The Trunk Show with RW Elephant

Christie Zangrilli is the Co-Founder and CEO of Party at the Moontower, an Austin based boutique event rental company specializing in modern-eclectic furniture and custom build backdrops and decor. Christie holds a BA in Communication Design from New York University and a MFA in Design from The University of Texas.

What’s in this episode:

• Studying design, and moving to Austin
• The seed idea, fundraising, and launching with 3 partners
• The five factors in setting your brand apart from the pack
• Discovering your core values with frameworks for operational guidance
• Navigating relationships and buying out partners
• Managing growth from the post COVID boom and customizable builds
• The importance of Lend & Gather Conference in the business’s growth

Quotations:

“Another thread that I see through the people who have that sticktoitiveness, that longevity, are really just people who can see the bigger picture. They see, oh, I'm not just dropping off stuff at a wedding or not just renting tables and chairs. You recognize hey I'm creating culture here. This is the stuff of celebrations. This is what makes up these milestones and memories for people. ” – Allison Howell

“And so I think what I learned from you, Allison, which you've always said is like more inventory doesn't mean more money. And so we've really taken that to heart and that we don't just buy things that we think are cool. There are exceptions. I would like to say we're more intentional and focused and super planned out on what our collections are, but they are largely driven by what the market is asking for and what also feels on brand to us.”  – Christie Zangrilli

“Tomorrow, this big box company could literally go buy every single thing that you have. So inventory is never going to be your unique differentiator and so I was like, oh man, like that's super scary but made us realize how important all of the brand pieces were and how that goes into operations. So again, what are the things that you are winning?” – Christie Zangrilli

“We are going to reevaluate once a year, it is planned. Let's stick it on the calendar. We will hire somebody to do it. It becomes less uncomfortable because it was pre planned versus a reaction to something happening that seems more confrontational.” – Christie Zangrilli

“You're liable for them as the business owner. I personally am liable for their well being. And I'm also personally liable for keeping them paid. I was at the point where I was like, if I'm going to shoulder all the additional stress of having all these employees and also the business was growing and doing really well, I want to be responsible for all of its successes.” – Christie Zangrilli

Resources:

The Lend & Gather Conference

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!

Thank you to our sponsor:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram 

And our guest:

Christie Zangrilli of Party at the Moontower

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok

Holly and Charlie are owner/operators of Locate to Create. Their mission is to “Locate” items to “Create” bespoke events and experiences. They use props, furniture and styling to tell people’s stories with an underlying theme of sustainability. Their diverse portfolio features an eclectic array of items and furniture pieces curated to cater to various personalities and styles. 

Partners Holly and Charlie couldn’t be more different but that’s what makes them work so well. Charlie loves logistics and operational efficiency while Holly is the creative mind and driving force that clients can’t get enough of. Their combined strengths and work ethic earned them the national award for Venue Stylist of the Year in 2024. They operate just outside of London, England.

What’s in this episode:

• How Holly got started right out of Uni with the help of mentors
• Charlie joins the business and roles are defined
• Using Instagram and styled shoots to increase social media reach
• Winning Venue Stylist of the Year Award and leveraging it for growth
• Sourcing inspiration and finding creative options for storage
• Can you believe this is our job?

Quotations:

“How can we take that and display it creatively? Or come up with a prop that is useful for that, but also looks great. It creates a photo opportunity and then all the guests are taking pictures. That is what couples love. Practical and pretty I always say, and that's why we really try and focus on that as a company.” – Holly

“One of the benefits and beauties of working with your partner, business partner, romantic partner. She's at one end of the desk. I'm at the other one. It's not a particularly difficult task for me to say, “Oh, Holly, I think she might want styling.” – Charlie

“We know now that actually seeing couples on our Instagram page, for example, real couples is fantastic, but actually styled shoot couples like models doesn't work as well. People just want to really see our products. So we don't post that much of our couples as much as we love them. But it's the products that we're trying to sell and the service.” – Holly

“Sometimes when we get an award or we achieve something in our business, we say, okay, check that off onto the next thing. But it can be so valuable for us to say, okay, I got this thing, or I achieved this thing or I have this thing in front of me, how can I squeeze more out of it so that I can get all of the benefit or value out of this thing that I already have before I move on to the next marketing opportunity or before I move on to the next thing or before I invest in the next phase, right?”

– Allison Howell

“We never want to be the sort of company where we're doing thousands of events every year. So it's very important to us to identify very strategic venues to try and penetrate into a high proportion of their yearly total events. And as you say, having that leverage to get in there and actually capture those for us, that's a far more valuable way of doing business and expanding business.” – Charlie

Resources:

The Lend & Gather Conference

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!

