Chicago Furniture Store Mig and Tig started in 1993
Posted by the cleaning person, the sales person, the designer, the Mom, the Dad, the furniture inspector, the customer service rep, ..need we say more? on 9/12/2010
Circa Christmas 1993, Mig and Tig's, Vicki holding Yuppie, with Kirk
and our very patient and hard working first employees.
My husband and I started our small, rustic boutique furniture store on a brisk day, October 1993, on Wells Street in Chicago's River North, a few blocks away from the Chicago Merchandise Mart.
We barely had enough money to put gas in the tank the first week we opened, but it didn't matter, we knew in our heart we would love what we were about to embark on and would do what we had to for it to work. With ambition, youth and energy on our side...we never looked back.
Prior to this first chapter of Mig and Tig, Kirk was a laid off Art Director who embraced his passion for designing iron furniture. He hooked up with two very big and strong, (physically) Italian brothers from the West Side of Chicago where they built large Steel Bridges for the City out of their large welding shop with massive machinery.
They fit the role of their business, like a made for TV movie.
I think they were intrigued and amused with Kirk's innovative designs and agreed to make some of his iron furniture. Making money off of him didn't seem to be the goal, it was more of a fun break to make some cool coffee tables and beds per his sketches when not building monster bridges (quite the dichotomy). And so our long relationship began with these two very colorful Italian Brothers.
I had finished Design School in Chicago and opened a small sewing studio in an area called Pilsen. Artists abound and I had a very cool loft where we designed and made custom bedding and pillows and sold them to furniture stores across the country. I was then introduced to Premium Companies where I developed product prototypes out of my little Pilsen studio. These samples were made in mass overseas and then given away at different trade shows by large companies. It was exciting and nerve racking, all at the same time.
Using our creativity and passion for design and thirst for business, we began our retail home furnishings journey. Kirk and I knew we could try to make a go of opening our funky little store that we had a vision for.
We slowly planned and prodded and finally...Mig and Tig was born.
We look forward to
connecting with you on our Facebook. If we ever get boring, just tell us to
snap out of it.
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