Join us in this light-hearted yet informative episode as we dive into bidets. We also navigate through the latest trends and insights from the High Point Furniture Market, sharing how they can transform your home decor. Buckle up, and let the laughter and learning ensue!
Hit us up on Instagram and give our hotline a call at 864-982-5029. Happy listening! And remember to leave us a rating and review.
We mentioned The Nested Fig App in this episode. You can Tap Here to get our app and join our live sales on Sundays and Thursdays at 8pm est. Use Code Fig10 for 10% Off.
Follow Steven on Instagram at @Keepinupwithsteven and follow Wesley on Instagram at @Farmshenanigans. Shop our online store at TheNestedFig.Com Use Coupon Code Fig10 for 10% Off Your Purchase. Find The Nested Fig on Instagram at @TheNestedFig
Join us in this light-hearted yet informative episode as we dive into bidets. We also navigate through the latest trends and insights from the High Point Furniture Market, sharing how they can transform your home decor. Buckle up, and let the laughter and learning ensue!
Hit us up on Instagram and give our hotline a call at 864-982-5029. Happy listening! And remember to leave us a rating and review.
We mentioned The Nested Fig App in this episode. You can Tap Here to get our app and join our live sales on Sundays and Thursdays at 8pm est. Use Code Fig10 for 10% Off.
Follow Steven on Instagram at @Keepinupwithsteven and follow Wesley on Instagram at @Farmshenanigans. Shop our online store at TheNestedFig.Com Use Coupon Code Fig10 for 10% Off Your Purchase. Find The Nested Fig on Instagram at @TheNestedFig
Beep, beep, get in. Girl, you're the one late. Try to always make it sound like I'm late you are late.
Speaker 2:No, it's just your time zone.
Speaker 1:It's time for another episode of who's driving. Welcome to who's driving.
Speaker 2:I'm Wesley Turner and I'm Steven Merck.
Speaker 1:We're two best friends and often for new who's driving is an entertaining look into the behind the scenes of our Lives, friendship and business.
Speaker 2:These are the stories we share and topics we discuss, as two best friends would on a long road.
Speaker 1:Along the way, we'll check in with friends and offer a wide range of informative topics centered around Running small businesses, social media and all things home and garden buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Speaker 2:You never know who's driving or where we're headed.
Speaker 1:All we know is it's always a fun ride and on this week's episode, we recently returned from the hot point furniture market and we are gonna tell you all about the trends we spotted while we were there, yeah, and I really like what's going on in the market furniture market now. So before we get there, though, you have been telling me oh, I got something we got to discuss and you haven't. You're like, I'm not telling you one bit of what we got to discuss, so it's.
Speaker 2:It's a thing you and I have discussed Way back okay, not in the recent and it just so. As you know, I have several design clients. I'm working with right now some a little more than others, yeah, but so I've been helping pick out a lot of fixtures, pliances, you know everything literally from Pain ranges, ranges to washers and dryers, I mean you have been Full mode for sure been a lot of fun, mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:Well, we start are talking about electrical work and they're putting Electrical in behind the toilet, so I knew where this was going a bidet, bidet, oh my gosh, that is so funny and I told you get into it.
Speaker 1:So yesterday or last night I put up a Question box on Instagram asking what would you like for us to discuss? And I was reading through them like an hour ago and someone said I'm waiting on the bidet discussion.
Speaker 2:Someone weird but I, because I did not tell you. No, you didn't, so I told my client. We had a conversation and I told her that it was gonna be. I was gonna discuss this today, but I would not default your name.
Speaker 1:I'll do that for after the project's over right, but when we can visually go there and Maybe we shouldn't?
Speaker 2:use it. Maybe we need to do a recording and right and talk through it. Yeah, first of all, the prices have gone Significantly up. My neighbor, my neighbors had one, yeah, and, but you, know there's the brand that you can get.
Speaker 1:I forgot the brand. I looked them up. I all I came this like way close to getting one just for experimental purposes, because we had a whole discussion about it. I had a discussion on Instagram about it. So many people love them. They say if you ever try them, you will always use one.
Speaker 2:Well, my friend and I'm not gonna name him either, that you know went to Clemson and his parents had bidets and in all their homes Right had multiple homes and he grew up with bidets. Mm-hmm and he got to the dorm at Clemson and he was like what the hell?
Speaker 1:there's called home and he was like there's no bidet in there.
Speaker 2:And then his parents were like you're not gonna have a bidet in a dorm, right, you're gonna have to wipe your butt normally like everybody else. But so we had that whole bidet thing. You know, because he was my neighbor, had to have a bidet put in right, yada, yada, yada. And I've traveled in Europe a lot and there's always a bidet in the hotel room. They're very intimidating, those in Europe. Let me just tell you, they're intimidating.
Speaker 1:I don't know which way you sit on it, I don't know where in and it's like a, though, because I've only seen the ones that are the most European in, actually Vegas, some of the hotel rings like. Caesar's Palace. Yeah have these bidets in there and it's like an open toilet with just a little fountain there, but there's no like lit. Are you squatting over I?
Speaker 2:don't know what you do. I don't know.
Speaker 1:But then the American eyes bidets are the ones they have like a little like a retractable, you know.
Speaker 2:Like a spicket that I had not me hits the right spot. I had not seen a new version, mm-hmm, let's let me tell you the 20 23. Is it nice, it's like the Range Rover version Days.
Speaker 1:how much is a bidet like this.
Speaker 2:It's about $1,200. Okay, it is all in one. You know it is a it. You can you buy that separate from the toilet or you can buy it with the toilet. Okay, and you, if you put it on, you know you do the plug in, but the remote it was bigger than a TV remote.
