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| Women understand that accessories are key, especially when adorning our pride and joy…our home. Sometimes knowing which home accessories would be best can be a bit daunting. The ladies at LuminEscence and Quinn Essentials can help. Whether you are changing a few fixtures or starting a construction project, they offer 5,000 square feet of unique, impressive lighting fixtures, cabinet hardware, bath accessories, decorative plumbing, beautiful vessel sinks, and so much more. They say they will satisfy your tastes to make your home the best it can be! Located at 4620 Edison Avenue, Elaine Buck owns LuminEscence, and Wendy Quinn owns Quinn Essentials. They have combined their talents, friendship, and backgrounds to create a one-of-a-kind showroom. They say that their efforts have allowed two women-owned businesses to succeed in a predominately male industry. Wendy has an interior design degree, and she has been in the industry for over 15 years. She began working with plumbing and tile, but found her interests and skills were better-suited for the fine details required in the realm of hardware and plumbing. Quinn Essentials began in March 2005, with the focus being door hardware, cabinet knobs, and bath accessories, as well as sinks, faucets, and toilets. Elaine has eight years of experience in lighting, and her degree is in accounting and business management. Her extensive knowledge of lighting includes chandeliers, recessed can units, ceiling fans, under-cabinet lighting, and landscape lighting. “Since Wendy has the design side and I have the business side, we work together and can easily help each other out,” Elaine says. The two women know each other through a previous employer, and they have worked on various projects together for about seven years. Elaine approached Wendy first. “She told me the space beside her was available and asked if I had ever thought about starting my own business,” Elaine says. “We just looked at each other and laughed.” That was two-and-a-half years ago. Thanks to their existing relationships with many local contractors and designers, it was easy for the business to take off, they say. “With the addition of LuminEscence to the showroom, clients love the idea that they can send their customers in. And they appreciate the convenience of being able to finalize so many of their selections in one place,” Wendy states. When a client is building a new home, they are exhausted from all the decisions they have made, Wendy goes on to say. “It’s nice to get them recharged again. They leave feeling confident about their choices. We help them finish the job with the same excitement and enthusiasm as when it started.” Wendy and Elaine say they are very hands-on with helping their customers, as well as staying budget-conscious. “We both do the full gamut,” Elaine says. “We do entry-level basic designs, all the way up to complete custom homes.” Elaine adds that they are strictly a supply business and do not offer installation services. But they love to refer other businesses that can complete the task. The two women started an informal networking group made up of contractors and tradespeople over two years ago so they could have a list of referrals for their customers. What started with six people is now close to 30 members who meet twice a month. “We’ve received a lot of business from it, and the other members have gained projects too,” Elaine says. They also started hosting a monthly “lunch and learn” for product training. They invite different product representatives to present information about their products. Wendy and Elaine align themselves with many businesses throughout the city. One example is that they work frequently with 11 different cabinet shops. Wendy says, “The loyalty of the Colorado Springs client base is fabulous. And we have received tremendous support from other women-owned businesses. That says a lot about the Colorado Springs market. Women generally support women in business here.” Both women are involved with the local Housing and Building Association (HBA) and participate on the Remodel Council. Elaine serves on the Code Review Board and the Green Council, while Wendy serves on the HBA Cares Board of Directors. “We’ve been blessed to know so many people in the industry,” Wendy shares. “When we get the opportunity, we can call upon several different groups of people and really support our community and our industry.” Elaine agrees, adding, “One other benefit to being connected is we can call and ask questions to fully assist our clients. Our professional associates know that we are going to pass business to them when we can.” Sometimes a project requires them to work with people for up to 18 months. “One of the additional benefits,” Wendy says, “is that many of our clients do become our friends.” Although the current economy has changed their primary client base from new home construction to remodeling, they are proud of their accomplishments and how they have built their businesses debt-free. “We never took out loans, so we have a lot of sweat equity in our businesses,” Wendy says with a smile. “And without high overheads, it helps us keep our prices competitive and endure through this slower economy.” As with any small business, effective marketing is always one of the biggest challenges. When people walk in the doors of the showroom, “Wow!” and “I wish I had known you were here” are the two most common phrases Elaine and Wendy say they hear. One of the primary reasons people are amazed is probably because of the large assortment of products offered: Quinn Essentials displays over 30 different lines of cabinet hardware, as well as 30-plus lines of door hardware and plumbing lines. LuminEscence has 50 lines of lighting available. With this amount of product, it would be impossible to inventory everything that clients need. Most everything is ordered by project, which can take anywhere from two to four weeks on average to come in. As to their level of service, “Everyone is important,” Elaine points out. “It doesn’t matter if customers come in to buy a toilet paper holder or they are building a $4 million house. They receive the same treatment and level of respect.” Wendy adds that customers should feel at home in the store because it is about their home. The women agree that they are very open and honest about comparable prices as well as quality, which customers seem to appreciate. LuminEscence and Quinn Essentials are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointments are preferred. Customers are encouraged to bring in samples, pictures, and anything else related to their design ideas so Wendy and Elaine can visualize what they are working with to help them finish the project. For more information or to make an appointment, call Elaine at 719-471-6505 or Wendy at 719-577-6500, or check out their Web sites at www.luminescenceco.com and www.QEHardware.com. |
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