Page 16 - Lighting Magazine October 2019

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IN MEMORIAM:
BARBARA SYPHER
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LSA ADDS PRIVATE LABEL PROGRAM FOR SHOWROOM MEMBERS
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to its showroom membership. The move was the result of feedback the associa- tion received from lighting showrooms throughout the U.S. and Canada regarding the difficulties in maintaining profitability in an era of deep discount pricing from online distributors. Accord- ing to LSA founder Lisa Dixon, being able to offer access to a private label product line is a proactive step that
the organization is undertaking in order to effectively address the number one challenge faced by its retail members.
This opportunity underscores LSA’s “stronger together” message by provid- ing participating showrooms with the ability to feature a selection of products at a preferred cost advantage. In addi- tion to the attractive designs and price points, Private Label LLC has made this easy for LSA. They handle all of details such as ordering, payments, shipping, and delivery directly with LSA members.
Private Label LLC is the brainchild of long-time lighting industry veterans Maria Mullen and Barb Cote, who have successfully created similar programs for individual clients and have been members and supporters of LSA since the organization launched last year.
The initial product offering will be approximately 100 diverse and original lighting SKUs to cover different pricing and customer targets. The selection is curated and provided by Private Label and is not intended to serve as, or replace, a comprehensive lighting line.
What is different about the
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Barbara Sypher, wife of industry veteran Rhett Sypher, Sr., of Summerville, S.C., passed away
at home August 12 at age 69. She was involved in the lighting and home décor industry for 35 years as the co-founder of the portable lamp companies World Collections, Shoal Creek, and Cypress Point Home alongside her husband, and handled the administrative and customer service aspects of each business.
Though soft-spoken, Barbara exuded magnetism that drew people toward her. It was a chance meeting in Charles- ton just days before Rhett was to fly
to Australia to embark on a three-year music tour that changed the direction of both of their lives. They got engaged in June, just weeks after they met, and were married that October.
For the next 48 years, the two were inseparable. Rhett found work with a gift importer in Alabama, who special- ized in brass accessories, and learned as much as he could about the industry. Over the next year, Rhett met with a packaging vendor who introduced him to financiers in Birmingham.
That first company – initially called World Collections – consisted of 34 porcelain table lamps. Barbara and Rhett worked non-stop on the line and making the company a success.
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“Barbara was very hands- on,” Rhett says. “I think that’s what made us work
so well together. We were partners 100 percent; there was no ‘my money’ or ‘your money.’ In her mind, there was only ‘our money.’ Plus, we actually enjoyed working together.”
After evaluating evolving consumer tastes, Rhett
decided to enter the high-end lamp industry, manufacturing portables under the brand Shoal Creek. The line took off relatively quickly and grew to 100+ lamps. Business was so good that leasing space at the Atlanta, Dallas, and High Point Markets became a neces- sity to maintain that momentum and continue growing. “We were one of the first showrooms in Market Square in High Point,” he remarks.
“Barbara handled all of the admin- istration duties and developed what
I think was the best customer service department in the industry,” Rhett says. “When a customer called with a com- plaint, she never said, ‘I understand.’ She knew instinctively that those words meant nothing to the customer. Instead, she would ask, ‘How would you like
to see us solve this?’ She was always able to turn an angry call into a loyal customer.”
In 1993, Rhett and Barbara started their own consulting business (Vision 21) and began helping other manufac- turers launch their portable lighting lines.
“Through it all, Barbara never had a bad word to say about anybody — and she was my filter,” Rhett states. “How do you say goodbye to a dream? She was perfect. She was the love of my life, and always will be.”
he Lighting Showroom Association (LSA) has launched a private label
pilot program exclusively available