Speaker 1:I mean it all, does it do?
Speaker 2:Everything.
Speaker 1:Not that much to be.
Speaker 2:I told my, my client and my friend. I said, girl, I don't know that you're ever gonna leave the bathroom after you get this thing put in.
Speaker 2:And she was like and she's never had one before and she was like why? And I said it does everything. It does you control the water. It pulseates. You can set it on pulse site. So there's uh, there's different, and you have it's just like a car seat, you can press one or two. So, like it's program, it's program for husband and wife and then the wife can clean, miss kitty. Oh my god and I so it's, I mean, it's like a car wash, I mean, but it's, it's on the toilet seat.
Speaker 1:Okay, I got two things, so she and I had a full-on conversation.
Speaker 2:I called her this morning and I said so, this discussion I'm gonna bring up in the podcast. It's just a must, I will not bring up your name, mm-hmm. So we really, she and I delved into it. We were like what are the real purposes of this? And we started talking about real issues. So, for instance, when a woman gives birth, after do you know how nice that would be, mm-hmm. You know, when it you're totally wrecked down there, tender, I mean it would be nice if it would be nice, and I mean this is coming from a mother's perspective. And then because, and then people that have hemorrhoid issues, mm-hmm, that would be nice, okay. And then the other thing we were talking about is Heaven forbid if you were elderly or had a stroke, mm-hmm, that could be nice, because you might not be able to clean yourself well. And then if you're a larger person, I could just see lots of uses that I never thought.
Speaker 1:I've never thought about it from this perspective, honestly, because one of my comments was about to be. I'm just on a good Schedule in the bathroom me too. So my schedule is before.
Speaker 2:I shower that, and then I shower. So it's not a big deal and that's it like it's it, we're one and done, unless there's an issue right that you know whatever it can happen, but on the norm, yeah, 28 days out of the month. It's before, that's the way I like it.
Speaker 1:Get in the shower and it's all good to go, so that's why I never made the leap to Well this is a mini.
Speaker 2:The bidet this is a mini ash shower.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that's fine. The second thing is, when we discussed this, I brought it up on Instagram. Like I said, I had a whole discussion on it and the funny thing to me was I got so many Responses. I mean, okay, granted, the majority like 96% or more of my following is women, but I got huge amount of response. Oh, my love, my husband loves the bidet. He loves the bidet, and I'm just thinking, mm-hmm, he loves a little tickle.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, let me just tell you the remote that I saw this week, mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:I don't know that I would leave the bathroom yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, it does everything, everything pulsates warm, see warmer, yeah, warm water warm, water warm.
Speaker 1:See, I need to get in and out and I think it will. Oh, blow, try, yeah some of them will.
Speaker 2:Some of them will give you a little. Is that a? Is that that's what I would be there?
Speaker 1:Is it warm air?
Speaker 2:I hope I'm sure, but I mean, it was Crazy how you know, in Americans, we, we know, we know how to over complicate anything, anything and everything yeah, the Europeans are gonna keep it simple, straightforward. This is it, um. But no, no, it's like um, it's like a control center.
Speaker 1:I'm surprised that they don't have like an iPad that you see, we need you to call in this is more of a call in and leave a voicemail rather than a text, but you can do either or on our hotline but I need, like good descriptions on this. So our hotline numbers eight, six, four, nine, eight, two, five zero two nine. It's also down in the show notes. We need your feedback on the bidet.
Speaker 1:Well, and I want to be honest, I'm on the fence of having one put in yeah, it is one of those things that's very intriguing, but before I get one I kind of want to try one, like I need my life to be changed before.
Speaker 2:I make the leap. I know, but it's so weird. I mean you'd call somebody up. Hey, can I come take a dump?
Speaker 1:Can I come use your bidet?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean. We need someone, but my neighbors were like the next time you need to take a crap, just come over and use it.
Speaker 1:I was like I mean, what are you gonna be like? I have an idea, hey.
Speaker 2:I need to go. Let me in right now.
Speaker 1:I mean it's just okay. I have a thing, though the people that you're working on, I think because I don't really know who it is, but I assume they're not living in this house that they're working on. It's being remodeled, so maybe after the installation, but before they move in, then we could take a little visit, yes, and and without them, no, I'm because I'm sure you can have a key, you know design.
Speaker 2:We need to go measure some things. I have a key, okay, yeah, and they honestly would not care and I wouldn't feel weird about it if it's before they're living there. Yeah, because I just can't go when no one there's an audience sitting, right there waiting for you to go.
Speaker 1:Well, how was it waiting for them to go? And I?
Speaker 2:mainly, but my friends that have them say that Like, because I'm like are you really clean? Does it really get up in there Enough? Because I'm obsessed with cleanliness. I mean, if you know me. I like to smell good. I like to be clean. I do not like my hands dirty and I don't want my tail dirty, right, but they're like. You are so clean you can take a piece of toilet paper and there's like nothing.
Speaker 1:It's clean.
Speaker 2:Okay. So I'm kind of.
Speaker 1:Oh, thank you. Oh gosh, that's I know, I really want. I'm intrigued, I want to experience one. Uh, let's back up though, because, speaking of our hotline, we got some messages this week, a few about chopstick Betty.
Speaker 2:In a. I knew I was going to be attacked not really.
Speaker 1:You were not really a no. It was interesting the way people have different perspectives because some people agreed that it kind of annoyed them when other people they felt like it was show-offs. If you it was the previous episodes. If you missed it, you need to go back and listen, because it was quite funny to me, just you and I think monstony, it was from Betty. Yeah, just saying, betty, I was cracking up, but anyway, you know she's over there.