Thank you to our sponsor:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram 

And our guests:

Holly and Charlie of Locate to Create

Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok

Holly and Amanda are the Greenhouse Picker Sisters. They’re fifth generation pickers with a love for all things vintage and unique. Greenhouse Lane is their family’s street name and hosts some of their dearest memories; ones of love and southern tradition. When they’re not on the hunt for their next amazing piece, you can find them spending time with their husbands and children.

What’s in this episode:

• Why and how the sisters were lead to the industry
• Growing the business, running the family and enriching the community 
• The separation of roles and resolving conflicts between founders
• Curating and pricing an eclectic, customer driven collection
• The rule of 3 wow factors guaranteed to make clients happy
• Carving out their market and maximizing margins

Quotations:

“We would get money, we would pour it back in. We would get money, we would pour it back in. We were very passionate about not going into some crazy debt for this business where we couldn't walk away. So we would load, we would unload the trucks. We were everything. We were marketing. We were labor. We did that for years. We got your software, which was amazing.” – Holly Barton

“...this is just a little plug for Lend & Gather. We have to go to that this year because we have gotten as far as we have by the grace of God, by hard work, sweat, blood, tears, and a great industry. Our industry is awesome, but we still have so much to learn on the business side.” – Amanda Cox

“There's always more to learn. There are always ways that you can improve. There's always lessons that you can learn and things that you can do differently next time. Because that’s what entrepreneurship is about, right? Recognizing and celebrating our successes and then saying, ‘Okay, what's next?.’” – Allison Howell

“When I had a baby three years ago and obviously that pulled me a little bit away from the business. She stepped up. She's had personal things where I've had to step up and that did create conflict. But I think we have worked through it and ultimately when we started this business, we knew and it still stands true. If she's ever out of it, I'm done. If I'm ever out of it, she's done. If it's coming between us, then we're done. ” – Amanda Cox

“The term in our marriage is fight fair. And my husband is my business partner. So similarly to you being sisters and business partners, the relationship is super complicated because you develop a dynamic and then there's a pattern that happens, right? And whether the pattern’s in your kitchen or the pattern's in your office, that happens whether you're intending for it to or not, because that's what you practiced and it's the roles you've gotten into.” – Allison Howell

Resources:

The Lend & Gather Conference

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!

Thank you to our sponsor:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram 

And our guest:

Holly Barton and Amanda Cox of Greenhouse Picker Sisters

Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

Over the last 18 years, Mandy Majerik has turned her mom and pop flower shop into a key player for floral production in the southeast. She also founded and operates PropHouse which offers boutique prop rental to her clientele. Mandy has both her AIFD and PFCI certifications. She has a custom build shop, a custom paint shop and is opening a custom print shop. She’s got the heart, the hustle, the history and the headspace to successfully operate her growing businesses of 30 employees.

What’s in this episode:

• What Mandy does after taking over her family’s flower shop
• Breaking into the rental market with PropHouse 
• How she manages multiple businesses and dozens of employees 
• The logic behind her collection and approach to purchasing
• The importance of safety nets and icebreakers when hiring 
• Milestones and giving back!

Quotations:

“I think when I made the decision that I would raise the minimum for floral and really push towards the props. I wanted to be a leader in that market in our area. Being able to do the whole event design and incorporate or push new ideas on people. That was the avenue that I saw as an opportunity because I was really doing it anyway.” – Mandy Majerik

“I was very driven to make it something that was distinct and different. And I think I've just been riding the wave going in that direction.” – Mandy Majerik

“There's some things that I buy just because I personally think this will do well in the market. Or someone doesn't have it to offer where we are. And so that gives us a leg up sometimes of something different that we have that can be that little pivot point tipping the scale to rent from us versus someone else.” – Mandy Majerik

“I think you have to be organized and have a plan. I think you have to be a person who sets goals. Because if you don't set them, you're not going to be able to reach them. ” – Mandy Majerik

“Bringing me joy is being able to give back to the people who I think dedicate themselves so much to the business, the crazy business that we're in. ” – Mandy Majerik

Resources:

The Lend & Gather Conference

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!

Thank you to our sponsor:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram 

And our guest:

Mandy Majerik of HotHouse Design Studio + PropHouse Rentals and Styling

HotHouse | Facebook | Instagram

PropHouse | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

Ann started Borrow out of her garage in 2012 with the belief that people need local art and design in their lives. Borrow provides modern, made + antique furniture for the events and homes of the community she lives in. She has a BA in Creative Writing and a childhood history in theatre. When she's not at Borrow, you'll find her at home with the people she loves. 

What’s in this episode:

• How Ann started borrow with only $7,000
• A tragic event that destroyed nearly everything
• An efficient and effective system for furniture repair
• Her method for keeping herself and her team accountable
• Learning how to “chill” as a boss and fostering culture
• Being a role model, reaching milestones, and more!

