Finalists for the 2021 Showroom of the Year Awards, honoring outstanding lighting retailers across North America, have been announced. The annual awards program, now celebrating its 12th year, is co-sponsored by Furniture, Lighting & Decor magazine and Lightovation at Dallas Market Center.
Each year, showrooms are judged on a number of criteria, including merchandising display, marketing and advertising, customer service and engagement, employee education and motivation, and community involvement. One Showroom of the Year is named in each of three dollar-volume categories. The winners will be announced Thursday, June 24 at Lightovation, held June 23-26, 2021.
“It is especially important and meaningful this year to bring everyone together to celebrate our shared strength and individual excellence. We look forward to uniting the industry and honoring the best of the best. Congratulations to these inspiring showrooms,” said Cindy Morris, President and CEO of Dallas Market Center.
The finalists in all three categories — Revenue Under $2 Million, Revenue $2-$5 Million and Revenue $5 Million and Over — will be profiled in Furniture, Lighting & Decor’s May issue.
Finalists in the Revenue Under $2 Million category are:
- Crest Lighting - Chicago, IL
- Guildwood Lighting & Fireside - London, ON
- Lightstyles - Cornelius, NC
- Village Home Stores - Geneseo, IL
- Wiseway Supply - Florence, KY
Finalists in the Revenue $2-$5 Million category are:
- Black Whale Home - Encinitas, CA
- Dominion Lighting - Arlington, VA
- Gross Electric - Toledo, OH
- Inline Lighting - Pelham, AL
- Passion Lighting - Grapevine, TX
Finalists in the Revenue $5 Million and Over category are:
- CR Lighting (Colonial Lighting) - Decatur, GA
- Hermitage - Nashville, TN
- Idlewood Electric - Highland Park, IL
- Muska Lighting - Eden Prairie, MN
- Urban Lights - Denver, CO
“With so much potential adversity this past year, our Showroom of the Year finalists have found the silver linings,”says Diane Falvey, Editor-in-Chief of Furniture, Lighting & Decor. “They’ve gone beyond staying the course and have enhanced their retail businesses in innovative ways. We are so impressed with the dedication of this year’s finalists.”
All finalists are also eligible for three specialty awards: Outstanding Merchandising Display, Exceptional Community Involvement and Social Media Star, an award that industry members help select.
Once again, 50 percent of the scoring for the Social Media Star Award will be determined by “likes” posted to finalist profiles within the Showroom of the Year Social Media Star Event on Furniture, Lighting & Decor’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/furniturelightingdecor), starting May 3 and continuing through May 16. Official judges’ scores complete the remaining 50 percent of scoring for that category.
Judging this year’s competition is an esteemed panel of industry professionals. Patti Carpenter is Principal of carpenter+company and Trendscope, and also serves as a Pantone consultant and a Global Trend Ambassador for Maison et Objet. Tamara Day is the host and designer of HGTV’s Bargain Mansions, as well as the CEO and Founder of Growing Days Home and Growing Days Design, and a spokesperson for Kichler Lighting. James Fleming is CEO of Camelot Group, a business consultancy providing services to retailers and industry.
Keep watching www.furniturelightingdecor.com and the Lightovation Facebook page and the Lightovation - Lighting Industry Discussion Group on Facebook for additional details about the June awards presentation and the May 3 kickoff for the Social Media Star Award voting. And follow the #SOTYAwards hashtag for all of the latest news regarding the Showroom of the Year Awards.