Speaker 2:Like you need to use your chopsticks and eat like me. Look, I can pick up my rice, I'm. I'm just a little perfect, betty, right.
Speaker 1:So so many people did message in, some said the same thing. It irritated them all across the board, but I thought one perspective made sense to me and she was very sweet.
Speaker 2:Yes, and we should have written her name down.
Speaker 1:She was very nice male and she said using the chopsticks was about the experience, which I'm like.
Speaker 2:That is a good and and here was another good point she made that some of the Asian meals, whether it be Thai or Chinese or whatever, um, or harder to eat with a fork because the food is not prepared to eat with a fork. Yeah, never thought of it like that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I think we need to YouTube how to eat with chopsticks.
Speaker 2:I can't do it. That's part of my issue.
Speaker 1:I'm bitter, but we need to try harder. I think we can learn. You know, janet, at our um Garden store message, because she was it, her, yeah, okay, yeah, because she, you know, was in Hawaii for many years, for many years. Um, and someone else messaged that they were somewhere um, with the um navy or army or something like that Uh, and so she was like she said she could teach us. Janet did.
Speaker 2:I can't learn, and that's part of where my issue stems from. I think we can learn though I'm going to be honest, mine is jealousy and bitterness.
Speaker 1:We need. I think it can be Very simple if we're taught properly.
Speaker 2:Well, here's, I think, part of my issue, and I may be wrong, because hell, I don't know how to do it, but I do not write correctly. I write in a fist.
Speaker 1:I mean you don't do anything, I don't, I don't um. That's the problem.
Speaker 2:Like my, my, my dear late grandmother, which was very well she was my grandmother, but very direct. I loved her very much, but she was very direct.
Speaker 1:We all have that one grandmother.
Speaker 2:Yeah, me, and you had the exact grandmother. We had the country loving that wanted to be called grandma. And then the other one that you did not dare call grandma.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm, grandmother proper.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we both had those we had the same family done yes kind of weird, yeah Well, so you know, I had lots of issues. I had severe club feats. I had to wear braces and cast and braces and Braces on my teeth, you name it. I mean I was just pigeon chest, just you name it. Yeah, just a mess. And I was like 11 or 12 and my grandmother said to me I mean god as my witness, she said this Bless your heart. You were just almost a miscarriage. And I told my mother that my mother was like Mother, I can't believe you said that to my child and I thought it was actually kind of comic. Or even at that age I'm like damn, she just put it out there, she's like you were almost a miscarriage.
Speaker 2:You're just well. I was a sickly child. I was always in the hospital oh my gosh, and I get it right. I mean hell. I couldn't help any of it.
Speaker 1:That's probably why you're an only child.
Speaker 2:He could be a reason that my parents could have been like we cannot go through this again and it was very expensive.
Speaker 1:I know and see you. We've talked about this. I have two brothers. I'm the youngest. You are an only child and you've always wanted siblings. I'm always saying, no, you don't. I have two step sisters, but y'all didn't grow up like no we were.
Speaker 2:You were an only child In your you live with your mom very much an only you were only child Because our parents didn't get married until we were in, like senior juniors and seniors in high school.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Well, with that, you never had to experience like the favorite kid. You know, parents say they don't have a favorite kid. They do, they do. And if you're listening, we are not parents. Mm-hmm, I mean we're.
Speaker 2:I'm a pet parent but we're children and it's always try to say no, there's not a fake.
Speaker 1:It there's a favorite.
Speaker 2:So when you're the only there's always a favorite grandchild uh-huh, I was, I was both, I was. And my cousins know it that's not. The funny thing is that they still love me, right as I could help it. They just everybody loved me.
Speaker 1:I know I was the favorite, yeah, I was everyone's favorite. But the dynamic with when you have siblings, like I was watching something the other day with the parent and they're like no, but you do have favorites, like in the moment, you know like a favorite this week, you know like whatever.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think there's. I think it's you love them the same, but I think you mesh with certain children's personalities better than yeah, you have your special things with certain that you're just gonna naturally connect with yeah, better.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know I'm my mom's favorite and definitely like right now, I am on top of the world yeah, you are.
Speaker 2:You are a lot years ahead of the yeah.
Speaker 1:It's. I do love it when there's you know cuz when there's a little drama, when there's a little drama and mixes it up and I'm like, oh, I'm sitting so pretty, I look so good right now. I am definitely. But it's funny you bring that up because what you don't understand.
Speaker 2:Being the only child, mm-hmm, 1,000% of their attention is on you.
Speaker 1:So then when you?
Speaker 2:do when you do have a little dip in life, or whatever it may be just normal, or coming out as gay, or Selling McDonald's, or I'm just thinking of things that were dips.
Speaker 1:It's hyper focused hyper focused.
Speaker 2:So you know like within 12 months I sold a, sold my home, moved to the loft, which was another home. It wasn't a big deal, but to my parents I moved to section 8 housing Because you were in a loft instead of a home.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they didn't know.
Speaker 2:It was like when they, when they saw it, okay, they changed when I told me it's very bougie when I told them, though, they thought I had lost it, and then I sold McDonald's, so they thought I was like on some kind of drugs or some kind of cycle.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I guess as a parent I can understand. But I was like my mother was like, oh my gosh, are you? You're not gonna commit suicide, are you? And I'm like what she's like. Well, I just read when people get rid of everything in their lives and a complete change, because you did have a complete change.
Speaker 1:You sold your house, dressed it, you sold everything in it. Decor. Everything changed up your style, style of living. Yeah, from a bungalow to a loft and you went with a little bit different style there, and then you sold your McDonald's, which was your whole life or work completely different. Yeah so it was.
