Lovesac Official Company Blog

From the mouth of a customer, Fox River, WI

You've gotta check out this customer that I finally had to videotape in our LoveSac store at Fox River, WI.  Eric Ramey is a STUD. He came into the store yesterday to keep me honest with my promise to give away a $50 gift card to any customer who reads my blog, finds me on my Front Line store visits, and shout, "Shawny D., show me the money."  He did.  I did.  But what's cooler is that Eric is a repeat Sactionals customer, who really "gets" how to use this product.  Check it out on video...

I wrapped up my store visit to Appleton Wisconsin, Fox River Mall LoveSac last night at about midnight before finally getting dinner at a late night drive-thru Arby's.  They were tripped out by the bus.  The staff was great, and we tore that store up, changing ALL of the lighting, and tweaking the layout....it's like a brand new store.  Big ups to Ryan, Sam, Amanda, Zach, and Taylor. They are a great "LoveSac" crew, no doubt.  They spelled Sac with their bodies for their video...something I'm not sure I want to witness again.  (Forgive the picture - I only had one shot at it, in front of the bus....I'll be back).

Keep Rockin' the Sac.

--Shawny D.

New LoveSac Look, New LoveSac Direction

First of all, let me say THANK YOU to all of you who submitted names for the LoveSac Dog.  I have chosen the name for one, and plan to have chosen the name for the second dog by Tuesday - when I will announce the winner(s).  See my blog 3 previous if you still want to submit.  Winners get stuff.

It has been 8 years in the making, but LoveSac Stores finally have a complete and unique look to them.  Check out these pro photos from our brand new model store up in Mayfair, Wisconsin.  We're finally showing the world the complete line of LoveSac alternative furniture (yes, we even sell the rugs), as we specialize in Home Theater seating.

 The Home Theater

 The Loft

  The Living Room

 LoveSac Store Front View 

 The Limited Edition Cover Pod

 The Custom Order Cover Pod

 The Cash & Wrap Pod

 The Kid-Gamer-Pet Pod

 The Home Theater, looking back

It is really kind of funny that it took us this long to figure out who we are and what we are selling.  You know, we started out literally in my parent's basement and even when we finally did open up our first high-end mall store, we had no real identifiable concept.  For years we somehow paid the rent (in most cases) just selling Sacs, our stores looked like bean-bag-land.  With Sactionals finally perfected and selling just as fast as we can make them, I am proud of what we have built, together, from nothing. 

It was kind of hard to put together a cohesive retail concept using our products because they are so weird.  We really cannot follow a typical furniture store layout in selling our stuff.  As simple as it appears, because it is totally modular, and all of the Covers come off and are changeable and washable, and also because nearly everything we sell comes shrunken-down, somehow, it is difficult to just copy good merchandising and normal display techniques from other places.  A Sac Cover is more like a pair of jeans than a piece of furniture, and then you have our whole name and our vibe - not exactly the typical furniture store attitude.  We needed to stand out a bit.  With everything in the mall reaching for your attention, how to cut through the clutter and show unique design, an attention-getting presence, and keep it classy - all in a laid back, chilled out "LoveSac" environment?  So we plastered the walls with our REAL culture, pictures from the last DECADE of Lovin' the Sac.  Events, chicks, store openings, customer photos, beauty shots, decorating ideas, LoveSac vehicles, etc....but all enclosed in classy frames.  Then we went big - with over 300 pieces of framed art, we not only tell the LoveSac story - you can't escape it.  You've got my grandparents up there, "The Old LoveSac," you have my baby up there, "They Young LoveSac," you have T Hawk up there, "Skaters LoveSac," you have Billy Clinton up there, "Ladies Men LoveSac," and the list goes on and on.  We kept our sense of humor, while putting on a good show. 

Look for us to open a few more of these in 2009, and watch as we slowly convert our older stores over to this new look. 

Just thought you  might like the inside scoop.

--Shawny D.

Best Vacation Idea This Year...Staycation

                                                                                    My favorite Movie Lounger(s)

I guess I'm just out of it.  I thought the guy who called up LoveSac HQ customer service yesterday was so clever.  He was going on about his upcoming "Staycation," and then proceeded to order up a Sactionals Movie Lounger to make his life on staycation that much more comfortable.  It turns out, after I googled "Staycation," that he was likely not the originator of the word, or the notion of just taking your vacation money and spend it pimping out your pad and just hanging out at home for your time off.  But it was the first I had ever heard of it....Not a bad idea, if you ask me.  But then, I am biased. 

With gas prices now totally out of control (I mean nearly $5.00 per gallon!  That is what we used to give our buddies to chip in for gas--on a generous day!???) what better way to spend your money than on an oil-based product that will last you a lifetime!?   In all honesty, I think Mr. Staycation will get a lot more miles out of his Sactionals Movie-Lounger than he could ever hope to get from the same ammount of money spent on gas.  Sactionals are just not your average sectional sofa.

