Page 72 - Lighting Magazine January 2020

Retail Spotlight: Two CiTies
top: Workspaces are deliberately in the open to encourage customer questions and interactions, while ceiling fans and artwork – both popular categories for homeowners in the area – are conveniently nearby.
Crystal adds that customers’ exposure to interior design shows on TV have been another influence on the style shift. “Tastes have changed; people used to buy in families of fixtures and now the [desire] is for a more eclectic, custom look,” she remarks.
“We’re finding younger customers are opting to use pendants versus island fixtures in the kitchen, and very often customers will say, ‘I want a chan- delier for my daughter’s room,’” Crystal comments. And while years ago, table lamps on nightstands were a common sight; now, customers are seek- ing swing-arm sconces for a less-cluttered, more streamlined look.
“People who have built their homes two years ago are now wanting to remodel.”
—Crystal Dement
Today’s customers are apt to change design styles more readily than in the past. “People who have built their homes two years ago are now wanting to remodel,” she explains. “We’ve had more Airbnb remodeling projects come up,” Crystal notes, ex- plaining that the rising popularity of college games at Texas Tech, along with larger corporate gather- ings in the area, can saturate the availability of hotel rooms. The nearby University Medical Center – which is the primary teaching hospital for the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center – has been growing as well, drawing doctors and other profes- sionals in the medical community.
Crystal urges customers to share the design ele- ments they are planning for the entire home so she can best match their lighting needs and styles. “I tell them, ‘Bring in your Pinterest boards and your flooring & tile samples,’” she says. Her approach in dealing with budget constraints is fashion-based, as in “I can show you the Louis Vuitton or the Michael Kors” version of a style that interests the customer.
Dement Lighting successfully accommodated
68 enLIGHTenment Magazine | January 2020
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