Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny Martell and Becky Cochran.
Becky, Jenny – please kick off the story for us.
Jenny founded Martell Interiors design firm in 2003 after earning her design degree from Harrington. Becky was teaching and working at Martell Interiors over her summers. After the summer of 2012 we made the partnership a more permanent one and founded a new division of the business, Ad Hoc Home. The goal was to bring some of the beautiful custom home furnishings and accessories to a larger audience. We wanted to connect more homeowners and design aficionados to some of the beautiful art and artisans they had come across in the interiors world. Ad Hoc Home started out as a pop up shop on Central St. in Evanston but grew quickly as we realized there was a desire and need for new and interesting home accessories in the market. We created our website and have been growing and evolving ever since. We are constantly working to find new artisans, creative products and bring new offerings to our site. Ad Hoc Home is currently trying to pave the way for subscription boxes in the home furnishings and accessories category.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. We found that keeping a retail store front up was not realistic at this point. It’s still something we’d like to consider down the line but realized that if we want to continue to source new products and keep up with our design work we can’t be held to a store all day. We have a beautiful showroom so that clients have the option of seeing & touching pieces with an appointment, allowing us the flexibility of working in and outside the shop. Marketing and driving traffic to our website has also been a new challenge. We are trying to learn how to grow the client base we pull from and get our name out there more to drive sales and grow. It’s been easy in the sense that we love what we do and are excited about new and upcoming opportunities.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Ad Hoc Home story. Tell us more about the business.
We are an Interior Design firm and retail shop, specializing in custom and unique furniture pieces, fabrics, art, and home accessories. We are most proud of the connections we are making. We get really excited when we find a new product and we love getting to offer these new items to our customers. It’s a win for all. Our clients are guaranteed to find high quality, original pieces on our site and we think we offer a great platform for artisans and makers to sell. We think our interior design experience sets us apart from other retailers. Our attention to detail and knowledge of textiles and finishes ensures that you are not only getting something aesthetically pleasing but well-made and functional.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
We feel lucky to get to work with so many wonderful clients, vendors and artisans! They are what make our job a business and make each day new and interesting. We are lucky to get up and do what we love every day.
Contact Info:
- Address: Ad Hoc Home, 705 Chicago Ave., Evanston, IL 60202
- Website: www.adhochome.com
- Phone: 847 475-4600
- Email: info@adhochome.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adhochomechicago/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdHocHome/
Image Credit:
Laura Rose Davis
laura@charminginlove.com
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