Page 67 - Lighting Magazine October 2018

retail spotlight
While many things have changed since an 11-year-old Bar- bara Lansing (née Scheinman) would arrive at her father’s lighting store on weekend mornings to clean xtures, make co ee, and change blue sheets for 25 cents — there are other aspects that have not changed, such as the company’s com- mitment to outstanding service. It is by providing stellar customer care and product assortment that the family business has been able to weather tough economic times – as well as increased competition – for more than half a century.
Lansing’s father, Isadore (Izzy) Scheinman, grew up in Brooklyn, New York. His rst job was changing out light bulbs for the New York Subway System, before later working as a salesman for an electrical supply house. In wartime, he served in the U.S. Army Air Force as a crew engineer on B- 29s ying over Japan. A er the War, Scheinman seized the opportunity to relocate his young fam- ily to the quiet suburbs of Chicago and open his own electrical supply shop in 1958.
Growing up, Lansing was used to spending her free time helping out. “It’s just what you did when your family owns a store,” she says of her indoctri- nation into the lighting industry. On weekends and summers while in high school and college (where she earned a Master’s degree in Social Work) she
clockwisE from top lEft: Having plenty of natural daylight, comfortable seating, and a visually pleasing assortment of lamps, sconces, and xtures make the shopping experience pleasant for customers.
Idlewood has a designated landscape lab to demonstrate various lighting e ects for homeowners.
Vigne es show customers how to apply complementary themes such as the circles on the pillows with those on the lamp.
Idlewood CEO Barbara Lansing (le ) and Showroom Manager Pat Bunting have been a team for 14 years.
october 2018 | enLIGHTenment Magazine 63