Gary Bookershelves read through the entries for what felt like the hundredth time. His office furniture store was holding their first ever office makeover contest. The store had been up against tough competition ever since the big box store, Furniture Bonanza, had opened just outside of town. People seemed more interested in driving 15 minutes to buy their cheaply made furniture than shopping local.
So, Gary had come up with a plan to boost sales. He was hosting a contest where all local businesses were welcome to submit their dream office design on his website. Gary would pick the winner and then remodel their office, free of cost to them. It would be just like Extreme Home Makeover, but for offices. His goal was to remind the community how important it is to shop local. If he was being honest, he also hoped to inspire some of his fellow business owners who didn’t win to revamp their office space.
Gary thought he had narrowed it down to three finalists, but it was so hard to choose. He continued to thumb through the entries while he ate his turkey and mayo sandwich. He was the type of person who ate the same thing for lunch every day. His assistant Shelly never tired of teasing him about it. Maybe he would get her opinion on it, “Hey Shelly, can you come in here for a sec?”
Shelly sprung up from her chair and scurried into Gary’s office. Gary really liked Shelly. He liked her spunky personality and the way she styled her hair. Short and red, but not bottle dyed. She appeared in the doorway, “Hey boss, what can I help with?”
“Listen to these three descriptions and tell me which one you like the best,” Gary replied.
Shelly clapped her hands and jumped up and down, “Oh goody, is this for the contest? I was honestly hoping I would get to help. How exciting! Okay, read them to me,” she said. Her face all the sudden adopting a serious look.
Gary chuckled a little, “Okay, so first we have Penny’s Pocketbooks. Penny the owner wrote this: My dream office is one with pizzazz. Pocketbooks are my business, and I think it would be really fun to have an office completely designed with that in mind. All of the décor would be pocketbook related, and each desk and chair would be a different color- just like my sales floor!” Gary looked up from Penny’s proposal, “So what do you think of that?”
Shelly squished her nose, “A little bland, what else do you have?”
“Okay, Sam’s Sandwiches wrote: Our dream office would be as delicious and colorful as our sandwiches. Everything would be in green, brown, and red, just like the most common ingredients in a sandwich.”
Shelly’s hand went up, “I’m going to stop you right there because I’m bored already.”
Gary laughed, “Okay, okay, how about this one, Kara’s Daycare wrote: My dream office is one that inspires creativity, learning, and positivity. Working with kids all day has taught me there is nothing more important than imagination, and I would like my office to reflect that. The most important aspect of my dream office would be designated spaces for the kids to read, color, and play. Bright, happy colors would occupy all the décor. Of course, it would be nice to have a small desk of my own too. Thanks for your consideration and for supporting local shopping!”
“Oh my, I love Kara’s Daycare! Isn’t it obvious Gary?” Shelly started, “There is no better candidate!”
Gary tapped the proposal in front of him and replied with a big smile, “So, should I call her, or would you like to?”
You can find a great office furniture store here:
Creative Office Design
15440 Laguna Canyon Rd #120, Irvine, CA 92618
(714) 328-7627