Page 87 - Lighting Magazine January 2019

Alife-long North Carolinian, Bre Blizzard knows the nuances of his territory well, and he is proud to count a varied as-
sortment of quality lighting showrooms among his clients. Before embarking on our trip to the Charleston, S.C. area, Blizzard enthusiastically pointed out, “Each of the showrooms I’ll take you to are completely di erent in their approach and business” — and he was right. What they have in common, of course, is admiration for Blizzard as their rep.
Blizzard’s father owned Coastal Lighting (which is still in operation today) in Wilmington, N.C., and while he didn’t have a pre-conceived idea of what he wanted to be when he grew up, he spent his formative years in the showroom.
“When I was small, I’d go to work with my dad on Saturdays and we’d have breakfast together, which was really special,” he recalls. By his teens, he was helping to assemble xtures to hang in the displays. As he got older, he learned more about the operations side of the business under the tu- telage of his father, who also gave his son stock
rep ridE-aloNg
in the company. As Blizzard ran the showroom, he learned rst-hand about the challenges retailers face on a regular basis, how to handle inventory, manage sta , and negotiate with the manufactur- ers’ reps.
One of the enormously successful events Coastal Lighting hosted under Blizzard’s watch was an annual Tent Sale each spring. “I’d pull up to the showroom at ve in the morning and there would be people waiting for the sale to begin,” he comments.
The Tent Sale proved so popular in its initial purpose of clearing out dead merchandise that Blizzard had to acquire more products to include in the sale, which consistently brought in people from Ohio, Virginia, and Georgia in addition to the Carolinas. The coastal city of Wilmington not only draws a signi cant amount of vacationers from all over the country, but many visitors decide to buy second homes in the area that they need to furnish.
When an opportunity to explore a di erent business entirely came up – as a part-owner of
January 2019 | enLIGHTenment MagazIne 85
oppositE pagE: He rst met Jan Clouse – the award-winning showroom owner and renowned lighting designer at Carolina Lanterns – when she was selling several dozen custom lanterns out of a tiny space in a strip mall. Her business has since grown expo- nentially since that initial meeting in 1999.
lEft: The husband-and- wife duo of Rick and Cynthia Mappus of Rick’s Lighting always enjoy it when Blizzard stops by their constantly busy showroom, founded in 1984, to discuss the latest lighting news. Since the Mappuses have increased the amount of furniture in their mix, customers have been coming in as much for furniture and accessories as they have for lighting.