Quotations:

“You're not starting over. You're gonna go in and rebuild as an absolute expert. When you first started this business, you were not an expert. You didn't know what the hell you were doing. ” – Ann King

“We always have kept good records. So I was literally able to just press that button on RW Elephant and spit out exactly how much stuff we had.” – Ann King

“I'm way less attached to the collection. It's stuff. And probably the biggest takeaway is, you think it's about the furniture. It is not about the furniture. Not at all. It is about the people. It is about the people that you work for, that you work with. It's about your community.”  – Ann King

“When you call OSHA in and you say, I want to do this the right way, can you show me how to do it? They love you for that. They understand that you're just trying to do things the right way. So it's not scary at all. It's very, very informative and helpful.” – Ann King

“One thing we did invest in, and actually it was a company that we found at Lend & Gather. We hired Upright Labs to come in and give us a 150 page deck of how to reset the warehouse for primal efficiency. So that was massive and a big investment, but totally worth it.”  – Ann King

“I didn't realize that like management was about empowering and supporting. It's not about telling and teaching.”  – Ann King

Resources:

The Lend & Gather Conference

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!

Thank you to our sponsor:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram 

And our guest:

Ann King of Borrow Curated Furniture + Design

Borrow | Instagram | Facebook

Brazil native Pablo Oliveira founded Nüage Designs in 2004. Based in Miami, the company has become a leader in couture linen and furniture rentals for events, renowned for its quality and service. Oliveira's innovative, hands-on approach and commitment to sustainability and community drive Nüage's success and reputation globally.

What’s in this episode:

• How Pablo got started in the industry
• Discovering a niche and growing organically
• Expanding the sales team to different locations
• Finding the right talent and empowering them
• The freedom in learning to let go

Quotes:

“I just took it day by day and just grabbed every opportunity that was presented to me and met every single designer that referred me to another one. It was just like one thing leading to the other. And before I knew it we weren't just doing business here in Miami, we started shipping.” – Pablo Oliveira

“I think that referrals have been the best way for us to find the right talent, especially because I think that someone that is already working with us, they want to have the best people joining the company.” – Pablo Oliveira

“I think the magic really happens when other people believe in your passion and become as passionate as you are for the business and they take ownership in everything that they do and every day that they come to work.” – Pablo Oliveira

“You have to start and risk failing and then after you've worked so hard, you have to let go in order for it to grow. I don't know, which is harder, but that part takes a lot of courage too.”  – Allison Howell

“When I realized the potential that I had with placing salespeople across the country, that obviously allowed us to grow exponentially compared to just doing business locally.” – Pablo Oliveira

“I am freaking essential. Or we are freaking essential because, what is life if we don't make memories, right?”  – Pablo Oliveira

Resources:

The Lend & Gather Conference

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!

Thank you to our sponsor:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram 

And our guest:

Pablo Oliviera of Nüage Designs

Nüage Designs | Instagram | Pinterest

Alice Sip joined the event rentals industry in North America. Then she took her expertise back to her homeland of New Zealand to build Flock Events. Today, it’s one of the top rental, styling, and event planning businesses in that country. 

What’s in this episode:

• How Alice discovered a gap in the market... and filled it effectively
• What it’s like to manage multiple locations under one business
• How Flock Events schedules and pays staff in a mutually beneficial way (and avoids seasonal hires)
• How Alice is building a brick-and-mortar shop which ties into her larger business

Quotes:

“I guess whenever there's a gap in the market, you say “Is the gap there because there's no demand? Or is the gap there because the demand's not filled?’” - Alice Sip

“I’ve learnt to be very very specific about every single detail [...] I think the more specific you can be, the better.” - Alice Sip

“I always look at demand before I just buy. I would never look at a piece of furniture and say ‘Oh, that’s nice. We’ll add that to the collection.’ We’ll always say, ‘Well who have we got that that’s going out for?’” - Alice Sip

“I also don't believe in money over relationship in terms of what we take on in our business.” - Alice Sip

“I’ve realized the importance of delegating and realized the importance of my time and that paying someone an hourly wage to do something actually is worth it because it frees up me.“ - Alice Sip

Resources:

The Lend & Gather Conference

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!

Thank you to our sponsor:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram 

And our guest:

Alice Sip of Flock Events & Kindred Road

Flock Events Website | Instagram

Kindred Road Website | Instagram

Before starting her event rental business, Sherine Iskandar was a marketing professional. Now, with years of experience and a personal rebrand under her belt, she’s the perfect pro to talk to about the nuts and bolts of branding and marketing an event rental business.

