Gridley has also had to negotiate several challenges unique to the new location, including Santa Cruz’s growth-resistant development bureaucracy and an easygoing beach-town atmosphere she fears may clash with the aggressive, business-minded approach that succeeded in Silicon Valley.
For Benvenuti and Stein, a Chicago-area remodeler and cabinetmaker, a recent expansion served to bring the company closer to its customers. The company’s original Evanston, Ill., location is necessary, says vice president Ben White, because of the need for a large, industrial space to accommodate the cabinet shop.
“But,” White says, “it’s not necessarily where our customers live.”
In fact, they live 15 minutes north of Evanston in the well-heeled suburb of Winnetka — coincidentally, 60% of Benvenuti and Stein’s work is there, so Winnetka is a natural choice for a new location. The company has known that for a long time, but, White says, resisted rushing the expansion.
“We’ve been considering it and looking for the right space for six or seven years,” White says. “Anyone can buy their way into a market with unlimited resources, but we had to wait for the right space at the right price. Aligning those two things is what took a long time.”
About two years ago, White says, he found an almost-perfect location: a two-story space with offices upstairs and a street-level showroom space that will give Benvenuti and Stein a retail presence (a first for the company) right in the heart of downtown Winnetka. Best of all, the space is located in a block of historic buildings all occupied by businesses specializing in residential design and décor.
In addition to reinforcing the company’s long-established brand image, the new location, White says, is expected to increase efficiency by bringing a portion of the company’s sales and design team closer to its customer base and growing revenue by adding retail sales. White hopes the growth will fuel itself, with the efficiency increase giving designers more time to handle the retail influx.
“You can’t just grow by spending money,” White says. “The key is to grow and expand into another market with a careful mind to expenditure, so you’re growing in a way that improves efficiency.”
David Zuckerman is a freelance writer based in New York.