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Editorial
D-I-F-M
Everyone knows what D-I-Y means. Do-it-yourselfers and the D-I-Y market may be huge these days, but it’s not a market we’re much interested in. National retail chains and the “big box” stores cater to this market aiming at homeowners who want to walk in, take a look at a few samples, buy what they need and take it home and hang it. That’s fine. These retailers can go ahead and compete against each other for price and volume all day long.
Independent window coverings specialty retailers and workrooms have a much better market to work. This market consists of homeowners who want more. They are looking for better quality—even the best quality—products for their homes. They want window coverings that fit their personal tastes and styles—treatments that help make their interiors look and feel the way they want. They want designs that are unique to them, not the same as what everyone else has. They want information. They want products that look great, function perfectly and will last, and they want to purchase these products from someone who will help them choose, then install the treatments and stand behind them.
Several times in his regular D&WC column Steve Bursten has referred to this market as “the golden opportunity market.” He describes it as clients with home values between $300,000 and $800,000 who value quality, service, professionalism and good ideas. He also estimates this group to be about 20 percent of the total market.
This market fits right in with the clients with which this month’s cover story works. Jaureguy’s Paint & Decorating—located smack dab in the middle of California—adds another dimension to this market:
established. After the dust of a four- to five-year building boom had settled, the area has been left with many homeowners who have settled and are ready for custom decorating. One of Jaureguy’s partners, Eric Jergenson, says the new home market really isn’t for them. It’s best for Jaureguy’s when people aren’t moving in and out, when they know they are staying put and now want something nice for their homes. Better yet, Jergenson calls it the do-it-for-me market.
D-I-F-M—it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but it’s a good way to describe an ideal market that encompasses a range of household incomes and home values. After all, not every market is going to have starter homes beginning in the high $300,000 range, but most will have customers who want help, want nice products and want someone to do it for them. And that’s a golden opportunity if ever there was one!
Howard Shingle |