What’s in this episode:

• Building a new brand in a new market
• How Sherine plans her purchases around pieces that fit and further her brand
• The strategy behind rebranding Modern Vintage Rentals as Lily & Cane
• Lessons learned commissioning custom pieces
• The endless battle for work-life balance

Quotes:

“A brand embodies so much more than just the look and feel. The client experience is a huge thing.” - Sherine Iskander

“Some people give up after attending once or twice at one of these networking groups and then they say, ‘ph, that doesn’t work for me.’ But what I’ve found is that you really have to stick with it for six to nine months before anybody with any kind of great reputation will give you a chance because if they recommend you, then their reputation is on the line.” - Allison Howell

“This was important for me to explain to myself or to keep repeating to myself: ‘I can’t be all things to all people.’” -Sherine Iskandar  

“I decided I’m not going to wait for perfection to start promoting a product.” -Sherine Iskandar

“My name was doing a disservice to the brand, and I had to change it.” - Sherine Iskandar

“It was a big goal when I quit the corporate world. My goal was to be a healthier person – mind and body. And I am a healthier person now because I’ve allowed myself the balance of work and life.” - Sherine Iskandar

Resources:

SITU Creative Agency

The Lend & Gather Conference

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!

Thank you to our sponsor:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram 

And our guest:

Sherine Iskandar of Lily & Cane

Website | Instagram

CeCe Champion is the founder of Little Celebrations, a specialty rentals business in Boston that focuses on the kiddos. Hear how she found her unique passion and place in the industry. Plus, we discuss all things miniature and adorable from tables to sofas to chiavari chairs!

What’s in this episode:

• How mentorship helped grow Little Celebrations
• CeCe’s business strategy for surviving the pandemic
• How embracing the power and freedom of delegation has helped CeCe grow
• Behind the scenes of one of Boston’s biggest collections of little furniture

Quotes:

“When kids go to events, they're sitting at these adult tables. It’s not as fun for them or parents are telling them to stop touching the silverware… So why not create a space... for them?” - CeCe Champion

“It seems like that kind of thirst for knowledge also goes hand-in-hand with some humility– the ability to acknowledge that you don’t know everything yet but also coupled with the confidence to say, ‘I can do this.’” -Allison Howell

“And, you know, starting this business has allowed me to really build a backbone to like say no, creating boundaries, respecting, or protecting my own peace.” - CeCe Champion

“I learned early on that delegation is key. I am not the control freak. [...] For me initially, it was very important for me to invest in a bookkeeper and make sure I had all my numbers together so I could understand the growth of my business.” - CeCe Champion

“When I look around at the industry, the people who are continuing to do [their own] deliveries, and especially late night pick-ups, are the ones that burn out the fastest.” - Allison Howell 

“The opportunity for scale in a business like yours is really different than a business that really requires the main principal to be the one doing the hands-on work on the day of the event.” - Allison Howell

Resources:

How Successful People Lead by John Maxwell

The Lend & Gather Conference

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!

Thank you to our sponsor:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram 

And our guest:

CeCe Champion of Little Celebrations

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Purchasing an existing business and making it your own comes with its own set of challenges. Jacqueline Johannesson is here to walk us through the process. After buying Collected & Co. from a close friend, she and her husband have taken the business to new heights...and learned plenty along the way!

What’s in this episode:

• A look at buying a business from a friend
• How Jacqueline and her husband made Collected & Co. their own
• How to build on someone else’s collection 
• Growing your core services, like, adding event planning to the mix
• How to handle client disappointment, both before and after it happens

Quotes:

“What can we do to really stay ahead of the market and just push Minneapolis to be something that you just don't see all the time?” - Jacqueline Johannesson

“Would that be easy? Yes. But we’re never about the easy.” - Jacqueline Johannesson

“It sounds like you don't want to just fulfill the vision; you want to cast the vision.“ - Allison Howell

“So for our lounge furniture, we try to, on the third time it's going out, it's got to make some sort of return, whether it's three dollars, it has to bring something in. We know that there are some pieces, like our dining chairs, that's going to take more rentals to bring that back in. We want our pieces to, you know, hopefully last a couple to three seasons before we have to retire something out.” -Jacqueline Johannesson

“We've worked really hard to build great relationships with the other vendor partners in the city to be trusted, to say, ‘they're the people who are willing to take a little bit of a risk sometimes.’” -Jacqueline Johannesson

“We learn something new every single day, every single event. There's always something that we are learning, whether it's from a client, an experience, an event professional who knows more than us because we are not naive to say we don't know half of it. Like, we're always learning and growing, which is what you need to do in order to continue to grow and have a successful business.” Jacqueline Johannesson

“When you start out, you're thinking of all the beautiful things you're going to create, and that's sort of the primary stuff of your vision and your dreams. But, a big chunk of what you do is actually move furniture around.” -Allison Howell

“There's always room for growth. There's always room for growth in your business. There's room for growth personally, always. Like we always need to strive to be better the next day. We can always wake up and do better.” -Jacqueline Johannesson

Resources:

The Lend & Gather Conference

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!

Thank you to our sponsor:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram 

And our guest:

Jacqueline Johannesson of Collected & Co.

Website | Instagram