Speaker 2:So. It's not always great when you are an only child. I do like being an only child, but it has its moments.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm and any, any only kids will tell you that yeah well, I guess, no matter what in life, it has its moment, it does side pros and cons. Pros and cons but it's, but I think there's a lot more pros to be in an Only child than cons like you're always the favorite because you ain't got nothing else.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they don't have anybody to compare they're like we've got to make some chicken salad out of this pile of chicken shit we got here.
Speaker 1:And then the cons are as a child, you're then the one that everything lands on later in life to take care and that sort of thing, but then the other side of that, when you know the time comes, you don't have nobody to argue with about it either, and then you ain't got nobody to split it with right, exactly.
Speaker 2:And not even just splitting it.
Speaker 1:But, like you know, there's situations where it comes down to caring for them and there can be a disagreement on how you care for them or Though you know there's the one that's gonna step up and care for them and the ones that aren't gonna step up. You know it. Just it creates a lot of frustration and it issues it does.
Speaker 2:And here's what I really liked and I told you this when my mother was sick and dying I Really liked not being the only child in, you know, going through. It would have probably been nice to share that with someone. But what I really liked about it was I didn't have. I could put my mother's care Number one priority and do whatever I wanted. I didn't have to worry about what money I was spending, right, what decisions.
Speaker 1:I was saying you didn't have to know with the sibling who's like no, let's save that money. They don't need that, or they do, you know mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:No, no, that's what I do. Like about it. I can say no, this is what we're doing. This is the way we're doing it, because I don't care about the money. I cared about the care and comfort. Yeah and I would hate it would have been horrible to have some sibling that was worried about the pennies, because my mother, with my grandmother, my mother, had a sister that she was worried about the money, right, you know, saving her dimes for that rather than the care, right, and that's gross yeah.
Speaker 1:I agree. So I'm diving into my question box on on the gram, mm-hmm. But I've got some interesting questions, mm-hmm. The first one that we're gonna dive into is how is it that you and Steven didn't click as Boyfriends? Y'all are always together, share businesses, etc.
Speaker 2:Well, first of all I'd like to say I prefer the company of a man, not a woman. Well, the all in all seriousness. Well, wesley was in a committed relationship when we met with Daniel. Yeah, and I was out of a tumultuous 12 year relationship.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but also we're not romantically compatible. No, no, but I'm saying that was yeah, the ground that was the ground where, when we met, you met Daniel, not together like we were already- I I can honestly say, not because of your physical or anything, because you're very handsome man and you I love.
Speaker 2:I love 99% about you, but, um, I love you like a sister.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's not about left into like Steven, matt and Daniel and I were all ready together, but even if we weren't together, we wouldn't have been you and I would have never, and that was the point. We would have not worked together romantically and I would have in honestly, we have such a great, great relationship.
Speaker 2:Like I'm closer to you than 99% of my family.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:I would never risk that. Yeah like, why would you ever muddy that?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so we started hanging out back in the day and we talked about this on one of our previous like in the beginning episodes, because we had our retail store. So Steven met Daniel and I together. Steven and I ended up clicking. I mean, we're all friends, very good friends. We ended up just spending more time together and clicking because we're a little bit closer in age, because Daniel's five years younger than me and so, and you're a similar in interest, right, and you're eight years older than me.
Speaker 1:So between you and Daniel is a bigger gap and so, like you said, we had different interests, or, like you and I have similar interests, and we ended up. There was a time when Daniel was working Not in the business and so you and I, during that time that's when you would come help, like, redo the store I'd be working on a wedding.
Speaker 2:So we just became like best friends and Daniel was always more interested in the mechanics Of the business, right, the plants, and in that part of the business.
Speaker 1:You and I were always more on the design, the design and decor, and but I mean although we know the mechanics, but you know that, so it's just a different dynamic, but anyway, that's how, that's how it is. So we, we just friends no matter what you think next question, which is very similar Do you and Steven ever get angry with each other and stop talking? No, no, we get irritated like anybody would especially spend in time, but like I, we will just cuss each other out, cuss each other out, but then we don't think anything about it's almost like a release.
Speaker 1:You know how you would call someone and vent like about someone else. We just vent to each other.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but never angry at each other. I mean, we've got our pet, our irritants of one another which, as far as a relationship goes, are probably less than 1%. Yeah, but we don't ever stop talking.
Speaker 1:No, like I'll get on Steven. Like I feel like the last week I was on you a lot about this and that and you're like get off my ass. Yeah, and I'm like shut up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I'm like no but then and then and then, and then and then, yeah, we both go through that and I'm like you need to help me do this and you're like you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's especially when we get overwhelmed with things, like we're in our holiday season, so it's easy to get overwhelmed thinking about all the things that have to get done and it stay on track.
Speaker 1:Yeah and, like I was saying in my stories on the gram the other day, the holiday season in the retail world is like our Super Bowl. You only have a short period of time and you got to get it right. There's no redo's until the whole next year and little things can make the whole thing go off track. And so, especially when you've been doing it for so many years, we know what to look for and like. Sometimes you're like, oh my gosh, we're about to go down this wrong. You know whether it's just a backup in receiving or a backup in getting things without all time or a backup of products not coming in on time.
Speaker 1:It just weather.
Speaker 2:But yeah, or weather, ice storm coming in.
Speaker 1:It is really catastrophic for a small business and that can make a huge difference when the holiday season for small businesses make up a huge amount of your sales and you can have, like you said, like a ice storm or snow storm that can cost you like tens of thousands of dollars during the holiday season.
Speaker 2:You don't get those back, it's gone.
Speaker 1:Those days are gone. It's not like you open back up and then you have all of that money come in on the same.
Speaker 2:No December. December ice storms are absolutely worse because we have no control.
