{historic christmas letters}

For many people, the holidays are a time for reflection. For others, a time for tradition. At Hirshfield’s, we like to review the following exchange of Christmas-time letters as a symbol of both. We look back at these letters, written during WWII, and see the remarkable bond between our Hirshfield’s family and an employee serving overseas during the war.

The letters — one sent on Christmas Eve, 1943 — were written to a friend and colleague named Gilbert, who was serving in the army’s medical corp, eventually becoming a POW. When the war ended, Gilbert came home and came back to Hirshfield’s — where he continued to work into his 80s.

 These letters give us a glimpse into Hirshfield’s history, and that of our country. When you see a reference to “Mrs. Hirshfield and the Doctor,” they are referring to Hans Hirshfield’s grandfather, who not only ran the business but was also a physician. Apparently this surprised some of his patients who, when they noticed the doctor’s paint-splattered shoes, questioned the validity of his credentials.

Want to give back to families of deployed soldiers? Check out the site Soldiers’ Angels http://soldiersangels.org/other-ways-to-give.html

Since Frank and Elizabeth Hirshfield opened their first store in 1894, it has been our mission to do the best job possible meeting customer needs and solving customer problems. Hirshfield’s. People and products you can trust.

{friday finds: top drapery designer joins shop at home team}

Hirshfield’s Shop at Home Welcomes Judy Ciaciura

It’s hard to find anybody who enjoys working with draperies and window treatments more than Judy Ciaciura. “I love what I do,” she says. “I love the challenge of solving window treatment challenges.”

Judy Ciaciura

Judy has been solving those challenges since 1973, when she started her career at Dayton’s in Downtown St. Paul (for those of you who remember that store), and developed quite a reputation for her design work after opening DJ Draperies in Little Canada with her friend Donna in 1988.

{hirshfield’s buys The Blind Factory in alexandria}

 

Window Treatment Wednesday: Hirshfield’s and The Blind Factory Tie the Knot

After years of living together in Alexandria, Hirshfield’s and The Blind Factory decided to tie the knot, sort of. Earlier this year, Hirshfield’s completed the acquisition of the family-owned window treatment store after sharing space at 1010 Nokomis St. in Alexandria.

Shannon Scarrella who oversees the window treatment division at Hirshfield’s says the change has been fairly seamless for customers.

“We’re going from one family business to another,” Scarrella said. “We had shared common space for so long, our customers are used to us being under one roof.”

The store has 2,000 square feet and while there may be some reconfiguring of the store in the coming months, there are no plans to make personnel changes. Window fashion designers, Diane and Ros tend to customers in the store or they set up house call appointments and come out to your home. Patti is the fabricator – working on custom bedding, valances and custom draperies.

Alexandria shoppers will also have an added bonus with Hirshfield’s window treatments, as they add the Premier Collection by Hirshfield’s. This will offer designers and consumers a high quality, lower cost alternative to some of the more expensive window fashions.

Speaking about the previous ownership of The Blind Factory, Scarrella says little will change from the customers perspective.

“The previous owners did a nice job with the business and we look forward to enhancing some of the things they had in place. I know the Hirshfield’s family is thrilled to expand their offerings in Alexandria.

 

{hirshfield’s designer feature: meet julia!}

Hirshfield’s Design Studio in Minneapolis is home to not only some of the most delicious eye candy the interior design world has to offer, but it is also home to some of the most experienced and creative design professionals in the Twin Cities. Those design professionals being Kathy, Greg, Julia and Meropi. All of them are more than happy to answer your design questions, but we thought it would be fun to turn the spotlight on them and ask them a few questions!

Julia

Today, get to know Julia, who handles sales and administration at Hirshfield’s Design Studio. Julia has been with the Hirshfield’s Design Studio team for about 15 years, and, as you’ll learn, she’s all about mixing it up when it comes to design!

How did you get into design? Is this an industry you’ve always known you wanted to work in?
I have always been interested in interior design and creating ambiance. I started going to auctions, junk shops, and antique stores at a young age with my mom and I think that’s what got me started. I was always interested in surrounding myself with interesting things. I love art and good design.

How would you describe your personal design style?
Very eclectic. I like to mix it up and change things often. Moving the things that you surround yourself with makes you see things differently and it keeps things from becoming static or boring. It is very liberating. I like to de-clutter and pack things away for awhile and get them out again later. I think people don’t realize that you don’t have to have everything you own out all at once. Rediscovery is fun. I love hand crafted, found objects, and vintage stuff.

Do you have a favorite design book or magazine that you draw inspiration from?

{hirshfield’s designer feature: meet greg!}

Hirshfield’s Design Studio in Minneapolis is home to not only some of the most delicious eye candy the interior design world has to offer, but it is also home to some of the most experienced and creative design professionals in the Twin Cities. Those design professionals being Kathy, Greg, Julia and Meropi. All of them are more than happy to answer your design questions, but we thought it would be fun to turn the spotlight on them and ask them a few questions!

Today, get to know Greg, one of the talented clerks at Hirshfield’s Design Studio. Like Kathy, Greg’s name has also shown up in a few of our blog posts (check out 50’s Revival and What’s New at Hirshfield’s Design Studio in Minneapolis). Greg admits that he somewhat “stumbled” into the design industry, but after having been here for 22 years we think his stumbling was pretty accurate!

How long have you worked at Hirshfield’s Design Studio?
I’ve been at the Design Studio for 22 years but I’ve been with Hirshfield’s for a total of 25 years. Although it doesn’t feel like it has been that long!

