As many of you may know, I did not go to design school. I was a school psychologist for a decade before I changed course to pursue my love affair with houses. Â The learning curve was steep and let’s face it – designers aren’t eager to share their sources.
All these years later, there is still so much for me to learn. Having great sources makes a huge impact as to the value I can provide to my clients, so I always keep my open for good ones. They aren’t easy to find, my friends.
Until now.
Laurel Bern has been in the design biz in New York for 25 years. She’s only been blogging a couple of years, but she’s making big waves in the blogosphere. She’s an incredibly engaging writer with an acerbic wit. I don’t have the guts to say what Laurel does! Like this post she wrote:
So Laurel launched “Laurel’s Rolodex” a couple of months ago, and I knew I had to have it. Wait, if you are under 40 – you may not know what a “rolodex” is:
Laurel’s Rolodex is a downloadable PDF chocked full of design sources I had never even heard of. Everybody “in the business” needs this guide. Many of the sources are available to the trade only, but I think that the rolodex info about retail sources would be helpful to many homeowners who aren’t pros, as well. Â As part of the purchase, Laurel is including a lifetime of updates – which means that when she finds new sources, she will add them and send us the updates!
THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED POST. This really is a great product that can help a lot of stagers, decorators, and designers, so you’re welcome!!!
What’s pretty cool is that you can tell at a glance the price points of vendors (low to high) and whether or not they are to-the-trade-only or retail. That’s because Laurel marks her hundreds of entries with special codes. She tells you which vendors are her favorites, as well as the ones that are not “designer-friendly” (thank you, Laurel!).
And you can just go to the section about specific types of items you are looking for (rugs, lighting, bedding, etc.) and find vendors for those quickly.
Ooh – and there’s a bonus chapter that explains her trick to finding the source of anything you find in a retail store. That is definitely something I need and intend to use!
In our line of business, it’s pretty obvious that self-promotion is all part of it. Sometimes I feel like I am just bragging on myself all the time; afterall, it’s a necessary part of marketing my services and products to the public.
But I have to tell you, it feels good to brag about someone else’s great idea and product, and Laurel’s Rolodex is worth bragging about. One of my goals for next week is to establish accounts with a few vendors from Laurel’s list, which will improve offerings for my clients!
Keep learning and have a great weekend, my friends!
Well, I tried to buy this exciting Rolodex deal but pay pal insists on being involved in my purchase. I don’t want pay pal.
Is there another way
YES! You don’t have to have a PayPal account, just use a credit card through PayPal!
Thankyou so much!!! This is a great post! As a new blogger and design enthusiast I’m gonna download it rightaway! Thanks again ?
Great! I hope you find it as helpful as I did!
This is awesome, Kristie. Thank you so much for sharing. I’m in the same boat…. Steep learning curve when I came out of the medical & education fields into design. But I hope to stick with this for the rest of my life!
Beth, you know what’s interesting is that people with a design education sometimes don’t have the skills others of us who came from other fields do. I really believe that the PASSION is the gift, and it’s that passion that motivates us to learn and pursue any skills or knowledge we need to improve 🙂
Awesome! Thank you for sharing. I especially love the quote at the end–inspiring us to think for ourselves and to never stop learning…
I tried to order a well but the whole PayPal thing wouldn’t let me. Couldn’t remember my password, tried to have it sent to me, never received the email, etc. This is a bummer.
Sorry, Myriam – did you check your spam to see if the email went there? Sometimes that happens to me.
Hi Kristie,
Wow! Thank you so much for this wonderful review of my rolodex ! I’m immensely flattered!
For Kathleen, if you see this. Paypal is the payment processor, but you don’t need a paypal account. You can use your credit card which a lot of people have done. The beauty is that it’s secure and no one but paypal has this information.
You’re welcome, Laurel! It’s amazing how you have compiled this list. Your design experience over many years will help others save so much time and research!!! Thanks so much 🙂
This is very kind of you! Thank you!
NEVER feel as though you are bragging about yourself. I have learned so much from your posts! You’re just TEACHING! 🙂
Thank you for the affirmation, Holly. I’m happy to hear that what I’m sharing is helpful to you!
Hi Kristie, I ordered & paid for the rolladex, but never got it to my email. Just her blog…. Am I missing something? ???
Paula
Hmmm, I don’t know, Paula – but I’ll check in with Laurel Bern tomorrow to see what she says???