Speaker 1:And then you don't realize in retail world especially like what we do with holiday decor and gift items and you know things like that what even the shift of Thanksgiving can do.
Speaker 1:So when Thanksgiving In Easter, yeah, when Thanksgiving is late so you have a shorter, you lose a weekend of shopping for gifts or whatever. It makes a big difference. When Thanksgiving is early, like it is this year, that makes a little bit difference in how much decor people will buy, because people use Thanksgiving as their decorating weekend, so they don't, you know, like, oh, I'm already done, you know. So there's all of this balance that comes into play and it, you know, can be stressful.
Speaker 2:And it's challenging because in that here's the other thing is we buy Christmas 12 months ahead, right, like we will be buying Christmas for 20, 24, 24 in January, right? So literally it is like playing roulette. Yeah, inventory roulette.
Speaker 1:You know, you can look at dates, but then you're like, I mean the and then there's the change of like the economy or things to slow down, like we're slower the economy slower now than it was, say, last Christmas season. So when you buy you have to adjust and think about that. Or it could be high, you just never know. So there's this you don't want to overbuy and you don't want to underbuy, because if you underbuy then you're leaving money on the table. If you overbuy, you're.
Speaker 2:And if you underbuy you ain't got nothing to sell Right. And if you overbuy, you can at least sell it all. Sell it in clearance.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that's all that. So that gets very stressful and that's when I'm like, ok, we got to get this done. So I feel like that's been this week with with us and I've been riding your ass a little bit, but then finally I was just like, ok, these are the things you have to take care of. And here's the things I'm taking care of. I'm these things that I'm telling you about. There are now your responsibility. You're not thinking about, they are out of my brain. That's all I need from you so I can process other things and then we move on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so there's that. Oh so that yeah.
Speaker 2:And we each worry about different things with the stores and the whole business, right Like he doesn't. Leslie doesn't know anybody's schedule when they're working, when they can't work, don't care, he's not want to know.
Speaker 1:I'm not being bothered by that because I can't do all of it.
Speaker 2:And that's why we're partners, and so I worry with all that and it just works.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you don't know when a newsletter is going out and don't give a shit, really Right. So we all have our parts and that's how we work that out. But no, we really don't ever have any big arguments or anything. But that's good, because that's why we go home, we're separated, we go back to work, but we spend so much time together, Like if if we do are separated, it's kind of.
Speaker 2:we're kind of like twins, I think. Sometimes in a way, because I don't like to be gone from home a long time, Wesley could care less. I, you know, if y'all ever notice like when we're at our house in Florida, Dylan and I will go for maybe five to seven days yeah.
Speaker 2:Five to seven days, Like Daniel and Wesley will go for two weeks. Now we're going to change that. We're going to at least start staying for at least 10 days, but with different vacations, family, like this summer. We didn't see each other for almost three weeks, you and I. It was weird. That was weird. That is the most in 15 years.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because normally we would overlap our vacations where y'all would be there and then we have our time and y'all would have but you know, and be on vacation together, Right, but it just worked out with family and you know you got to. You got to be nice to family or no man, I know Got to stay the family.
Speaker 1:Yeah. But 20, 24, right the year we got it out of the way, which is funny though that, like you said, I could care less. I'm very much like a homebody actually, but I will go like to, because when we go to our Florida house that's like our house and I'm very comfortable there. Yeah, and I wouldn't go somewhere else like or some like. I wouldn't go to a family member's house for like 10 days or something.
Speaker 2:No, and that's why I think I need to. I think that's one reason I don't disconnect when I'm there, because that is our home, right and there. So I'm looking at things that needs to be done and buying things for the house and working, and then I don't enjoy it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but see we all, we do all that. We're like, ok, we got a few days to get everything done, projects we want to do, which is also funny because when we go because sometimes we'll go before y'all and then y'all ago like we may overlap and y'all may be there without us. Whatever we, we have between the two of us, two sets of us, we have different projects. There's certain things that a Stevens project you know, those are the think, the bougie or things, the less laborious things Is what he'll touch up. The paint I like to peel.
Speaker 1:I like doing that. We're Daniel and I are the project people. We're like moving the furniture, switching out the rug. You know the things that you might get a little sweaty doing. That's the thing. Painting the porch, painting the fence, that's the things that Daniel and I end up doing. Well, I painted too. Steven restocks the.
Speaker 2:You know the toiletries and trash bags and changes light bulbs and paint and touch up paint.
Speaker 1:We're not. You're not going to paint a room, You're going to touch it up. The whole room needed to be painted. No, I'm calling. I'm calling in. You're calling in, or that would be Daniel and you're doing that yeah, but it's funny how the dynamics yeah.
Speaker 2:No, I mean I'll buy like dishes, like, oh, we need this, we need that, I'll do all that, yeah, and I'll do stuff in the yard. I mean I painted the things on the arch and yeah.
Speaker 1:So my point was we, so that's why we go for 10 days, Because we set aside okay we're going to need like three days to do work, but you are handier than I am, Right, Because I got there and I was like this shower door is broken.
Speaker 2:Do you want me to put in a work order? And you were like no, I want to. I think I can fix it, yeah. So I was like okay, and I fixed it Because I mean I'll put in a work order and we'll pay 150 bucks. I'd be done with it, Right.
Speaker 1:So that's how we disconnect we set aside some days to do projects, then you need a few days to disconnect and then you start your vacation, and that's why we ended up going for longer time. It just it works very nicely for us. I must say so can't wait to go back Because, like we're going in January for right around New Year's or so on, yeah, we're going. Then we're going back in February.
Speaker 2:I'm not going back in February. I don't think I usually don't do February, that's too much. No, it ain't.
