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Furniture Retail Tip #40 From Grandpa Mike-e-e! at 90 – Designing Kids Rooms. A Seminar Idea.

Furniture World News Desk on 4/13/2012




Michael Greene (Grandpa Mike-e-e at 90)

A while back, it occurred to me after seeing more than 1,000 bedroom doors being slammed shut by 1,000 kids on 1,000 TV sitcoms that young Americans children ashamed of their 24-hour bedroom surroundings and don't want their parents, their relatives, their buddies and teachers or invisible TV script-ors to see how they are living. Sad! Sad!

A-n-d since I, Grandpa Mike-e-e have a lot of retail experience designing and selling children’s rooms, I know that it isn’t just pretend sitcom children’s rooms need personalized design help. Most children in this wide country could need a room they can call their own and be proud of.

Designing children’s rooms isn’t a topic that many furniture retailers or consumers know how to do that well. It’s a sad situation that has a simple solution called, “Gee! Wish I Had A Bedroom That Was All My Own”, a book that I wrote for Home Science Classes that I was invited to teach in a middle school servicing students about twelve years of age.

If at this point you are thinking to yourself, “Here it comes. Grandpa Mike-e-e is going to try to get me to buy a book he wrote for children,” you would be right.

Why would you do this? So you can put on your own kids-room-decorating seminar for kids and their parents in your store, to scout troops or in local elementary schools!

Your seminar will serve a double purpose. You can teach kids and parents how to design their own rooms and maybe even interest them in a career in interior design. In the process you will create present and future customers and maybe even future employees. Wow-e-e!

Finally... If you like this idea and think you would appreciate the 100 page, autographed (by Grandpa Mike-e-e! at 90), hardcover book titled “Gee! Wish I Had A Bedroom That Was All My Own” with four-color illustrations, endless ideas, slick paging and a great gift. To get one or more copies, e-mail grandpamike-e-e!@furninfo.com me a note with your complete address, telephone number and how many copies you want. I will give you a call right back.  

I'm running a half-price market special on this book so you can buy one for each of your seminar attendees (or sell it to them). Cost is only $10 plus shipping. In it, you will find enlightened chapters such as…

  • The Body Measuring Tape
       
  • “The Couch Potato Fifty Percent Buying System
       
  • Space Planner’s Room Plan
       
  • Grandpa Mike-e-e’s Unbelievable Up-and-Down Bedroom Decorating System. 
       
  • This is the room size. This is what fits—how and why. This is what it costs. This is where we can buy it.
       
  • Grandpa Mike-e-e’s “What is it?” Glossary

Thanks, again, for listening.

Grandpa Mike-e-e! at 90

Questions? Comments? e-mail Grandpa Mike-e-e! at grandpamike-e-e!@furninfo.com

About Michael Greene (Grandpa Mike-e-e! at 90): Columnist, Retailer, Author, Composer-Lyricist, Playwright.

  • •Emigrated to U.S. with parents at age 3; Graduated high school at 16; Managed a retail/manufacturer at 18. 
  • Joined Tootsie Rolls/Sweets Corp. of America at 19 as Assistant to V.P. Purchasing. 
  • Joined US Army Signal Corp-Communications; Selected for (ASTP) Army Specialized Training Program, Rutgers U. Qualified for Officer Candidate School and graduated as Second Lieutenant, Personnel Division in 1944 at 23. 
  • Married his sweetheart, Anita, and gives thanks to the Almighty that they are still sweethearts… after 74 years. 
  • Rejoined Tootsie Rolls Corp as Director of Personnel at 24 (500 employees). 
  • Joined widowed sister, as President of retail/manufacturing company in 1946. Stayed on for 46 years managing and custom designing over 20,000 children's rooms. 
  • Graduated Hofstra U (evenings) in 1968 at age 47... before all his three kids, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren graduated with their degrees. 
  • Answered 30 day, temporary columnist advertisement by Reed Business Newspapers (Furniture Today) and stayed on for 27 years. Columns were sold from Bangladesh to Belgium to Beijing to Brooklyn. Admitted to the Writers Hall of Fame for "Conspicuous Excellence In reports and appraisals of the Furniture Industry." Visited with 3rd/4th generation retail owners throughout the US. Retired from retail after 55 years of management. 
  • At age 72: Published his first hardcover book: "Where's The Green Pea?" with vegetable characters in color, original music and lyrics on cassette. Designed programs for primary and pre-K schools and presented them with Grandma Anita, his partner.
  • At age 76: Published hardcover book/ with color: "Gee! I Wish I Had A Bedroom That Was All My Own" presented at middle schools with tech info for parents planning a student bedroom. Included outlines for teachers and students in Home Sciences. 
  • At age 80: Published hardcover book with color of unique art: "Tzedakah Of Caring and Sharing". A classic original with music for high school chorales. Ossining HS drama staged it and lona College sponsored a presentation as "American Fruit Salad". 
  • At age 88: Published on-line book "Retail Life: How To Get In, Stay Alive and L-o-v-e it" for college students, with versions for industry, business schools and entrepreneurs. Includes section for "Wise Women Who Love A Career Challenge", business professors and career students seeking everyday practical trade experience and business thinking.
  • Invited to address retail salespersons, customers, Furniture Designer Associates ; I.H.F.R.A. sales associations, High Point U. students and F.I.T. retailer sessions. 
  • At Grandpa Mike-e-e! at 90: Writes a weekly column for entrepreneurs, sales representatives and furniture management personnel in Furniture World - a trade publication for 140 years. 
  • Grandpa can't play an instrument nor read music. But you can see and hear his You Tube music video starring him with his granddaughter Becca at: http://bitly.coni/qALkrX.
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