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SEPT. 21, 2012
FALL HOME & GARDEN SPECIAL SECTION
Celebrating 75 years in the best way possible Earlier this year, Lawrance Furniture celebrated its 75th year of business one of the best ways possible — by receiving the 2012 Retailer of the Year from the NHFA (National Home Furnishings Association.) This prestigious distinction for San Diego’s leader in modern and contemporary furnishings came as a humbling honor to Lawrance Furniture President Howard Haimsohn. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime award and we’re honored,” said Howard, “They really scrutinize you to see if you’re deserving.” To better explain the significance of the award: The 8,500 members of 93-year-old NFHA believed that Lawrance Furniture’s outstanding contributions to the industry, exemplary service to its community and personal business achievements were in need of recognition for the third generation family-run business. While the entire staff of Lawrance Furniture is proudly deserving of the designation, much of the credit deserves to go to Howard’s grandfather and the furniture store’s
founder, Herman Haimsohn. Herman Haimsohn opened Lawrance under the name Modern Furniture Company. The store was located in downtown San Diego, and even from the very beginning, offered contemporary furniture and appliances. Since 1937, Lawrance Furniture has watched hometown San Diego grow tremendously. Where many stumbled to keep up with the pace, Lawrance prevailed at maintaining high quality, unique furniture designs and the very best in customer service. It is that tradition of excellence that has turned a small family business into a legacy. As the store continued to thrive, Herman turned Modern Furniture Company into a family business by introducing his son Herbert to the company. During the next few years Herbert maintained the same high quality and excellent customer service, which made the business so well respected. Herbert would eventually turn the business over to his younger brother Ed. The venture came as a shock to Ed, as
Lawrance Furniture Owner and President Howard Haimsohn with his wife Julie celebrates the 75th anniversary of their three-generation-old, family-run store and the earning of the 2012 Retailer of the Year award. Courtesy photo
not long after taking over the responsibilities, their father passed away. “I was young and there was still so much to learn,” Ed
said.“With my father gone and my brother involved in other things, I had to run the store with no real support. But I loved the business.As I became
more comfortable in the industry, I realized that we weren’t a significant store. We couldn’t be everything to everyone. We had to find our niche.” Already offering some contemporary designs, Ed’s first landmark decision was to hone the focus of the store. By redefining the inventory, Lawrance had truly found its place.It was at that juncture that Ed began his criteria for furniture buying.The first: The most important aspect is the aesthetic quality of the design. The second criterion for furniture buying is comfort, and corresponding with the second criteria, the third point for every piece offered at Lawrance is comfort of price and budget. “Maintaining high quality while still within a reasonable budget may be the most difficult, but also the most rewarding aspect of the business,” Ed said. All that was left was to keep the family business intact. Ed would bring his son Howard in, and together, they decided it was time to expand the business, opening a second store in Encinitas. “We opened the Encinitas
store and with that, we changed the name of the company to Lawrance Furniture,” said Howard. The additional store proved to be an asset to the company and is still operating out of the same location 31 years later. Howard began integrating new technology into the company, launching their own website at Lawrance.com, which more than 15 years ago was unheard of. Today, the site utilizes some of the most advanced technology, including allowing users to quickly redesign a room online with their “Room Planner” tool. Staying true to customer service Howard embraces technology to offer more choices of communication between customers and the Lawrance staff, which creates a closer relationship and a happier customer in the end. With every new innovation Howard Haimsohn and the Lawrance Furniture family maintain their commitment to preserving the excellence of the store. After 75 years, it’s apparent this small business still maintains its big heart.
Taylor Morrison offers plenty of choices for San Diego homebuyers With amenities that rival the best resorts, access to award-winning schools and homes that offer designs from
Taylor Morrison’s three an award-winning architect, Taylor Morrison has plenty of area communities offer somechoices for discerning San thing for everyone, with plenty of surrounding amenities to Diego homebuyers. enhance the living experience. Two communities offer California living in Carlsbad — Viridian (part of the luxurious La Costa Greens) and the newly minted Vista del Mar, which offers Robert Hidey Architects-designed homes with distant views of the Pacific Ocean. Nearby, the gated community of North River Village in Oceanside counts quick access to the ocean and plenty of nearby trails as part of its allure. Since its debut in May,
Vista del Mar in Carlsbad has been the focal point of Taylor Morrison’s San Diego offerings, with 37 single-level homes thoughtfully planned to maximize ocean views and the surrounding topography. The artful mastery of award-winning architect Robert Hidey is displayed in all four floor plans offered at the Carlsbad community. With homes that stretch from 1,893 to 2,982 square feet, the homes at Vista del Mar are designed with California sun-splashed living in mind. Nearby is a wealth of entertainment for the whole family including the Carlsbad
Community Theater, Children’s Discovery Museum, the historic Mission San Luis Rey and the world famous Legoland Resort. “Living in San Diego means enjoying all of the culture, outdoor experiences and family fun opportunities that the area has to offer,” said Phil Bodem, president of Taylor Morrison’s southern California division. “The culture is as diverse as the homes we offer at Vista del Mar.” At Viridian, homebuyers can choose from homes that range in size from 2,204 to 4,635 generous square feet and up to six bedrooms and 4.5 baths. Viridian homeowners has access to La Costa Greens amenities, including the Presidio,a private club that features all of the appointments of a private clubhouse including a fully-equipped fitness facility,
tennis courts, competitionsized pool, gourmet kitchen and gathering room. Further north from Carlsbad is North RiverVillage, a gated community that sits in the hills of Oceanside along the San Luis Rey River. Spanish and Mediterranean architecture accent town homes that start in the $220,000s and offer homebuyers up to three bedrooms and bathrooms, two-car garages and quick access to the sandy beaches and Pacific Ocean nearby. “No matter which community you choose, Taylor Morrison has something to suit every lifestyle,” Bodem said. “You’re proud to call San Diego home and so are we.” For more information about Taylor Morrison and its communities, please visit taylormorrison.com.
Tips for a thorough fall house cleaning (ARA) — With the changing of the season right around the corner, most Americans are beginning to clean up the exterior of their homes by raking leaves and cleaning out the gutters, but what about the interior? Fall can be the perfect time to revisit that spring cleaning list that you never completed and give the interior of your home a deep clean in preparation for the holiday season. While most people rely on their own cleaning know-how to tackle germs and dirt, they depend on their eyes to show what they think is a clean house. In fact, more than two out of three people believe that vision is the most important sense in determining the cleanliness of a home, according to a recent national consumer survey conducted by Stanley Steemer. But it’s often the dirt that you don’t see that requires help
from the pros. Traditional athome cleaning methods such as vacuuming and dusting only remove a relatively small portion of dirt, dust and particles that lurk in your floors and furniture. Without a deep cleaning, you’ll be trapping dirt inside your home for the entire winter, which can impact the visual appearance of your home, while also elevating the risk of allergens in the home. With more than 60 years as the dirt authority, the cleaning experts at Stanley Steemer are certified to remove more than 98 percent of dry soil from floors — a rate significantly higher than self-cleaning methods. In fact, in fall of 2011, Stanley Steemer technicians removed more than 56 tons of dirt from American Homes. To help you see through the dirt that lurks in your TURN TO CLEANING ON B25