CALENDAR

Editor 's note: submit events, meetings, workshops and conferences at least one month in advance to cibm@news-gazette.com for inclusion in Mark Your Calendar.

Untitled < Jan Feb Mar >

February 11
Champaign County FIRST 8:30
Chamber Large Conference Room 1817 S. Neil St., Suite 201 Champaign

February 11
Chamber Ambassadors Meeting 4 p.m.
Chamber Large Conference Room 1817 S. Neil St., Suite 201 Champaign

February 16
Microsoft Excel 2007:Level 1 - Session 1 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Parkland Business Training 1315 N. Mattis, Champaign Prerequisite: Windows XP/Vista or equivalent knowledge. Deadline to sign up is Feb. 9. Class fee is $159, including book.

February 16
Starting your business in Illinois - Champaign 8:30 - 9 a.m., sign-in; 9 a.m. to noon, program
U of I Extension SBDC 1817 S. Neil St. (Illini Plaza), Suite 20, Champaign This workshop will explore reasons for starting your business, evaluating yourself and your idea, criteria for a home-based business, sources of funding, understanding your market, types of ownership and naming and registering your business.

February 17
First-Line Supervision 8 a.m. to 5:05 p.m.
Parkland Business Training 1315 N. Mattis, Champaign Deadline to sign up is Feb. 10. Class fee is $255. Learn how to make a successful transition from staff to supervisor; develop your own leadership style; establish a partnership with your boss; give feedback to improve performance; build a top-performing team; effectively manage time and stress; and motivating and counseling employees.

February 18
Agribusiness Council 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
Chamber Large Conference Room 1817 S. Neil St., Suite 201 Champaign

February 18
Business After Hours 5 to 7 p.m.
Ramshaw Real Estate/Illini Plaza 1817 S. Neil St., Champaign Proceeds from the $5 per person donation at the door will help fund Chamber programs. The donation for non-members and guests is $8.

February 18
ATHENA Award Luncheon noon to 2 p.m.
Champaign Country Club 1211 S. Prospect Ave., Champaign For more information, call (217) 359-1791. The ATHENA Award honors an individual who demonstrates excellence, creativity and initiative in her business or profession; provides valuable service to the community; and assists women with reaching their full leadership potential. The 2010 ATHENA award recipient will be honored at a luncheon sponsored by Worden-Martin Inc.

February 18
Communication Derailed 8 a.m. to noon
Parkland Business Training 1315 N. Mattis, Champaign Join Cindy Guthrie as she unfolds the secrets to recognizing ineffective communication, improving communication and then practicing effective communication. Deadline to sign up is Feb. 11. Class fee is $125.

February 18
Innovators Improv on Sustainability 5-7 p.m.
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana What does sustainability mean to you? Have your say at the Innovators Improv. Come to this evening of exciting innovation conversation as guests take to the stage for a lightning round of enterprising ideas, artistic expressions, global discussion and fresh perspectives on sustainability.

February 19
Adobe Acrobat 9.0: Level 1 - Session 1 1 to 5 p.m.
Parkland Business Training 1315 N. Mattis, Champaign Second class is Feb. 26 Prerequisite: experience with computers and Microsoft Office applications. Deadline to sign up is Feb. 12. Class fee is $199, including book.

February 19
Introduction to Adobe InDesign CS3 (Mac) - Session 1 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Parkland Business Training, PC-C138 1315 N. Mattis, Champaign Second session is Feb. 26. Prerequisite: MAC OS or equivalent knowledge. Deadline to sign up is Feb. 12. Class fee is $199, not including the book.

February 19
Building Operator Certification - Level 1 - Session 1 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Parkland Business Training 1315 N. Mattis, Champaign Subsequent classes are: March 5 and 19, April 8, 9, 23 and May 7 and 21. All sessions are taught by MEEA instructors and require some out-of-class projects. Deadline to register is Feb. 12. Class fee is $1,250, which includes certification exams and books.

