Episode 47. Paul and his wife Julie discuss Main Line Kitchen Design.
Outline
Starting Mainline Kitchen Design
- Paul McAlary explains the podcast’s format, featuring stories about Main line Kitchen Design.
- Paul mentions that telling stories is a gentle way to communicate with customers.
- Paul introduces his wife Julie, who edits his blog and helps with marketing decisions.
- Julie is not a fan of print advertising and prefers digital marketing strategies.
The Beginning of Mainline Kitchen Design
- Paul and Julie got married in 2010 and started a major renovation of their house.
- The housing crisis in 2009-2010 led to a significant drop in sales for Paul’s company, resulting in his layoff.
- Julie suggested Paul start his own company, which he initially resisted due to past experiences with financial stress.
- Julie convinced Paul to start a kitchen design company, leveraging his skills as a kitchen designer.
Setting Up the Business
- Paul and Julie set up a fax machine to communicate with cabinet companies.
- They celebrated their first fax transmission with the phrase “it’s a dynasty,” a term they use for significant milestones.
- Paul emphasizes the importance of storytelling in communicating with customers.
- Julie often represents the company at events, as Paul is less gregarious.
The Story of Dick and Jane
- Paul shares a story about a couple, Dick and Jane, who were planning a kitchen renovation for years.
- Julie handled initial interactions with potential customers, while Paul focused on design.
- Dick and Jane were initially resistant to Paul’s design ideas, preferring their own plans.
- Paul convinced them to consider a design without an addition, which saved them significant money.
- In the end Dick and Jane chose an addition but a very different one than they has envisioned.
The Design Process and Customer Interaction
- Paul explains the importance of starting with professional design ideas before incorporating customer preferences.
- Dick and Jane’s kitchen design evolved through a collaborative process, incorporating their ideas while improving the overall design.
- The final design won a regional design award and was featured in the Ardmore library kitchen tour.
- Paul emphasizes the value of open-mindedness and flexibility in the design process.
Marketing and Future Plans
Paul and Julie discuss the potential for using AI to continue answering customer questions even after Paul’s retirement. Paul and Julie talk about how Main Line Kitchen Design got started. How the podcast got started, and the future of the the Main Line Kitchen Design website using AI. They share some of Paul’s favorite kitchen design related stories. They talk at length about the design process with one of their favorite customers because it illustrates Paul’s design philosophy so well. Shout out to Paul’s stepdaughter Riesling who recommended turning the Main Line Kitchen Design help desk into a Podcast!
Julie helps with marketing decisions and has influenced Paul’s advertising choices.
Paul’s stepdaughter, Riesling, suggested creating a podcast to document their helpline and free up time for designers.
The podcast has become a valuable resource for customers, reducing the need for extensive phone support.
Paul and Julie in Las Vegas for a Kitchen and Bath Industry show.
Call into our Friday helpline and podcast most Fridays between 2 and 4 pm Eastern Standard Time. We review designs and give design help. Call 61O-5OO-4O71 then leave a message and we will call you when a line opens.
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Paul
Paul’s bio from the magazine Kitchen and Bath Design News:
Paul McAlary possesses a voice that resonates far beyond the boundaries of Philadelphia’s western suburbs and the city’s prestigious Main Line – the location of his well-established Delaware Valley design firm.
McAlary, president and senior designer of Bala Cynwyd, PA-based Main Line Kitchen Design, is an internationally recognized kitchen design authority who has won more than a dozen local and national design awards, including being named a 2017 Viking Appliances Designer of Distinction.
Beyond his achievements as a designer, McAlary has also forged a burgeoning reputation as the creative force behind the “Main Line Kitchen Design Blog,” a unique online forum and social media resource that is read by more than 40,000 people each month and has been honored as one of the top kitchen design blogs in the world. Main Line Kitchen Design’s videos and blogs address a wide range of kitchen/bath-related topics aimed at sparking a constructive exchange of ideas among both consumers and design professionals.
McAlary, whose kitchens and comments often appear in trade magazines and on social media sites, is sometimes at odds with the kitchen design establishment, but he maintains a distinct sense of humor and is known as a fierce advocate for design standards, ethics and transparency in the kitchen design trade.
Subscribe to Main Line Kitchen Design’s Blogs and podcasts here.
