What Brought Us to E-Design and E-Commerce.
Where We Came From
With two decades of combined experience along British Columbia's captivating coastline, Parker & Harlow, led by my business partner Deb (my mother) and myself, has immersed itself in designing island and remote homes, a niche we adore. Our journey has navigated us through stunning locales on boats and barges, connecting us with remarkable clients and skilled tradespeople, enriching our overall professional endeavours. Serving a discerning clientele with a passion for luxurious home furnishings through comprehensive interior design projects in remote settings brings us immense joy. Beyond our reputation in this realm, my upbringing in Powell River, BC, has instilled a deep appreciation for coastal living across all lifestyles, whether embraced by vacationers in their island estates or year-round residents with their families at the end of the block.
As our family grows, with the anticipation of welcoming our second baby girl this summer, my perspective on lifestyle has naturally shifted towards a more relaxed and harmonious approach within our own home. Life just works better when approached through intentional phases rather than big sweeping projects. This evolution prompted us to expand our services to include e-design packages and establish The Shoppe, two separate entities both serving a larger audience. Leveraging our design expertise and coastal affinity in more flexible and approachable means for our clients while upholding our commitment to exceptional service, quality, and expertise was our goal. Once we stablished that, our feet hit the ground running.
The Shoppe: Built on our Foundational Methods of Success
After collaborating with our esteemed brand partners for more than 25 years on extensive projects behind the scenes, we were thrilled to introduce them online through The Shoppe at Parker & Harlow. This digital platform offers homeowners nationwide the opportunity to embrace the essence of P&H through carefully curated collections tailored to diverse home design preferences. The major benefit being that these brands we are sharing with you in new light have been in our studio for quite some time, cementing our commitments to you by evolving relationships we’ve been establishing over decades.
Handpicked by our dedicated design team from a pool of over 100 reputable vendors, The Shoppe at Parker & Harlow serves as a natural extension of our interior design ethos, presenting a cohesive selection of pieces that harmonize effortlessly with one another. By prioritizing Canadian living wages and collaborating with like-minded teams who share our values, we aim to provide not just products, but a commitment to quality and ethical practices that resonate with our clientele as much as it does our team.
Options are in place via the website to purchase pieces at your leisure and under your own creative direction with seasonal sales on select items, or to invest in a design package for help with the whole process. Those choosing to partake in a package are extended site-wide discounting to The Shoppe that often covers the cost of the package itself. It was incredibly important to us to continue offering cost effective strategies for our clients in this way, as it mirrors our current business model in our comprehensive projects.
Bridging into E-Design
Upon expanding our reach to provide home goods nationwide, we realized that offering interior design services to these households was an essential companion effort. The leap to cater to a broader audience was daunting, yet crafting versatile packages that serve homeowners regardless of their location or project scale and budget has been a dream realized. Not everyone wants to rebuild an entire home, and even more apparent was the need for versatile processes that clients could approach in phases. Even in my own home that my husband and I are currently renovating, the progress has been aggravatingly slow - because, life happens. Supporting lifestyles of various types of clients by honouring this reality was at the core of our e-design endeavours.
The blend of virtual collaboration and efficient product delivery mechanisms ignited our passion, enabling us to engage with clients effectively and economically. While it was a gradual process, pursuing my MBA in the midst proved invaluable in the process of refining our business strategies at Parker & Harlow. These new perspectives not only fostered internal efficiency but also nurtured strategic partnerships while prioritizing client needs. Our e-design approach, though streamlined, upholds the values of luxury and quality, ensuring that every decision reflects our unwavering commitment to excellence and client satisfaction.
The Hurdles
Having witnessed numerous disappointing experiences in the interior design industry over the years, I was determined to set our business apart from the negative reputation that often plagues it. Recognizing and addressing head-on the industry's major issues - the high (and often unknown) costs, schedule overruns, and unmet expectations - became the cornerstone of our approach at Parker & Harlow Inc.
In collaboration with Deb, we tackled these challenges by establishing upfront pricing, ensuring transparency in our processes, and offering clear and concise service deliverables. By launching these 2 prongs (e-comm and e-design) consumers can invest in products or services at whatever stage they’re at. Acknowledging the preferences of our clients to be involved in certain aspects of their projects, we tailored our e-design services to accommodate their needs, providing cost-effective solutions where they could take the lead. By offering control over shipping and installation for furniture pieces, we not only saved our clients time and money but also empowered them to enjoy the benefits of a full-service design firm while maintaining flexibility.
At the core of our business model is the commitment to nurturing relationships based on trust and transparency. Clients can rely on us for a clear understanding of project costs, seamless delivery processes, and a dedicated team to guide them through every step of the design journey. Our goal is simple - to deliver exceptional design services and exquisite home goods to clients, regardless of their location or project scope. After a year of both passion and doubt, joyous victories and moments of complete breakdown, it’s finally possible, feasible, and follows our guiding principles - the ultimate trifecta!
Growing Our Dream Across Canada
From the serene cabins of Savary Island to the bustling streets of Toronto, our network of family and friends spans the diverse landscapes of Canada, motivating us to serve them all - a vision that may have seemed audacious to our husbands initially. The inception of our dream to launch e-design and retail operations over a year ago prompted us to initially focus on our "sandbox zones," familiar territories where we could ensure seamless shipping and top-tier service quality.
As we dove deeper into this venture, leveraging my evolving business acumen through my MBA education, the puzzle of expanding our reach piece by piece began to take shape. By prioritizing people and establishing partnerships with professionals who shared our values and vision, we navigated the complexities of sourcing products from global manufacturers in new ways. Each milestone achieved, from securing new routes to delivering to additional provinces, fuelled our determination to overcome challenges and expand our operations. These incremental victories not only strengthened our resolve but also propelled us towards our goal of providing exceptional design solutions and home goods to every corner of the country.
Where it Lands Us
Coming to this place in business was arduous, but I do believe the benefits that have come in return are the gift of our efforts and a reflection of our dedication to this industry, our partnership, and our love for design. Being able to offer comprehensive projects to our existing island clients, bite-sized approachable e-design options for families across Canada, and a home goods collection that exemplifies everything about our design ethos in point-of-sale convenience for all types of projects and people is such a joy. We are rooted in family because we are one, and growing our company in ways that represent the flexibility, heart, and deeply rooted commitment we have to business is simply a bonus. As such, we are here for your family wherever you dwell and whatever your design budget - no small feat and yet one we’ve surmounted with as much grace as possible and an insatiable sense of humour because laughing at ourselves was a daily occurrence in this process.
HELLO
I’M PAIGE GRAY
Here with a big dream to bring inspired, livable, and approachable design to you wherever you dwell across Canada. Designer, blogger, content creator, and mother of soon-to-be two daughters living with my hubby in the Pacific Northwest of British Columbia. Loving boat rides, climbing mountains, and life with our dogs while diving deep into anything and everything design!