Of course, I guess one could argue that just because the petroleum based Durafoam in LoveSacs is guaranteed for life, this does not automatically guarantee one's getting any mileage on their Movie Lounger.  In fact, I'm not entirely sure that buying a Movie-Lounger even increases your chances of getting very far at all. What's that they say?  "It's not the size of a man's Movie Lounger, but how he uses it."  In my humble observation, despite popular belief, LoveSac furniture has a funny way decreasing action in general--slowing things down--taking away the lounger's will to even get up and cross the room to get a drink, let alone put any miles on it.  A hardcore Sac user will often forego food or water - not out of dedication - but in the name of lethargy.

But, maybe Mr. Staycation will learn plenty of advanced Sac skills in short order.  Maybe he'll see plenty of action on his staycation afterall.  Or maybe it will just be a quiet, inexpensive, relaxing, comfortable, durafoam-filled dream of a week away from work.  Either way, I can't say that sounds half bad.  And, in my humble opinion, is probably the best money you can spend on oil in 2008.

- Shawny D.

The LoveSac Theater, a radically new movie experience

Completing this theater may very well be the 3rd proudest event of my life.  I actually got to design an entire movie theater!?  To see this old, retro, soulful movie theater become something legendary - filled with my inventions that hopefully will make people's lives more comfortable, is something to behold.  The world's first LoveSac Theater is up and running!

It has been a long time in the works, but Mark Cuban and crew at Landmark Theaters finally got up the guts to go really "out there" on one of their Theaters.  They chose the Inwood, Dallas, TX.  The Inwood  Theater was built in 1947, and has become a Landmark in Dallas.  The auditorium is huge, and it was certainly a task to get the layout right, using only LoveSac original inventions as seating.  

There really is nothing quite like it in the world.  Landmark Theaters purchased more than 200 of our Sactionals Bases, 320 Sactionals Side PIeces, custom Bella (Velvish) Covers, 2 dozen Sacs, and a bunch of U-tables.  Of course the entire Theater is 100% changeable, modular, and machine washable.  Every single cover of every single piece of LoveSac furniture can be taken off, washed, and changed around.  Every unique style of seating (other than our Sacs) was actually built from only two pieces...Sactionals Bases and Sides, which hook together with no tools in just seconds, and can be re-configured endlessly. 

There are many different "rooms" and configurations in the Theater, but mainly there are two types of Sactionals seats. Those that are "deep" and those that are standard.  "Deep" Sactionals is when the Base Piece is turned so that the long dimension runs back - placing the back of it further from the front edge.  You sit in it far more reclined.  Deep Sactionals are actually great near the front of the Theater, where typically you have to strain your neck to see the screen.   

The Sacs are really the icing on the cake though, and the funny thing is, they make what are typically the worst seats in the house the best ones.  20 minutes before the first midnight showing, ever, in the LoveSac Theater last night, every Sac on the front row was taken, leaving plenty of prime seating for everybody else. 

After 4 grueling days of very little sleep, we finished the install at 6am on Friday morning.  Shower, shave, and back to the Theater later that day to promote it.  It was actually a lot of fun.  We brought out the Sacs Machine, the LoveSac bus, and parked it in front of the Theater.  We actually set up a LoveSac lounge right in front of the Inwood Lounge (Martini Bar connected to the lobby).     Every single person who walked by couldn't help but take a flop in the Sac.  When we explained that the etirety of the legendary first floor 400 seat auditorium at the Inwood was set from this furniture, people went nuts.  Many of them claimed they had not been to the Inwood in years - just passing by, getting ice cream next door.  Now they plan to come back.

Just by luck, one of Dallas' longstanding movie critics, Pilip Wuntch, who has 30 years writing about movies, just showed up with his classic southern belle of a wife, Mimi, to see the independant film now showing.  He was blown away by the new digs.  He promised to blog about it. (Philip & Mimi below) 

Another great family, Jose and his nearly overdue pregnant wife drove 45 miles to check it out, because they had heard about it at our Stonebriar location, just out of town.  They didn't even care what the movie was!  It did not disappoint.

Then there was Andrea and her daughter Blake.  Once I showed them the furniture, and let them peek into the actual Theater, in between showings, I honestly thing Blake bounced like she had a pogo-stick.  The screamed, and instantly proclaimed that she expected her mom to book the theater for her birthday.  She began texting her friends to get the word out about her upcoming LoveSac Theater party.

We basically just hung out all night in front of the Theater, until we were overrun by mostly intoxicated regulars from the Inwood Lounge. They just could not resist the power of the Sac.  Risking being sited for public intoxication, they were piled on the little lounge out front.  So I took my installation crew to dinner....man did they deserve it.  We worked multiple 21 hour days, trying to get it all done, and by the end, we were all thrashed.  A sincere and massive thanks to Travis, Alex, Jon, Ben, Charles, Fernando, Curtis, Dustin, Bianca Kimberly, Beau, Alex, Jeremy, and even crazy Mike for all y'all did to make it happen.  It was not easy.  The good news - it worked!

