Oprah Winfrey’s talk show guests have sat on them. The Royal Caribbean Cruise Line uses them. And Cardwell’s Restaurant in Plaza Frontenac (a small exclusive mall in St. Louis with a Nieman’s and a Sack’s) ordered them for an expansive renovation. Gregg Lipton chairs, stools and other furnishings are in demand when only the best will do.
Not bad for a small business located in Cumberland, Maine. Gregg and his team work in a 2,000 square foot, restored 1860 water-powered lumber mill suspended over two rushing flumes in front of a 120-foot wooden dam. The space includes a small showroom, but he mainly gains exposure for his pieces through juried craft shows around the country, through a small amount of targeted advertising, and through word of mouth. 70% of his business is residential and very custom, but his commercial accounts are where Gregg has gained national recognition, including a Smithsonian award.
Gregg noted, “The restaurants that really gave me a jumpstart and national exposure were the Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park and Tabla restaurants, all in Manhattan and all owned by Danny Meyer who also started Union Square Cafe. After that exposure, I supplied seating for about a dozen of Houston’s Restaurants across the country.”
What is the secret to Gregg’s success? “Innovation in furniture design is my ultimate objective. Finding unique solutions to age-old design problems—where to sit, to eat, to work, to relax, to sleep, to store—is the challenge and my inspiration.” In a Falmouth Forecaster article, it was stated, “There is nothing ordinary about his designs or the way he executes them. Some of his pieces are inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, others by Biedermeier, and others “from whim,” he says.
See for yourself at www.liptonfurniture.com.
