applause!!

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It’s a beautiful day!  Spring is just around the corner.  That makes all of us very happy. Someone told me a story about a customer who had checked out at Wal Mart and gotten to her car and realized that she had a shirt over her shoulder that she had not paid for.  Her little [...]

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Skyrocketing cotton prices? Yuck.

Click on the graph to better read our pithy & insightful comments! No, really, we know this stuff is boring, but whoa… these cotton prices are really going crazy. So our wonderful customers are in for some shell-shock in the very near future.  And that concerns us. Just saying. By the way, the numbers are [...]

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A Good Friend

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You know they always say that it is the American Dream to own your own business.  Rick Cox, who has been our warehouse manager for 30 years is going to realize that dream.  He is leaving by Design to roll the dice and run an existing business.  Anyone who knows Rick knows that this has [...]

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Shop Local First

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I was in the East Village for a Holiday Open House.  I went in to Ephemera.  I love to go there.  It is a cute shop that is run by 2 young ladies who are so nice.  I don’t even know their names but I do know that it is amazing that these young people [...]

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Christmas Music a Success

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Our Christmas Music at by Design is now officially ended and I would consider it a success! We had 4 different groups in on Saturdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas. They were very diverse–from a Jazz Trio to a Chamber Orchestra to a Women’s Church Choir to a Youth Choir. It was a lot of fun [...]

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Knock Your Socks Off Customer Care

Knock Your Socks Off Customer Care

Duty above and beyond the call— I’ve been so fortunate over the years to be surrounded by great designers here at by Design.  But, what truly makes them special is the fact that they’re wonderful people.   They care so much about their clients.  They will go to incredible lengths to help their clients. We [...]

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Relationships In (and With) a Furniture Store

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The Circle of Life — Always, always, always, the most important thing that can happen, on any particular day, is touching or being touched by another human being.  I recently had a neat conversation with a customer of ours.  She had called about her Grandmother.  She had moved into a new home and was looking [...]

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Furniture, interior design and dark colored walls

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You should consider painting your walls dark. No doubt it takes a bit of courage. And we aren’t really patting ourselves on the back, because its easier taking a risk in a furniture and interior design store like by Design than it is in your home. Nevertheless, we think you should consider dark colored walls [...]

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Candice Olson — the real deal.

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When you repeatedly watch someone on TV, you begin to feel that you know them.  But, do you?  Can Candice Olson really be as nice as she seems on her programs?  Yes, she really is.  She is funny and she is very tall!!!  Ha–as you can see from the picture, Laura and I are shorter [...]

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Candice with Bonita and Laura

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I. Love. Beautiful. Homes.

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Have you ever seen a movie where you just love the house or love the design?  I have several movies that have helped me to make a decision about something.  I will never forget sitting in a hotel with our kids (when they were little) and seeing Home Alone.  I laughed so hard at different [...]

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Room fun on zero budget?

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I was at a friend’s house the other day and we had so much fun.  We didn’t spend any money— we just changed her furniture around.  We moved a rug from one room in to the other.  We changed her shelves.  We put books, greenery and some interesting accessories on them.  What I have found over the [...]

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Spring is sprung, the grass is riz…

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Spring is a very exciting time in Iowa.  It is a time for renewal and rebirth.  After the winter we have had here in Des Moines, I am thrilled that our spring has been so beautiful. Marlene and Laura just got back from the International High Point Furniture and Accessories market.  They said everyone was [...]

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Laughter and fun and by Design and you.

I always tell my designers that the best sound that I can hear from the floor is laughter.  It is not brain surgery that we do.  No need for stress.  No lives hang in the balance.  This isn’t to say that what we do for our clients isn’t important.  It can be very important… but [...]

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Why should our furniture display matter to you?

Maureen just had a neat experience with a customer that I would like to share with you. She was working with a

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Is by Design Furniture & Design perfect for you too?

I was in Omaha at ccino the other day. A mom and daughter came in to the store, and I got to work with them. They were in a hurry.

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It’s what is in your heart.

I recently worked with a client who had special ordered a table.  She wasn’t satisfied that the table was right for her room. 

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