Speaker 1:If you say so, all right, let's get into talking about the trends we spotted at the Hoppoint furniture market. I feel like so. October is so. The Hoppoint furniture market has markets April and October and this is where we go to find more furniture, heavy furniture products, home accessories like lamps and lighting and that sort of thing. Then our other market that we typically go to is Atlanta, which is January and July. They're big markets. They have many shows as well. So industry-wide in the gift and home furnishings plus the furniture, home decor side, the January and April markets have the new, the bigger introduction. Those are the busier markets because you're ordering in advance for the year that, and then your July and October. Of course they have new introductions, but you don't see as much change. Typically You're going to see more of a change in your earlier markets, but we did see some changes we did and things that I really liked, like velvet.
Speaker 1:Yeah, velvet, I've been trending for the last few years, but I feel like they are coming into their own.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I guess what I really like is it's the jewel tones that are popular, and then you put the velvet on that. It looks so good.
Speaker 1:And warm walls. Warm walls warm, muddy colors which was kind of like what we saw the last time but I feel like you're seeing more of it. So warm walls, muddy color tones, jewel color tones, antique brass antique brass velvet.
Speaker 2:A lot more of an eclectic feel to. I feel like.
Speaker 1:And, okay, some of the new introductions were more floral prints in a poultry, but they were moody and a lot of block prints Right Block prints are a huge vintage.
Speaker 2:The vintage block prints are really, really honestly, I'm not a huge fan. You're not, I'm not Okay A block print for the most part. I like him on panels, roman shades, there's, you know things like that. I'm not a big fan on like a block print for like a chair or pillow.
Speaker 1:That's just me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but everything has its place and I feel like it's a lot more eclectic and you're seeing a lot more antiques mixed with newer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there has been well with just vintage in general coming back around, as you're seeing it trickle into like vintage style reproductions or like that look is coming in and melding with new decor as well, and it's playing really well together Well it never left with me. No, you've always had vintage. I've always mixed. That's been your thing for sure. The other thing with our main upholstery vendor that I was so happy to see that is trending was the highback sofa Love it, and let me tell you why.
Speaker 2:Why do you like a highback? I'll tell you why I don't like it.
Speaker 1:Okay. So a highback sofa if you haven't noticed because some people, I don't think, have noticed this in the last I don't know 10 years, for sure it's been lowback sofas have been more on trend, more on style. It's like the back is low. I like them one. They just look more stately, they look more elegant, they look more like a piece of furniture, versus your lowback, slouchy sofa, which has its place in my mind, or lowback, and they're gorgeous. Mine is lowback too.
Speaker 1:I'm not great room, but I'm just saying when you set them next to each other, I feel like the highbacks.
Speaker 2:Well, here's what I like. First of all, lowback to me can be elegant, depending on the room Right. But because I'm a little OCD, especially, I like a highback sectional because it hides the cushion mess. So if your cushions are going to be all uneven and wonky, you have kids, husbands, whatever messing up your life, you still have the fine line across the top. Yes, it cleans it up. So if you have that's a good point.
Speaker 2:If you have children, if you have a messy husband, if you're a slob, whatever it is, and you have that sectional and when you look across the room, if you want it to look a little more crisp, clean, do a highback From row. The highback that I personally love for a sectional is a lany, it's a higher back and it hides the pillows.
Speaker 1:I have never thought about it from that angle, from the visual part of the Hiding the sofa Especially floating in a room. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. That would come into play when it's floating in a room and you're looking across the room at the back of the sofa. That way, but also just the comfort and support of it I love Of having a higher back it just depends on the room.
Speaker 2:I feel like I can't do highbacks in my great room, just the way it-.
Speaker 1:Oh, you'll have a highback the next 10s. Well, you know.
Speaker 2:I've had the same sofa twice.
Speaker 1:I know you have.
Speaker 2:But I do like a highback and I may I may say how I'm going to do a highback. It has its benefits too, and you can do a taller sofa table too, right.
Speaker 1:Pros and cons. Pros and cons, but that was the biggest in the upholstery thing was seeing, because it wasn't like, oh, we have one new frame and it's highback. It was a lot.
Speaker 2:And there's one other thing that's majorly trending now on everything in its bench seats.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we talked about that. That was. I mean that's been-.
Speaker 2:But even more now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's been trending the last few years.
Speaker 2:But now they're doing it on sectionals.
Speaker 1:Even on sectionals. Bench seat. We know I'm not a fan of bench seats, Steven you know, I am. I have bench seats, sofas.
Speaker 2:And they look good, I might add.
Speaker 1:They do, but I'm just not a fan as much as a regular. Now, okay, here's the thing. I think it may be the single back cushion more than it is the bench seat, so you can get them where it's a bench seat, meaning one solid cushion that you sit on and then double, and then double on the back, and I think I like that better.
Speaker 2:That is a little easier, right, I will say, because I have the single bench and single back, which is right. And it does take a little more energy Fluffing, fluffing, mm-hmm, fluffing If you have a cat or a dog that likes to sit on the back. You do not, ever, ever want a single cushion, ever, and you really don't even want a double. You really want a fixed cushion or three cushion.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know, the sofas I had before this were a fixed back sofa. I need that again next time. And that means there's no cushion, there was no sagging, it always looked clean, it always looked good and that's what I needed again.
Speaker 2:And you know, something I want to bring up, because all of you out there shopping and buying and decorating your homes have you guys noticed I know you probably have, so we've talked about it Lamps Lamps are just so much more expensive than they used to be.
Speaker 1:What is it with lamps? I don't know.
