CLEARING
CLEARING OUT. AND THEN, MIXING POSSIBLY ON
TUESDAY WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER
30s.
30s.
30s. SO,
30s. SO, THE WEATHER STAYS MESSY
AROUND HERE, ELLEN.
>>>
>>> WE
>>> WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH BLACK HEROES LIKE MARTIN LUTHER
KING JR. AND ROSA PARKS, BUT
THE HOME IS CENTRAL TO OUR
EXISTENCE, ESPECIALLY DURING
THIS PANDEMIC.
THIS PANDEMIC. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT BARBARA
SMITH, SHEILA BRIDGES, OR ROBIN
WILSON?
WILSON?
WILSON? IN BLACK HISTORY MONTH WE ARE
SHINING A LONG, OVERDUE
SPOTLIGHT ON THE LADIES WHO
HELP MAKE OUR HOMES AND
LIFESTYLES SPECIAL.
ROBIN,
ROBIN, FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH, WE WANT TO SHINE A SPOTLIGHT ON
INTERIOR DESIGNERS WHO CAME
FROM THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. I THINK WE START WITH B. SMITH.
MOST OF US KNOW WHO SHE IS,
RIGHT?
RIGHT?
RIGHT? >>
RIGHT? >> WE HAVE TO START WITH B.
SMITH.
SMITH.
SMITH. SHE'S THE LEGEND WHO CREATED
THE DREAM FOR SO MANY YOUNG
AFRICAN-AMERICANS, BLACK WOMEN.
I REMEMBER WATCHING HER SHOW.
IT FOCUSED A LOT ON THE
TELEVISION STATIONS, BUT I
REMEMBER WATCHING, I DO SEE THE
SHOW, AND THEN I REMEMBER GOING
TO HER RESTAURANT IN WASHINGTON
AT UNION STATION, AND JUST
REALLY MEETING HER AND HAVING A
MOMENT OF RECOGNITION THAT THIS
IS A PIONEER IN THE LIFESTYLE
BRAND, EMPIRE BUILDING WORLD.
>> SOMETHING WE TALK ABOUT ON
THIS SHOW SOMETIMES IS HOW MUCH
HARDER IT IS FOR AN AFRICAN
AMERICAN TO GET THE FUNDING TO
START THE BUSINESS.
LIKE B. SMITH DID, SHE USED HER
OWN FUNDS TO LAUNCH THIS
INCREDIBLE BUSINESS.
INCREDIBLE BUSINESS. DO YOU STILL SEE THAT TODAY IN
THE COMMUNITY?
THE COMMUNITY? >> YOU KNOW, I PAY HOMAGE TO
HER BECAUSE I THINK SHE WAS THE
FIRST MODEL ON THE COVER FOR
ONE OF THE TOP FASHION
MAGAZINES, AND USED HER OWN
MONEY TO BUILD HER LIFESTYLE
BRAND, TO GET ON CABLE, TO
CREATE A MAGAZINE.
AND TODAY, HERE WE ARE, X
NUMBER OF YEARS LATER, AND WE
KNOW SHE PASSED LAST YEAR IN
2020.
2020.
2020. BUT
2020. BUT HERE WE ARE TODAY, AND I'VE
BEEN IN BUSINESS 20 YEARS.
WE GENERATED OVER $82 MILLION
WHOLESALE REVENUE BY SELLING
CABINETRY.
CABINETRY. AND TEXTILES.
AND TEXTILES. AND I, TO THIS DAY, HAVE STILL
NOT BEEN ABLE TO CRACK THE
FINANCIAL BARRIERS TO GET
FUNDING FOR MY COMPANY, EVEN
THOUGH WE WERE PROFITABLE.
WE HAVE A PROVEN MODEL.
AND I THINK THAT IS THE
TRAVESTY OF FISCAL BIAS IN THE
BANKING WORLD, OR IN THE D.C.
WORLD.
WORLD.
WORLD. I
WORLD. I HOPE THAT WILL CHANGE IN
2021.
2021.
2021. >>
2021. >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. YOU SEE SHE WENT THROUGH IT,
PEOPLE ARE SO GOING THROUGH IT
EVERY DAY.
