Today we’d like to introduce you to Pia Narula.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We launched 57st. design in 2016. The goal was to make heirloom-quality contemporary furniture at a price that reflected the true cost of quality materials and craftsmanship, and to do it all from the South Side. We design and produce all of our furniture in-house, and ship it around the country (and now Canada!) through our e-commerce site. We’ve been growing quickly over the last year, in part due to our unique ability to offer customization down to the inch on all of our work.
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?
No part of a company’s early days is smooth! On the other hand, that’s probably consequence, in part, of our brand’s early success– something for which we’re enormously grateful. But it’s a daily struggle. Morning to night (and sometimes morning to morning), we’re constantly at work trying to build a better business. Certain weeks, it feels like we’re just moving from one crisis to the next. More than anything, we feel fortunate to have amazing clients–people who believe in our work and the company as a whole–as well as an amazing team behind us. It makes the struggle feel worthwhile.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the 57st. design story. Tell us more about the business.
We design, manufacture, and retail (e-commerce) contemporary-modern furniture. We have a workshop on the near South Side with nearly twenty employees where we produce all of our work. Our furniture is mostly solid, American hardwood and hand-finished. We also offer customization down to the inch on most of our designs, a service that has helped drive our early growth. We’re beginning to explore collaborations with other designers, both domestic and international, which is something about which we’re especially excited.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I’m less interested in luck and more interested in privilege, which I see as a function of luck. I’m fortunate to come from a position of socioeconomic privilege. It’s that privilege that has allowed me to assume the risk required to be an entrepreneur. I don’t think we talk enough about how entrepreneurism (trying to start a company, for instance) is most accessible to people with means.
Privilege has afforded me an extraordinary opportunity, and I make sure to work especially hard so as to not waste it or seem unworthy of it. I don’t think I could have built this company had I not come from a position of privilege, and I think that privilege was a function of luck. Insofar as that’s the case, in terms of my life and our company, I think luck is probably as important a feature as any.
Contact Info:
- Address: 629 W. Cermak
Suite 100 Chicago, IL 60616 - Website: www.57stdesign.com
- Phone: 773.819.0207
- Email: info@57stdesign.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/57st.design
- Facebook: facebook.com/57stdesign
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