February 20
Development: Green Building Concepts and LEED Green Associate Exam Guide (Hybrid)
Parkland Business Training 1315 N. Mattis, Champaign Class continues through April 17. Contractors/subcontractors, architects, facility managers, building owners, city officials and community members who want to become LEED-accredited and sustainability-oriented will discover how to successfully achieve the highest understanding of current green building concepts and practices along with LEED requirements and processes. Participants receive a Certificate of Completion from Parkland College. Deadline to register is Feb. 12. Class fee is $1,235, not including the book.

February 23
Microsoft Access 2007: Level 2 - class 1 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Parkland Business Training 1315 N. Mattis, Champaign Class 2 is Feb. 25 at the same time. Prerequisite: Microsoft Access 2007 Level 1 or equivalent knowledge. Deadline to register is Feb. 16. Class fee is $159, which includes the book.

February 23
Finding a Grant for Your Nonprofit 6 to 8 p.m.
Parkland Business Training, HP-H120 1315 N. Mattis, Champaign Prerequisite: basic computer skills. Deadline to register is Feb. 16. Class fee is $45.

February 25
"Green-Collar" Jobs: Workforce Development in the New Economy 3 to 5 p.m.
Edgar County Extension Office 210 W. Washington, Paris Location will be determined upon the number of participants registered. No program fee.

COVER STORY February 2010

Rockin' Retro

The Furniture Lounge boasts one-of-a-kind pieces with lots of soul

By Sarah Lohman
CIB Staff Writer

Where can you find a classically designed modern piece of furniture and a Magnum P.I. poster in the same trip?

The Furniture Lounge sells one-of-a-kind retro furniture and accessories.

The store has been selling an ever-changing inventory of furniture from the 1940s, 50s and 60s in downtown Urbana since September 2008. It opened in downtown Champaign in 2002, but owners Scott Schaub and Amanda McWilliams moved the store to a building next to Cinema Gallery in Urbana to gain more space and accessibility.

They also sell furniture on the Internet and ship it all over the country.

Schaub and McWilliams started selling furniture online to raise money to open a storefront, and they continue to ship furniture mostly to New York and other large cities, mainly on the east or west coasts.

The two scour estate sales weekly in Indianapolis and in the Champaign area for mid-century modern or retro furniture, and they occasionally pick up a quality traditional piece.

Most of the Furniture Lounge's customers are affiliated with the University of Illinois, from students who like modern furniture to professors and faculty who purchased similar furniture the first time around. The store also sells furniture on consignment.

McWilliams said that since opening the store, she has learned a lot about what makes a piece of furniture good quality, and she educates customers about how a quality piece of furniture will last longer and why. The Furniture Lounge sells furniture that has lasted many years and still looks great, and customers can expect it to last many more, she said.

Schaub said the stores offers a unique service to the area, but they also had a little bit of luck.

"We were lucky enough to get in the business right before it became as popular as it is now," Schaub said.

The trend of eco-friendly decorating and recycling has also helped the Furniture Lounge thrive.

"There's not a much greener business than this one," Schaub said. "Everything is recycled. Plus it's not shipped any longer, so most of it we get within a 150-mile radius and bring back here whereas larger furniture stores ship things from China, or even if it's made in the U.S., it's shipped them from one coast to the other to here. It's better to reuse what you've already got."

Schaub said it isn't uncommon for people to throw furniture in the garbage simply because it is old, and McWilliams and Schaub have saved retro pieces in good shape from dumpsters before. Once in a while, the pair will refurnish pieces or touch them up, but most of their wares are in good condition when they arrive at the store.

The Furniture Lounge also sells accessories, locally-made and vintage jewelry and sometimes vintage clothes or records. They do free appraisals and regularly feature local artists.

"We are certainly interested in art," Schaub said. "We couldn't be interested in this style of furniture and not be, really."

The business participates in local art festivals and the Gallery Incentive Program in Urbana, in which the city of Urbana helps a new business pay rent for the first year if they display art in their stores.

But it's not only their love of art that leads them to showcase Champaign-Urbana's artists.

"We all have to help each other out," McWilliams said. "We're all locally based. Anything that I appreciate, I'm happy to put in my store."