Business: Satin Chair
Address: 429 E. Ogden Ave., Naperville
Phone: 630-504-2009, www.satinchair.com
President: Travis and Natalia Meils, of Naperville
Years in business: 14
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What does your business do? “Basically, people hire us, we go into a space and transform it, make it look nice. Sometimes it’s a style transformation. Or a theme, the ’70s, ’80s, ’20s. Whatever you can imagine. They want to take it to another level. Sometimes really elegant,” Travis Meils said.
Which events? “Weddings. Graduations. Reunions. Sometimes golf outings. Proms are really popular. Galas. Corporate events are coming back heavy now. …. We’ve even done funerals. More a celebration of life.”
What’s the back story? “I started a landscaping construction company when I was 15. I did that eight or nine years. Did a lot of foreclosed homes in 2008 for HUD. Cleaning out houses. It was a nasty job. There was plenty of work to do, unfortunately. … My favorite thing was new landscaping. … One reason I got out of that was I wasn’t making as much money. I was fully out in 2010. In 2009, I decided to do something else. My wife Natalia did decorations in her church. She said, ‘Let’s do it.’ I just started ordering stuff. … I was ready to get out (of landscaping).”
Why this business? “Like landscaping, there’s a design element. You’re inside, can work all year round. Not a lot of people did it. … Make people happy. People love when their landscaping is (finished). Same with weddings.”
And when a bride comes in? “We talk about the venue. Lot of times, we have experience with that venue. … The budget makes a big difference. They may come in with one idea, walk out with a different idea. … ‘Instead of putting your money here, let’s put it there.’ … Guide them along. Sometimes they want something that’s too expensive. … When they see the price of a mirrored aisle runner, ‘OK, never mind.'”
What’s a mirrored aisle runner? “It’s 200-some dollars for every eight feet. It’s a four-foot wide mirror. Very expensive. Four-by-eight panels. We’ve only done it two times. They get scratched easily. Sometimes, they’re one-and-done.”
What about proms? “It depends on their budget. We just did a really nice one for Plainfield High School. We did centerpieces, chair covers, some big giant trees.”
What else? “Galas and corporate events. Rumor has it this year is going to be really big with corporate events because we haven’t done many for a couple years. They’ve been spending money to reward employees for their loyalty.”
How did the virus impact your business? “We made thousands of masks and shipped them all over. We donated some to the hospitals. … We also did yard signs, the ‘Happy Birthday’ signs with the balloons. … There weren’t a lot of weddings going on. We needed something to supplement the income.”
What do you like best? “It’s rewarding. After all that hard work, we love to hear the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs.’ The ‘wow factor’ is what we call it. The thrill of accomplishment feeds the urge to keep going.”
Is this job demanding? “It’s really hard work. Late nights. Many weekends, I sleep here. You have to set up early in the morning or the day before. You have pickups that start at 9 a.m. On a busy weekend, we will do 30 to 40 events. One big event can take a whole day.”
Any negatives? “The last-minute events. There’s more of that since COVID. … The cost of everything is really harsh. Chairs and vinyl doubled in price. Candles tripled.”
When are you busy? “Right after Easter there’s an incline. June through October is our high point. November, December, there are a lot of holiday parties and galas. Then there’s a pause until late January, early February when there’s a wave of galas.”
Where do you find supplies? “All over. I’ve been to China a couple times. A lot of things are custom. So, we make our own stuff or have it made for us. I have a guy in Wisconsin who does welding for us. … We make our own floor coverings. We did a Twister theme once for the Bolingbrook Golf Club.”
What about pricing? “It varies with each event. We had a wedding last year that cost almost $40,000.”
What misconceptions do people have? “I don’t think people realize how much work it actually is,” said Hannah Mitre, 25, of Lisle, Meils’ personal assistant.
Is Naperville good for business? “I think so. We’re close to (Interstate 88). There are a lot of good venues in the area.”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Always think about improving.”
If you know of a business you’d like to see to profiled in Down to Business, contact Steve Metsch at [email protected].
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.