{employee feature: Andrea Mandel}

We’ve got more employee spirit coming your way! This week we’re featuring Andrea Mandel, a member of our Shop At Home team. Andrea has been with us for 24 years! Get to know her a little better in today’s feature! You can check out the other employee features here.

Andrea Mandel
Designer
Hirshfield’s Shop At Home

What is your favorite part about working at Hirshfield’s: Family atmosphere among the employees. Also the loyalty the company has to our customers.

What is your favorite Hirshfield’s product: The variety of window treatment options we offer and the great decorative fabrics.

What are some of your hobbies outside of work: Camping, scrap booking and trying new recipes.

Do you have a favorite home improvement memory: When I was 14, my mom and I redecorated my bedroom. I was given the opportunity to select a theme. Since the red shag carpet was not going to change,  I  created a rainbow room. We found rainbow bedding, added rainbow ribbon to the bottom of plain white roller shades and made fabric balloons to hang on the wall. It was  my first adventure in a room makeover and led me to a career in interior design.

Best advice for someone thinking of tackling a home improvement project: Carefully crafted home improvement projects can be exciting and satisfying. However, it is important to match the scope of the changes to the resources available without sacrificing quality. Working with a designer provides the advantage of experience that enables the homeowner to realize improvements that will provide long-term satisfaction within their budget.

What is something your coworkers might not know about you: I played a form of hockey for girls called Ringette. I even had the opportunity to travel to Canada to play in a tournament.

How would you describe the “Hirshfield’s spirit”: My goal is to provide service and products that will ensure long term trusting relationships with my customer. The Hirshfields Spirit has encouraged me in achieving this goal.

{employee feature: Ronald Chock}

We’re still showing off our employee spirit!!! March, National Employee Spirit Month, is about halfway over and so far we have met Neil and Mike. Today we want to introduce you to Ronald, a valued member of Hirshfield’s Paint Manufacturing. Did you know Hirshfield’s Paint Manufacturing is the largest manufacturer of trade sales paint in Minnesota and produces paints, stains and specialty finishes for residential, commercial and industrial markets??? Yup, Hirshfield’s manufactures paint right here in Minnesota and Ronald is a big part of that!

Ronald Chock
Hirshfield’s Paint Manufacturing
Purchasing

How long have you worked at Hirshfield’s? 18 years and 4 months

What is your favorite part about working at Hirshfield’s? The crew I work with

What is your favorite Hirshfield’s product? Platinum ceramic, all lines

What are your hobbies outside of work? Golf, fishing, partying!

Your favorite home improvement project? Building my first deck at my new house

Best advice for someone thinking about taking on their own home improvement project? Think it through before you start!

What is something that many people might not know about you? I’m an auto mechanic by trade

How would you describe the “Hirshfield’s spirit”? Work hard, smile and laugh!

{employee feature: Michael Trowbidge}

As National Employee Spirit Month continues, we travel to Baxter to visit with Michael! Mike has been a member of the Hirshfield’s team for 10 years, and was recently featured in the Brainerd Dispatch for his involvement in foster parenting. Let’s get to know a little more about Mike!

Mike and his wife, Tamra

 

Mike Trowbridge
Store Manager
Hirshfield’s Baxter

What is your favorite part about working at Hirshfield’s? The people! The co-workers, the contractors… I need people! Some say I’m a Chatty Cathy!

What are your hobbies outside of work? Football, basketball, kickball, soccer. Anything to get outside and be with my family.

What is your favorite home improvement memory? When I was about 10 years old, we moved from a two bedroom, one bath home into a six bedroom, two bath home. We actually had to move it, put it on to the basement and completely gut it. We redid the roof and the electrical. It was a long process but we just did one thing at a time and even though I was young I still learned a lot about construction. Some other time I’ll tell you the story about how I got a whiffle ball stuck in the sewer pipe. 🙂

Best advice for someone thinking of starting a home improvement project? Try not to do too much at once. That is the quickest path to discouragement.

Something many people might not know about you? I love to cook!

How would you describe the “Hirshfield’s Spirit?” It’s all about fun! I worked for another company and dreaded coming to work everyday for 1 1/2 years. I never want that feeling again. Now, I enjoy coming to work – it’s a “go get ’em” attitude with a side of humor!

Mike admits he did not catch any of these halibut!

 

{employee feature: Neil Cowdin}

March brings us the final day of winter, the madness of college basketball and National Employee Spirit Month! Each week this month, we will feature one of our employees so you can get to know the Hirshfield’s team! Today we start with Neil from Hirshfield’s in Roseville.

Neil Cowdin
Paint Manager
Hirshfield’s Roseville

How long have you worked at Hirshfield’s? 16 years

What is your favorite part about working at Hirshfield’s? The friends you make over the years, including both customers and employees.

Favorite Hirshfield’s product? Hirshfield’s Platinum Ceramic Paint – Matte Finish, which is manufactured right here in Minneapolis at our paint factory.

What are your hobbies outside of work? I like to play the guitar, harmonica, mandolin and banjo. I also like to play cards, dance and watch movies.

Best advice for someone thinking of tackling a home improvement project? Make a list of everything you’ll need so you don’t have to run back and forth to the store!

What is something many people might not know about you? I sing and play music for nursing homes. I was also a star wrestler in high school and college.

How would you describe the “Hirshfield’s employee spirit”? Hardworking and fun!

Thanks Neil! Be sure to say “Hi” the next time you stop in at the Roseville location!