$9 million+ in buying power: The Designers Collaborative connects manufacturers and designers

HIGH POINT — Strength in numbers could be an unofficial tagline for The Designers Collaborative.

Now in its 10th year of operation, The Designers Collaborative is a 500-plus member buying group of interior designers who spent some $9 million last year with select furniture and décor vendors. Founder Heather McManus said that she founded the organization to support designers who were increasingly challenged by their clients shopping for products online and often finding similar pricing to what designers were quoted in showrooms.

“Everyone wants to make better profits, and we can offer stocking dealer discounts to designers,” McManus said. “With the Internet, clients are going to research products, and one of my own clients found a product online for less than my designer discount, and I didn’t have a large mark-up. That prompted me to start The Designers Collaborative because when you pool your sales, you get big numbers and larger discounts. We wrote $9 million in orders last year.”

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A membership-based organization, The Designers Collaborative offers designers access to significant discount pricing, along with practical tools and an extensive peer network. According to officials, member designers can access up to 60% off MSRP from more than 300 vendors through the collaborative, using a searchable database to browse furniture categories, price points and styles to check pricing before placing an order. The cumulative impact of 500 buying members opens doors at market that were previously closed, said McManus.

“There are a few vendors who still don’t get it, but designers are 60% of the market now, and things have really changed in terms of the impact they can have on sales. More manufacturers are calling me to see if they can get on our list.”

For The Designers Collaborative, McManus personally vets every membership application to ensure that the designer aligns with TDC guidelines. She explained that manufacturers should view designers as professionals running their own businesses and not as “flaky decorators” and added that the list of manufacturers who welcome designers has grown significantly over the past few years and is now substantial enough that the designers attending market have choices.

“There are plenty of vendors to go to at market,” she said. “We don’t need to go where we will be treated rudely.”

Milestone anniversary

A slate of activities celebrating The Designers Collaborative’s 10th anniversary is planned for October High Point Market. Events include a cocktail party with Massoud Furniture, a coffee bar with IDS, a private tour with Currey & Company and a networking event with Sarreid. McManus said the events commemorate an important milestone, but also allow designers to share best practices, challenges and opportunities during a period when economic and geopolitical disruptions are impacting the home furnishings industry across all segments.

“Right now, business is slow for a lot of people, and home sales are definitely a big factor. Most of our members are working on residential projects and many are doing renovation work as well. There are so many ways to do this business successfully and once manufacturers understand that, they begin to see the opportunities.”

Along with the 10th anniversary, McManus is looking ahead to 2027 with several initiatives on the horizon that will continue to support TDC members including a gated website that will make it easier to find, filter and search for products. The current plan is to launch the website in November and head into the new year with new benefits for designer members.

“We are a community,” McManus said. “We’re professionals and we’re looking to expand and grow. There are a lot of exciting things on the horizon as we celebrate 10 years.”

Heather McManus will join panelists Sue Wadden, Cheryl Clendenon, Kurt Jacob Miller, Madeline Stewart and Megan Molten for the Designers Today/Home Accents Today Icons & Innovators celebration at High Point Market from 4-6 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 18. At the event, Corey Damen Jenkins will receive the first annual Design Icon award, followed by an interactive audience “Hot List” discussion and the annual 40-under-40 honoree recognition. Register for tickets here.