Careers

So when Paul had the opportunity to join Room & Board five years ago as a Visual Associate he jumped at the chance. "I love working with the great furniture every day and making it inviting and inspiring for our customers—that is really energizing for me. Working for a retailer where I really believe in the product is extremely important to me."

Paul initially went to business school and thought his career would take him in a different direction, but kept returning to visual merchandising after working part-time at a large department store when he was in school. After deciding to work in the visual field, he spent time at a number of large retailers including Gap and Banana Republic.

One of the things he fully appreciates about his current role is the design autonomy he is given. "Even though I oversaw 10 stores at Banana Republic, I have a lot more accountability as well as freedom at Room & Board. In my previous roles it was all about following corporate standards and presentation guidelines to make sure that every store looked the same. Here I receive guidance, but it is more of a departure point—I can really flex my creativity and have a huge opportunity to take 50,000 square feet and interpret Room & Board's design aesthetic to best meet the needs of our unique showroom and customers."

Paul also fully appreciates many of Room & Board's core philosophies. "This is such a forward-thinking company. I really value our take on environmental initiatives and community efforts as well as the diversity of the staffing. I don't know who wouldn't want to work here frankly!"