Speaker 2:They are expensive. I mean, I remember once upon a time you could get a very nice lamp for like 250 bucks.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 199. Not now, I mean you can get decent ones, like if you go to. I mean you can get less expensive, smaller ones if you go to, you know like a home store or whatever, but like the statement lamps, the designer lamps that we've already always sold have gone up. I don't get the reason why they've gone up so much.
Speaker 2:Well, it's that I want to own. Next, I want to own a wholesale lamp company and a side table, a martini table.
Speaker 1:Those little tables that are about no more than 10 inches in diameter. Fortune, you can almost buy a whole damn dining table for the same price.
Speaker 2:But you know, I asked.
Speaker 1:Where was that one? It was like like it would have retailed for like 600. Were you?
Speaker 2:with me at market. When I said why in the hell did these cost this much? And he said Because they air. No, he said it's all about the shipping. Well you go ahead? Yeah, he said, because the way they have to ship them there's so much negative space. He said, you know, I guess shipping from overseas or wherever. Then off the ship. He said, that's.
Speaker 1:And they're not taken apart and ship flat but like a dining table. I guess there's just less to absorb it visually, like absorb the cost or whatever you know. The other thing that's like that, that is so expensive in case because they're expensive even at a cheap store and it's because of the shipping cubes is faux pumpkins. Have you ever noticed how much?
Speaker 2:Oh, my God.
Speaker 1:And they're just, they're just our home. But we've asked that before and they're like you're never going to find a really cheap faux pumpkin like good, you know, a good one, because of the space that it takes to ship them.
Speaker 1:And it's true, we always are looking for you know a really good when that one guy said when he saw that about shipping, I was like oh, yeah, but I mean, and I hear what you're saying, I do hear what you're saying, but then I feel like we can get actual side tables that are like 24 inches in diameter or 18 inches, like a side table you would have next to your sofa, and they're like the same price, but maybe they end up taking up the same amount of.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah, I guess but I guess it's because they're so small and you really can't take them apart, right, and if you think about it, when we've had cheaper ones, they come apart to some degree. Right, the top screws off. But, they're not as good, they're not as great of a quality, huh.
Speaker 1:That's. That is a good point.
Speaker 2:I mean, it was just interesting conversation. You know, it was one of those times I couldn't hold it in and I just said to say why in the hell Right Is this so exciting? Yeah, like I don't care where you go. Oh, I know who it was. It was the guy that, the guy that owns Old World, which I loved to death, yeah, and he was like why? And he was like it's the shipping.
Speaker 1:Well, they need to figure out how to put another table in with you yeah.
Speaker 1:Like they need to make a side table that coordinates with them, that that can like slide up in and they could divide the shipping costs across there. There's got to be something, something there. It's crazy, but maybe that's the same reason with lamps, because if you're getting, you know, if you're getting a ceramic lamp, you can't. Those don't come apart. I mean, the shade comes off and they can put those, but you're paying all that space, whereas maybe back in the day lamps I feel like the ceramic ones and metal ones are trending. But maybe it was once you could screw together. You know, sometimes they come flat in a box.
Speaker 2:Maybe I don't know. I mean, it was just interesting, that is interesting Another thing that's still super popular.
Speaker 1:trending in home decor is animal print. That's nothing new, though, but it's still there. So if you've been waiting on it, we never went out.
Speaker 2:No, it's hot. Yeah, and we've been seeing the rise and clothes too, and then and you know the thing is is you can usually look at what's trending in apparel.
Speaker 1:Right, you can look at oh, it all starts with fashion.
Speaker 2:A lot of time you can look at what's trending in Vogue magazine and then you can just it'll be the same in your home decor.
Speaker 1:Right, still popular and OK to do. In case you're questioning, it is mixing metals, so you can mix your brass and you can mix some copper. You can mix them whatever colors you want to mix. You can mix, mix it all, mix it all, mix it up, mix and match, which does create a nice look, because it looks more like you designed it and you went out and shopped versus oh, I bought this package of light fixtures.
Speaker 2:Well, I remember in back in the day you wouldn't put silver and gold on the same Christmas tree, and now it looks fantastic.
Speaker 1:Yeah, why wouldn't we?
Speaker 2:do that? I don't know why.
Speaker 1:Why did we do? Well, it's like when we bought, like my parents when they bought their house which was in 90, like I don't know four or five, 94. You know, every faucet match, the light fixtures match. They were all the gold, the brass, the door handles, the door hinges. It was all the same. Like you picked out the whole.
Speaker 2:When I renovated my house you would have never had it mixed match my door hinges, match my door knob that's what I'm saying which matched the faucets which matched the light fixtures. Everything. I would not let the door pulls, you know, because that brass had gone out right, that right at 1998-ish, right there, right. I would not let them put anything brass in my house, right.
Speaker 1:So weird. But then it's funny because things do come and go and like what you're saying. But now the brass is not as shiny, it's an aged brass. So it does, you know, and gold was very popular, still super popular, but it's more antique gold or an aged gold type thing. So it all has its new little twist. But your rife back in the day you matched up every. That was the look, that was. You had done it. If you could match, you know.
Speaker 2:And it's so boring. Now, yeah and now now it's like basic and I met. I make you mix match bathroom fixtures.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:In my small bathrooms, the showers are polished chrome. Well, the vanities, which you know, were completely separate from the shower, but I did black In the same bathroom.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it looks good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I wouldn't do like polished chrome and gold, but I would do black and gold. Right, I would do. You know, I would do something that's completely opposite, yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh, the trends. But what I want to know about trends, I want to know the psychology behind it, the behind trends, and why do some things look good now and then in five years they will look like complete crap. It's kind of like what we're just talking about, Like with that. It will look so out of date, but in the moment it looks good, Like in the nineties when you had all of that matching, it looked good, like that Waverly wallpaper and fabric.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we talked about that, like my matching.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Like my parents, they had to have a sunroom and when we moved in it was Ivy wallpaper.