EVERY DAY. WE ALSO NEED TO TALK ABOUT
SHEILA BRIDGES IF WE ARE
TALKING ABOUT INCREDIBLE
INTERIOR DESIGNERS.
INTERIOR DESIGNERS. IS SHE ONE OF YOUR FAVORITES?
>> SHEILA IS AMAZING.
YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL, WE MET
SOCIALLY IN PASSING.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT HER IS, SHE
IS, ACCORDING TO THE MARKET
DESIGN WORLD, A PIONEER IN SO
MANY DESIGN MAGAZINES AS A
LEADER.
LEADER.
LEADER. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT HER
DESIGNS THAT ARE TIMELESS, THEY
ARE JUST SO BEAUTIFUL.
AS A BLACK WOMAN IN THE DESIGN
WORLD, I ALSO PAY HOMAGE TO OUR
ANCESTORS.
ANCESTORS. SO MANY WOMEN, AND IF YOU THINK
OF THE MOVIES THEY HELP, THEY
DESIGNED THE HOMES OF THEIR
BOSSES.
BOSSES.
BOSSES. THEY MAY HAVE DESIGNED THE
CURTAINS OR SLIPCOVERS OR
FIGURED OUT FURNITURE
PLACEMENT, BUT THEY NEVER GOT
THE CREDIT.
THE CREDIT. SO AS WE EMBARK IN THIS BLACK
HISTORY MONTH, IN THIS 2021
YEAR, WE REALLY HAVE TO LOOK
BACK SO WE CAN LOOK FORWARD.
AND, MY GRANDMOTHER WAS A
HOUSEKEEPER.
HOUSEKEEPER. SHE MADE QUILTS.
SHE TAUGHT ME A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT HOW TO SEW.
I REMEMBER HER SAYING, THIS IS
THE PROPER PLACEMENT FOR THE
COFFEE TABLE.
COFFEE TABLE. THIS IS THE PROPER HEIGHT FOR A
LAMP TABLE.
LAMP TABLE. SO SHE KNEW ALL THOSE THINGS,
WHETHER INTUITIVELY OR JUST BY
WORKING IN HOMES AND MAKING IT
KNOWN IN A CERTAIN WAY.
>> ROBIN, BY THE WAY, I LOVE
HOW YOU DO EVERYTHING
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY, THE
CLEAN DESIGN.
CLEAN DESIGN. WHERE CAN PEOPLE GO TO FIND
YOUR LINE AS WELL?
>> WELL, THEY CAN GO TO
CLEANDESIGNHOME.COM IF THEY
WANT TO BUY SOMETHING.
WE ACTUALLY LAUNCHED IN
DECEMBER OF LAST YEAR AND HAVE
DONE AN AMAZING, AMAZING SALES,
AND EVEN NOW A HOTEL GROUP IS
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 50 YEARS,
USING OUR PRODUCTS ON THIS
BASIS BECAUSE THEY ARE
HYPOALLERGENIC.
HYPOALLERGENIC. >> AND I LOVE THAT THAT YOU
JUST POSTED ON INSTAGRAM.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US TODAY, ROBIN.
WE APPRECIATE IT.
>> THANK YOU.
>> MIRI, I LOVED GETTING TO
TALK TO ROBIN BECAUSE AS A
DESIGNER HERSELF, SHE SAW THE
LITTLE THINGS.
LITTLE THINGS. WHEN WE SENT, THIS ROOM LOOKED
BEAUTIFUL, SHE SAID, NO, THIS
CHANGED DESIGN COMPLETELY.
IT IS LONG OVERDUE THAT WE ARE
RECOGNIZING THESE DESIGNERS.
>> I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE
THAT EVEN WITH A SUCCESSFUL
BUSINESS MODEL, SHE CAN'T FIND
THE FINANCING SHE NEEDS TO LEAD
HER BUSINESS FORWARD.
I'M GLAD SHE HAS THE
PERSEVERANCE TO KEEP PUSHING.
THOSE DESIGNS, THEY WERE
GORGEOUS.
GORGEOUS.
GORGEOUS. I LOVE THEM.
AND I LOVE