October 2018

Good Morning and Happy Thursday!

Trends in furniture or fashion are always great indicators of changing times and distinct decades. While I love looking through old vintage pieces and finding little treasures around the store, this week I wanted to explore another great indicator of times and changes throughout history – Language!

It’s really amazing how many names there are for different pieces of furniture. Antique terms for everyday pieces can be so different than what we know them as today; a hassock for example might not be something you’ve heard of, but its modern term would be a no brainier!

Some of you may be experts in these vintage furniture terms, and others ( like me, I’ll be honest!) may learn something entirely new!

Cheval – This term refers to a full length mirror that’s mounted to a swivel on a frame.

Chiffonier– A chiffonier is a narrow chest of drawers, often with a mirror attached.

I actually have a chiffonier, and I didn’t even know it!

Semainier – A chest of seven drawers, designed to hold clothing for each day of the week. Semaine actually means ‘week’ in French, which explains the design and the name! Today these pieces are often referred to as lingerie chests.

Credenza– Traditionally credenzas were small pieces of furniture, used primarily for décor. Present day credenzas are used in a variety of spaces – offices for example, for extra storage space, etc.

Brewster, Spoonback, Fauteuil, Bentwood, Fiddle and Sheaf – These terms all refer to styles of chairs.

Bonheur Du Jour – This was the traditional term for a small ‘lady’s’ desk.

Vitrine – A vitrine is a glass display case, used to showcase valuables. You’ll see these types of cases in museums, for example!

Hassock– Presently known as an Ottoman, hassock is a vintage term for these versatile pieces!

Davenport– This term actually has two different definitions , depending on where you live! According to Merriam-Webster, The North American definition of Davenport is a large upholstered sofa, typically able to be converted into a bed. The British version of the word however refers to an ornamental writing desk with drawers and a sloping surface for writing

Divan – A divan is a long and low sofa, often placed up against a wall.

By no means have I touched on all the fun old words for furniture – do you have another term that you can share with me?

“What did Mr. & Mrs. Hamburger name their daughter?”

‘We don’t know Brad, what did they name her?”

“Patty!”

Eruptions of laughter at the good hearted nature of a silly joke are always a great way to begin a day of work. Many mornings, Brad makes sure we’re all smiling before we’ve even had our coffee.

A great manager is something that many people have only dreamed of working for. Someone who genuinely cares about the welfare of their workforce, clientele and their community. Brad Fitterer truly embodies each of those qualities.

The first person to lend an ear, a hand or both if needed, its not unusual for Brad to drop everything he’s working on if someone needs his help. He has a contagiously kind and caring personality that we certainly don’t take for granted.

Whether he’s telling a joke, comforting a customer or putting on a silly wig for a laugh, Brad definitely knows how to lighten a mood and empower a soul.

We love him for his great sense of humor ; we also love him for giving great advice, being a tremendous listener, providing comfort in difficult times and skill as an excellent leader.

In honor of Tuesday’s celebration of National Bosses Day, we want to thank Brad for being one of the very best!

Hello!

As many of you have probably noticed, Fitterer’s has been putting out a steady amount of content through social media, blogs and ads. Almost all of this content comes from the store’s marketing expert, Amanda McDougall. If you follow the blogs you probably have seen the blog she published introducing herself.

Over the past two quarters, I have had the opportunity to work with Amanda with digital marketing at Fitterer’s. Allow me to introduce myself!

My name is Gabe Neustel. As you may have guessed, I am a marketing student at Central Washington University. After graduating next year, I hope to find an internship/job in the Pacific Northwest that pertains to digital marketing content creation or marketing consulting. I was drawn to marketing because of how creative you can be. Whether it’s shooting a video, creating an ad or even writing a blog, there is so much opportunity for creation and freedom.

I have been a part of the Fitterer’s team for almost 3 years. You can normally find me on the box truck delivering furniture all over the state of Washington. I still work part time on the delivery truck but over the past six months I have been lucky enough to spend some time working in the office as well. In the office, I help Amanda with social media, research and content creation. I feel so thankful to have the opportunity to get experience in the industry and learn from someone as knowledgeable as Amanda.

My whole life I have always enjoyed being creative and building things. Growing up, I was always fascinated with how things work… particularly, things with tires. Whether it be matchbox cars, bikes or go karts, I was always tinkering and trying to improve different designs. Now, I am fascinated by off-road fabrication and am always trying to improve the design of my rock-crawler.

In my free time, I love to spend time outside with my family and friends. There are so many beautiful places around Eastern Washington and I enjoy exploring as much beautiful scenery as I can! Whether it be chasing elk around in the rut with my close friends or trying to catch fish with my little sister, I love to explore God’s beautiful creation.

Thank you so much for reading a little bit about me! I look forward to continuing to learn about marketing by Amanda and continuing to learn about business by the Fitterer’s team. Keep your eye out for new exciting content, particularly video, in the near future!