RECESSION-SAVVY

When money is tight, what do purveyors of figured English sycamore wall panels, Swarovski drawer pulls and Carrera marble vanities do to bring in customers? When even the wealthy rein in their spending, what do showrooms, architects and cabinetmakers do to keep themselves afloat? Short answer: get creative.

At International Market Square (IMS), Minneapolis' outpost of all things designer, showroom managers are taking a get-busy approach to the recession.

"Our view has been more wine, more events, more stuff going on will ultimately bring more people through our door," said Tim Aden, owner of Sawhill Custom Kitchens & Design, a showroom on IMS' atrium level.

In 2009, Aden launched an educational lunch series called "Sawhill Samplers" which, among other things, covered the nuances of cabinet construction. He also co-hosted, with interior designer Michal Crosby, a "History of IMS" tour that led people from showroom to showroom for wine and appetizers, interspersed with did-you-know tidbits about IMS' former life as a Munsingwear factory.

Around the corner from Sawhill, David Washburn has been working to make his showroom, Valcucine, a little more recession-friendly, which is no easy task. Known for its glass-on-aluminum modular Italian kitchens that start at $50,000 and go up (way up) from there, Valcucine, says Washburn, is not geared for an economic downturn. "If you want a parallel with cars, we basically sell the Maserati of kitchen cabinets here," he said.

Now, however, Washburn is incorporating a new line of Valcucine kitchens, Demode by Valcucine, which start at $20,000. "They incorporate many of the aesthetic features, but they have fewer bells and whistles."

To continue the analogy, Washburn compares Demode to an Audi.

Across town, in the Lyn-Lake neighborhood, architect Kurt Gough, principal at Shelter Architecture, is pushing the firm's "Reality Check" program as one recession salve. For $450 to $1,350, depending on size and scope, the firm will conduct a half-hour consultation on your project idea, then follow up with written recommendations, early architectural sketches and cost estimates. "If people know the prices upfront, we find, that's less intimidating," said Gough. "Plus, doing these small consultations gets the client in the door."

SALA Architecture, one of the most feted firms in the state, is getting in on the action, too. Throughout most of 2009, the firm held a "Free Coffee and Consultations" event once a month. More recently, the firm's principals launched "SALA ed," an educational seminar series. The first one in late December offered gratis Christmas cookies and apple cider, with information on how architects work.

Architect Tim Alt, owner of Altus Architecture in Minneapolis, has overhauled his process to fit the times. One client, a single schoolteacher, had a modest $200,000 budget to build a new home, including the design work, labor, and materials. In order to take the gig, Alt is laboring on the house himself, and he forewent the typical frame-quality architectural drawings in favor of a basic house plan. "It's not ideal, but we needed to simplify our process, and so we did," Alt said.

On top of the wine soirees and seminars, a lot of old-fashioned price slashing is going on. At Countryside Cabinets, a shop that contracts for several couture interior designers in the metro area, owner Rod Strenge said he has shaved about 10 percent off every order for more than a year.

High-end cabinetmaker Plato Woodwork, located west of the Twin Cities in Plato, Minn., had a reputation for never, ever giving discounts. In 2009, that went out the window. The company held a "Summer Sizzler" sale, and throughout the fall knocked half off all premium upgrades, such as dovetailed maple drawers, glazing, or distressing.