For sales inquiries:
☎️ (331) 303-2775 voicemail or text
📩 [email protected]
📩 [email protected] COMPANY PROFILE -- DAN'S GUEST ROOM is the name of my online store that offers a well-curated collection of books and quality vintage items. CLOSET CASE GIFTS is the name of our affiliated brand and product line that caters primarily to the LGBTQ community and their allies. The virtual
showroom for the DAN'S GUEST ROOM houses a mix of products: Home goods, home/office decor, vintage and new books, paper ephemera, mancave essentials/brewerania and occasional pieces of fine art. Our collection is curated by professional buyers, decorators and home improvement enthusiasts who are available now in LIVE chat to help our clients make meaningful buying decisions.
� Want to learn more about our founding, our sales philosophy or our inventory? Please keep reading below.
-- Dan
� DAN'S GUEST ROOM -- THE COMPANY'S FOUNDING
DAN'S GUEST ROOM is a suburban Chicago-based online retailer and interior design boutique. The company began in 2020 after the founder's Facebook Marketplace hobby outgrew his 120-square-foot Guest Room -- and quickly became an opportunity to launch a rewarding small business. Initially, Dan had been focused entirely on selling personal items he perceived to have lingering negative energy after a recent divorce. He used some profits to reinvent his own living space, but he reinvested most of the earnings into acquiring a larger inventory. But Dan says he chose to operate his "silly little store" with a genuinely friendly personal touch and a sense of urgency. He did so by drawing on decades of professional and managerial experience in customer service, retail sales, corporate communications, municipal government and commercial banking. By the end of his second year in business, sales from his "hobby" approached $35,000 which included the sale of almost 1,000 brewerania items and beer tap handles. Dan says he launched the product line in his store as a sales experiment and ended up keeping about 90 items for a personal collection, which is a new and unexpected hobby. (Writer's Note: You should ask to see photos of his mancave!)
Today, DAN'S GUEST ROOM operates a virtual showroom and small warehouse of more than 1,000 quality items awaiting new homes. The company works closely with real estate staging groups and estate sale companies and maintains contracts with individual consignment sellers. All items for sale are meticulously inspected before they join the virtual showroom.
� MISSION STATEMENT
The company mission is to "MAKE DREAM ROOMS COME TRUE" for every customer, every time they visit the online store. Dan says "We are NOT product pushers; we are client advocates who have authentic conversations focused on connecting already interested buyers with products that resonate and fit within their budget." To accomplish this mission, Dan assembled a small group of talented shoppers and decorators to help clients develop their aesthetic vision before making meaningful investments in their surroundings. These locally based customer service representatives -- the ones who answer all emails, DMs and phone calls -- make up the organization's in-house interior design consulting group.
� SALES PHILOSOPHY: DON'T PUSH PRODUCTS! No one is paid a commission for their advice, which customers can sense immediately -- especially when some consultations recommend a competitor for items not available in Dan's virtual showroom. Dan says: "I would rather lose one sale but win a client for life by investing in a long-term business relationship. Having integrity and treating people right guarantees a client will be back when they need to talk to someone they can trust." Dan says he learned this phenomenon while working in retail, especially in the banking industry. The worst manager he ever worked for would constantly ask why he hadn't sold any credit cards during a particular week. "My answer was never meant to be snarky, but it was always the same because it was always the truth: Because I didn't meet anyone that week who needed one," Dan says. This exchange happened constantly and was almost always followed by a coworker politely asking him and his manager to wrap up the sales coaching session because there was a client waiting for him in the lobby to open a new account. "I always knew that I needed to work for myself someday."
� THE VIRTUAL SHOWROOM
The virtual showroom is a massive curated collection of items that fall mostly into several categories. When taken in together, these items can help articulate overall aesthetic visions:
1. BOOKS (Antique, Vintage & New) -- Specialized cookbooks, fiction, non-fiction, children's stories, politics, architecture, business, law, music, religion, gardening, how to, self help, travel, coffee table, art, history, first edition, signed by the author.
2. DECORATIVE BASICS -- Vases, candle holders, trinket boxes, wrought iron items, kitchen items, barware, garden/outdoor, mancave essentials, beer tap handles, MCM small home furnishings, lighting, electronics, fine art, popular art, etc.
3. SPECIAL PURCHASES -- One-of-a-kind items, rare products and things that are generally out of the ordinary. These items are typically higher in price and based entirely on market availability.
� AN EYE FOR QUALITY VINTAGE ITEMS
Dan says "We are not Target or Wal-Mart, which are often criticized for partnering with profit-driven widget factories. Those facilities are generally known for poorly manufactured items designed for mass market distribution. Instead, our team of inventory buyers is VERY picky about the items they select for our virtual showroom." Dan says this helps set his store apart from the others. "We DO NOT sell anything that we would not buy for ourselves or give as a gift to a family member or close friend. The vast majority of our listings are well-maintained or like-new items that can easily be assimilated into a new home or office environment." As customers should expect, some vintage items have imperfections due to their age, which gives some items a unique element of character and charm. "To that end, our photographers have been tasked with showcasing the item while highlighting flaws including those caused by normal wear and tear," Dan says. And aside from a quick cleanup before introducing an item to a photographer before a photo session, DAN'S GUEST ROOM purposefully shys away from restoration. Dan says, "We leave that decision up to our buyers on whether to make repairs or cosmetic adjustments."
� SHIPPING, LOGISTICS & HAND DELIVERY
More than 95 percent of orders are delivered by UPS or USPS Priority Mail with insurance and tracking. Items are packed meticulously for safe arrival. But DAN'S GUEST ROOM also offers premium hand delivery options for clients who live within four hours of the greater Chicagoland area for a fee. Some clients prefer the additional service when it comes to larger orders, especially when they contain expensive or fragile items best handled with the special touch that only a white glove delivery can provide. The additional fees charged for this premium service typically cover food and overnight economy lodging. The trips provide associates with an opportunity for a short weekend getaway that pours money immediately back into the buyer's local economy. CONTACT US -- RESPONSE TIMES
� WhatsApp & Facebook DMs -- WITHIN HOURS
� [email protected] -- SAME DAY
� (331) 303-2775 -- WITHIN HOURS
