Shop Small on Small Business Saturday

Have you heard of Small Business Saturday?  We’re participating in this great event on Saturday November 27, and we want you to be part of it, too.  We’re offering a 20% discount to people that come into our store.  We’re also offering 10% off to our online shoppers.  We firmly believe in shopping and buying from local and family owned American businesses, and there’s no better way to do it than with Lighting Concepts!

What’s the story behind Small Business Saturday?  Well, we want to encourage people to buy from the local businesses all around them.  Malls get a boost on Black Friday, and online retailers get a boost on Cyber Monday.  Small Business Saturday is the day you should go out and support local businesses and thank them for creating jobs that can help boost your local economy.  (Fortunately, if you can’t get out to our location, you can still take advantage of our great service online!)

Here are some great reasons to shop locally on Small Business Saturday:

-For every $100 spent at local small businesses, $68 actually returns to the community in some way.  (Through things like payroll and taxes.)

-Small businesses employ half of all private sector employees.

-Small businesses represent a huge 99.7% of all employer firms.

-Small businesses have generated 69-80% of new jobs over the last ten years.

Happy Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday from all of us here at Lighting Concepts!

Brand Spotlight: Murray Feiss

You’ll find all of the best lighting brands here at Lighting Concepts.  Before you get shopping, it might be a good idea to learn a little bit about some of the brands we carry here.  Today, we’re going to be spotlighting the beautiful Murray Feiss line.  This is a great brand that can be both classic and contemporary.  Whatever you’re looking for, Murray Feiss is sure to fit the bill.

Over fifty years ago, Murray Feiss (the man, not the company) began making porcelain figurine lamps.  They were special because his mother actually sewed the lampshades by hand.  That’s a great way to start a business!  We admire the real and honest craftsmanship behind these products.  From those humble beginnings, you can see the great interior and exterior lamps and lighting that we have here at Lighting Concepts today.  Each product remains true to those beginnings—every step is important.  There’s nothing standard about these gorgeous pieces.

No matter what your style is, you’ll be able to find the Murray Feiss product to match.  Everything is of the highest quality, and their beauty and style is really second to none. We’re sure you’ll love Murray Feiss just as much as we do here at Lighting Concepts.

Lighting Q&A: Style Concerns

Dear Lighting Concepts,

I’m about to start redecorating my home this year, and I know that one of the most important things I can consider is the lighting.  I’ve been told that it can dramatically influence the feel of the room, so I want to make sure I do it right.  I’m not sure where to begin.  Should I look for lighting that is influenced by my home’s architecture?  And what are some popular trends?  My wife keeps telling me that she wants to go with brass, copper, and crystal chandeliers—but isn’t that out of style?  I’m so used to seeing plastic and resin in modern homes.

Help!

Signed,

Louie, Long Island, NY

Dear Louie,

Don’t fret, we have some answers for you.  First of all, your wife is right.  Trends in lighting are reverting back to a more old-world look—so the brass, copper, and crystal chandeliers are totally in style.  We have a few theme ideas to help you get started.

-Casually elegant:  This is a great way to make your home pop.  You can achieve it by creating a warm, relaxed, and comfortable environment.  Do it with casual lighting that’s a bit more upscale in design.

-Simple and traditional:  Get rid of stuff that you don’t need.  Use decorative lighting with brass—but get something that looks stripped down and antique.

-Soft and contemporary:  This is a great way to make the architecture of your home work with the lighting.  Homes are getting taller, and so is lighting.  So get fixtures that are clean, modern, and simple.

We hope this helps!

Lighting the Future by 2020

When we think about lighting, we generally think about what it takes to light our homes and businesses.  But what about the bigger picture?  In a recent article from Lighting.com, we found out that the world’s urban population is poised to reach four billion in the next ten years.  People that live in urban areas rely on electric lights more than people in larger, less congested areas.  So what’s the concern?  Will we be able to light the world up for all of these people in the next ten years?  This is more than just a matter of generating light, too.  With all of that electricity, we run the risk of using too much energy.  With our already fragile planet, this is a concern.  We need to use the right lights and lighting fixtures.

That’s why cities are making the switch to LED lighting.  According to the article, by using LED lighting, “municipalities will be able to achieve their targets for lowering energy consumption and CO2 emissions, saving as much as 40% of the energy used in older lighting technologies. Significantly longer lifetimes for LED luminaires and lamps can also considerably lower the cost of operation, benefitting the municipality and the taxpayer alike.”

Here at Lighting Concepts, we’re hoping for a brighter future!