We came back at midnight for the Theater's first midnight movie, Rushmore.  I needed to get some photos of the Theater, so I asked everyone to stick around and become a part of history.    I tried to explain to everyone how the seating worked before the movie.  There is even a handicapped section. 

One of the biggest hits were the PIllows and blankets.  They just kind of float around the theater.  There are bins full of them as you walk in the door.    It is definately going to be quite a lot of work for the staff to keep up with it, but it will definately be worth it.  Also, did I mention that there is actually a bar in the Theater!?  Right in the back corner, partially glassed-off, you can avoid even having to leave the movie to keep the juices flowing. This, of course, one of the most important features of the theater, to some. 

The entire Theater boasts Ocean Velvish and Merlot Velvish fabrics.  It is one of our softest fabrics, yet, amazingly, it is our absolute toughest fabric!  It cleans right up, and wears better than even suede.  You will notice LoveSac U-tables and U-drinks scattered throughout.  These simple inventions afford you a nice wood surface on which to place the beverage of you liking.  These "deep" U-drinks were developed especially for the theater, to help avoid spills.  They actually hug the cup tightly.  Another simple LoveSac original invention.     The U-Tables halves fit nicely over ottomans in each room, forming a sort of coffee table - only you can actually just slide it to the side when you want to kick your feet up on the ottoman (base).  2 U-Tables together work as end-tables, in select spots throughout the Theater.

During Rushmore, the midnight movie, I was just glad to see people figuring out, on their own, how to "use" the furniture.  Some had their feet up.  Others sat sideways.  Some layed down lenghtwise in their Lover's lap.  One couple snuck up to the Movie Lounger in front with a FootSac blanket.  U-drinks got moved around - some on the arms of the furniture, some on the backs (same thing really - just a Sactionals "Side).

The Theater, as it stands, is really, pretty functional - even practical....just different.

So in 2 weeks, May 22nd, the Theater is planning a sort of "Grand Opening" around the new Indiana Jones movie, which will be opening that night.  If you are at all in the Dallas area for that, I'm sure it is a party that you won't want to miss.  Party in Dallas, at the LoveSac Theater!  That should be a packed house.  I am excited to see what that looks like. 

Well, it is almost 2 pm the next day - having been up all night running the photo-shoot, and just making some finishing touches.  I have to say - I'm proud of this little company.  I still have 3 stores to open or finish opening in the next 4 days.  I have to do one of them in the next 12 hours, before I get to fly home.  I need to grap some sleep, desperately.  I'm already sick as a dog.

I still find it amazing that our furniture, originally designed for home-use, is actually well-built enough to work, without hesitation, in a commercial environment like this.  Sactionals will become the biggest furniture phenomenon in America.  You just wait....and I'll just keep saying it until it happens.  There is no doubt in my mind. 

From Mark Cuban's Landmark Theaters to your home theater, Sactionals are the answer.  I can't wait to get back home to mine.  I know that Hollywood is just sitting there, on that back cushion, waiting for me/us to get home.  (FYI, it was Tiffany and Lucky that take the spot for my first two most proud acheivements....and I miss them most of all).

Livin' the dream.  You know this whole thing started when Mark Cuban saw our Sacs, thought they'd be cool in some of his theaters, and told his guy, Bill to call me.  Well, in all the years it took to figure out a deal, we invented Sactionals, and that made us able to not just throw some Sacs on the front row - we created an environment.  Bill was still on the fence.  Finally, Bill was sitting in his own LoveSac PillowSac Rocker, when he caught a re-run of my reality TV victory on The Rebel Billionaire.  He heard me BACK THEN, 2005, after I had just won one million dollars, about how there would one day be LoveSac stores, LoveSac limos, LoveSac Theaters.....So he picked up the phone, taking it as a sign, or fate, and made the call.  The Theater was born!

I think that is the thing I love most about my job.  My opportunity to create environments for people, whether it be stores, theaters, promo buses, or LoveSac Headquarters, that influence p eople for good.  This theater is DEFINATELY one more step towards making people's lives more comfortable.  Get your own.

The world's first LoveSac Theater is finally here, I can't believe it....but it won't be the last.   

Lovey'all. Love Texas.  Love our great people here at the Sac.  They don't stop for nothin'.   

- Shawny D.

[FOR HI-REZ PHOTOS OF ALL OF THESE IMAGES, GO TO PICASA, AND DOWNLOAD THEM THERE - LINK BELOW]    http://picasaweb.google.com/chairmansac/TheLoveSacTheaterAtTheInwood