Today we’d like to introduce you to William Philby.
William, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Island City Traders was a concept showroom that was developed by Retro Interiors after more than 15 years of providing high-end residential services to clients throughout the US and Caribbean.
The concept was to bring our designer’s eye to the selection and combination of more moderately priced contemporary furnishings that would still project our design vision.
Our showroom now represents hundreds of furniture and accessory lines and uses our boutique-style vignettes to display samples of their styles and quality.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In the beginning, May 1994 to be exact, Mitchell Bloch and I joined forces after working independently on many projects over the previous years. It was a modest beginning. A small 1500 sq. ft. storefront on Federal Highway was filled with antiques, custom-made ironwork items, one of a kind finds and fine upholstery items. The first year was month to month survival. Then came our first real interior design client whose family were longtime Fort Lauderdale residents. The project went well and soon friends and business acquaintances followed.
The next two years saw constant growth. Additional employees and designers, more showroom space and new offices for the design staff provided the foundation that we used to build our business and clientele over the next 12 years.
One day while having lunch at Rosie’s restaurant, I noticed a large vacant showroom directly on Wilton Drive. At the time Wilton Manors was just developing into what would now become America’s number one gay destination. This showroom would be a great location where we could experiment with how retail furniture is sold. Unlike big box stores, our attention would be focused on finishing touches and details along with major items.
A few years later we hit the recession. It wasn’t pretty. But thankfully, after many years of successfully operating an interior design firm we were able to retain all of our employees and weather out the storm. Today the showroom enjoys its own reputation as a destination spot for designers, homeowners and those seeking more than just a furniture shopping experience.
Island City Traders – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Island City Traders is known for their unique selection of home furnishings and how we put them together. We cherry pick vendor’s offerings from the smallest company to the largest, from startup artists to manufacturers that have been around for decades. Our specialty is contemporary with a casual, more livable angle. We’re known for having what other retailers are sometimes afraid of. We don’t buy in quantity and rarely offer any one thing more than once since many customers return to shop on a weekly and monthly basis. We like to keep it interesting and fresh for them.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
We’ve been fortunate to have a lot of fortunate moments in our past from feature books, design magazine feature spreads, newspaper articles, design awards, etc. but year we received a nice recognition from the home furnishings industry that meant a lot to us.
Home Accents Today, the icon publication of the entire home furnishings industry named Island City Traders one of the top 50 Retail Stars. Considering the tens of thousands of retailers around the country, that was HUGE.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2450 Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors, FL - Website: Www.islandcitytraders.com
- Phone: 954-537-5330
- Email: showroom@islandcitytraders.com
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