Speaker 2:And then we had to get an.
Speaker 1:Ivy tablecloth to match and the chairs got covered in the Ivy and it all that was high pollutant. And now if you walked in and saw that, you'd be like what is this shit?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was awful. Who did this, mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:But why did it look so good then and now it would look so bad, and then probably it will come back around.
Speaker 2:Oh, I hope that doesn't come back.
Speaker 1:I'll just be out of style. Oh, my goodness. So you know, what's trending today is not trending tomorrow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I feel like antiques are just so. I mean, antiques never go out Right. I feel like being at market in like the antique area, you know, watching what they were moving and selling, I'm like damn, it's really really hot now, I think, mixing.
Speaker 1:Well, I think maybe we've gotten a little smarter with trends over the years and that's why they've become more eclectic. I guess you could say like well, you just mix and match because you can pull from all the areas that you like. And it makes more sense You're not wasting Right and you can then change out a piece or two and it gives a different look without having to you know when you had your whole house, every doorknob and hinge and faucet and light fixture and everything matched. That's a lot to redo.
Speaker 2:And you can change. Now I feel like you can change a whole room by changing out a chandelier in your pillows Right.
Speaker 1:Right Chandelier in a rug and just gives it a whole new look. Oh, new room, mixed it up. So that's what we spotted at the High Point Furniture Market. It'd be interesting to see what we run into. I guess our next big market will be in January at the Atlanta market, and we see trends there as well.
Speaker 2:And home decor and I'm really excited about what like the furniture we have coming at the home store. I had to put it on Instagram. I can't wait to look. It's very, I feel like and you weren't with me when I did that, but it's very Ralph Lauren.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's very. I did a lot of earthy velvet like browns and plaids and it's just Sounds beautiful. Rich Ralph Lauren, yeah.
Speaker 1:So it's always fun to see it and it's always fun to go to market and see what the you know what's coming up. It's also fun to see sometimes what plays out from market to market, like you see all of a sudden like oh, this is all over market. But then you go back the next market and you don't see any of it because the consumers, the store owners didn't respond to it. You know, because we're there to judge like will our customers like this?
Speaker 1:And sometimes the markets are different. Like they'll be, like this is really hot and we're like, yeah, but that's not hot in Greenville, south Carolina, you know.
Speaker 2:Well, one of the vendors actually admitted something to me that I I logically knew, but no one had ever admitted it, and I don't know if you were with me when he said this. I don't think so. He said these are the new product lines that we have and you can order them and you'll receive them if they make the line. And I said what does that mean?
Speaker 1:Well, if enough people buy it and respond to it.
Speaker 2:He said if enough people don't order it, we kill it yeah.
Speaker 1:I was like, I mean some of it, and that's what markets are.
Speaker 2:I knew it.
Speaker 1:And why you're seeing it, because those are samples. If they're new introduction.
Speaker 2:But no one's ever admitted it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but that's why sometimes we're like you got to buy more. And that happens a lot during the Christmas or holiday season, because when we go there but it works all across market but Christmas is a good example when we go in January they have all of their like, let's say this come in January, january 2024, we are buying for Christmas 2024. So, like you said, 12 months pretty much in advance, all of their showrooms are decorated, they have their new introductions, their new you know, whatever their themes are. And those are all samples. They're just mock product and so we order and then sometimes I'll get the emails and they'll say sorry, this product, these products were removed from your order.
Speaker 1:They didn't make production and that just means enough people didn't respond to them. And so they're like nope, we're not making this because it's not worth ordering. And if enough people aren't responding at market, then you know they have minimums that they have to buy as well, and so they're looking at oh well, we haven't even reached our minimum and people didn't respond enough, so that we're just not going to make it. However, sometimes I feel like that could just be how you displayed it in your showroom, like it doesn't mean it's a bad item. You know what I'm saying? It's just that sometimes they don't know what they're doing.
Speaker 1:People overlook the item because you stuck it over in a corner or something. So you know there's a lot of, but it works the same way with furniture because you know one of our vendors. Some of them work different ways, but there's one that we work with and they, when they have new introductions, they're like it is a minimum of six months before you'll see this product. That's just their. You know their sample products and again, we may never see it because it never makes them line.
Speaker 2:It's just funny because after all these years, that was like the first person to ever admit. I was like, well, that's nice to actually know, because you're like did it sell out what?
Speaker 1:you. Sometimes you don't even know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I was like that's the way it works. All right, I think that's going to wrap up this week's episode of who's driving. Remember, we have launched our holiday collection online at the Nesta Fig. So if you haven't checked out the nested fig, make sure you go there and get your holiday goodies. We have, speaking of Christmas, I think, our best collection ever, definitely our biggest collection ever online at the nested figcom. And if you haven't downloaded our app yet, just search the nested fig in your app store. I'll also have the links down below in the show notes. You can get our app and you can see Stephen and myself live Regularly on Sundays and Thursdays, but, headed into the holiday season, we typically do three to four live sales a week. So if you want to see our smiling, pretty faces and how we really get along, join the live sale.
Speaker 2:And I think truly, this year we did our, our damnedest. I mean, it looks so good.
Speaker 1:Our Christmas is amazing, it is amazing and I forgot how many products like we have it online. I think it's like close to like almost 700 different products. I feel it. That's a lot of selling. We got to do buddy, let's get out of here and go do it.
Speaker 2:I know right.
Speaker 1:All right, we'll see you next week, thank you, thanks guys, bye, bye.