Business of Home Podcast: "Jerry Pair Proves Showrooms Are Still Vital" (November 24, 2025)
Host: Dennis Scully
Guest: Dan Cahoon (Owner, Jerry Pair)

Episode Overview

This episode of the Business of Home Podcast explores the ever-evolving role of showrooms in the interior design industry, focusing on the history, challenges, and future of Jerry Pair, a legendary multi-line showroom with deep roots in the southern United States. Host Dennis Scully interviews Dan Cahoon, who joined Jerry Pair in the early 1990s and has led its expansion through recessions, the arrival of the internet, the pandemic, and beyond. Together, they discuss industry transformation, enduring business models, and why physical showrooms remain essential despite digital disruption.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Unique Success of Atlanta’s ADAC Design Center

• Proximity and Community: ADAC thrives in Atlanta because it is located in a residential district (Buckhead), allowing easy access for designers, many of whom live within five miles. This proximity fosters community, attendance at events, and daily engagement.
• Legacy and Evolution: Originally a small space opened in 1970, Jerry Pair evolved with the design center, growing from a local startup to a southern institution as the Southeast's population—and wealth—boomed (03:19–06:00).

2. The Origins and Early Days of Jerry Pair

• Founding Story: Jerry Pair began as an interior designer but pivoted to showrooms after a humorous misstep involving carpet in a grocery store ("He was all about the aesthetic and not about the practicality. Hence he went into the showroom business." – Dan, 06:39).
• Building Relationships: Early business involved road trips to develop lines and contacts throughout the Southeast, working closely with then up-and-coming brands (Jack Larson, Angelo Dongia) and legendary figures like Robin Roberts (Clarence House).
• Family Business: Dan recounts his mother's pivotal role running the showroom and his own childhood exposure to the industry (06:39–17:03).

3. Transformation in Pricing & Transparency

• Loose Practices in the Past: Early industry pricing was informal, often based on flat markups, and lacked transparency. This eventually led to calls for more standardized, transparent billing as clients' spending rose (14:45).
• Generational Shift: The old guard’s practices phased out as a newer generation demanded—and implemented—greater integrity and pricing clarity (15:58–16:47).

4. Dan Cahoon’s Personal Journey & Legacy

• Entry through Family: Dan joined the company after a finance career and a family crisis, merging his skills with family tradition.
• Generational Continuity: Now, Dan’s daughter is learning the business, marking three generations involved in the company (17:03–20:27).
• Diversity in the Industry: Candid humor about being a straight man in a female and gay-dominated field, but ultimately expressing excitement about the business evolving with new generations (20:50–22:14).

5. The Multi-Line Showroom Model: Incubators for Brands

• Venture Capital Approach: Dan likens the showroom model to VC: bringing in multiple brands knowing only a few will succeed, but long-term relationships (e.g., Denison Lean, Rose Tarlow) are foundational (22:14–24:03).
• Adaptation to Change: Showrooms expanded from textiles to furniture, with geographic and market pressures forcing innovation—including exiting New York due to high costs, and expanding into leather and tech (24:42–29:30).

6. Launching Jerry Pair Leather & Managing Product Lines

• Necessity Breeds Innovation: Lack of suitable leather lines led Dan to launch his own, traveling to Italy and building a brand with a playful twist (e.g., pun-filled product names) (31:12–33:46).
• Growing International: Expansion included navigating complex European business environments, including VAT and currency issues.

7. Evaluating & Managing Partnerships

• Beyond Pretty Product: Success requires a blend of aesthetic appeal and solid operations. Dan’s experience taught him to only take on partners/lines that are ready for the demands of the American market (35:55–39:24).
• Stories that Stick: Every brand has a narrative—showroom staff must be able to convey it passionately to designers, fostering unique identities amidst a sea of brands (40:20–41:25).

8. Evolving Sales Strategies: Pop-Ups and Trunk Shows

• Reaching Secondary Markets: Temporary “pop-up” shops and trunk shows now supplement traditional showrooms, providing greater flexibility and local engagement in cities unable to sustain large centers (41:41–44:41).
• Lasting Role of Physical Spaces: While online tools (websites, Instagram) are critical, nothing replaces in-person product experiences, especially for higher-end design (45:50–48:41).

9. Technology & Industry Disruption

• Embracing SaaS: Dan partnered with Ainsworth Noah to develop “To the Trade Tech,” a bespoke, cloud-based back office system for showrooms, filling a gap left by aging software.
• Digital Expansion: Maintaining a robust online presence is increasingly vital, especially for engaging younger designers (49:29–51:09).

10. Competition, Tariffs, & the Future of Showrooms

• Big Box vs. High-End: Dan sees sophisticated retailers catering to designers at the lower end, but Jerry Pair thrives best in the luxury category by being “best in class” – not chasing lower-margin, moderate products (51:49–54:24).
• Tariffs & Pricing: Tariffs have been an administrative headache but don’t affect Jerry Pair’s high-end clients much—affordability is “not in their vocabulary” (55:00–55:57).
• Showrooms Are Here to Stay: Physical centers remain essential for product engagement; future may bring more pop-ups and hybrid models, but the core value of showroom experience persists (56:21–57:43).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Atlanta’s Design Community:
  “ADAC is not in a business district, it's in a residential district … most of our top designers live work within a five mile proximity … That makes it very, very easy for them to shop and to participate in all the events.” – Dan (03:19)

• On the Showroom Model:
  “Out of all those lines that we, that we represent … maybe 10% of them turn out to be big lines and you know, maybe 30 or 40% … medium sized … and the other … don't really make it.” – Dan (21:14)

• On the Evolution of Pricing:
  “I don't think invoicing was a big thing back in the day … it was just a pure keystone markup, 50% markup ... it didn't instill much confidence in the integrity of our industry.” – Dan (14:45)

• On Generational Shifts:
  “...the ones who were doing it never woke up. I think they just retired.” – Dan (15:21)

• On Launching in Leather:
  “After going two or three years without having a leather line to sell, I just decided, I think I could probably do this myself. So I hopped on a plane, I went to Italy, and I found some tanneries.” – Dan (31:59)

• On Digital and Physical Synergy:
  “The Internet … doesn’t completely take the place of seeing things in person … [clients] plan the showroom visit so they can walk … and get the physical experience of sitting in it, seeing how it sits, looking at the finishes ….” – Dan (47:00)

• On Market Segmentation:
  “Everybody can't afford $300 a yard linen. … But we always try to be best in class … that's where Jerry Peer lives and thrives.” – Dan (53:35)

• On Tariffs and Affordability:
  “I don't think affordability is in their vocabulary.” – Dan (55:00)

• On Technology in the Industry:
  “It's not the most tech forward industry and here you are … bringing cloud computing to the multi line showroom business.” – Dennis (51:12)

• On the Future of Showrooms:
  “I don't see the design centers changing that much. I just hope they stay affordable because when they're affordable, then all the showrooms thrive … but … when they start really ratcheting up the rents, then you start to see fallout in the buildings.” – Dan (56:21)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 03:19 — The secret to ADAC’s success and Atlanta’s design growth
• 06:39 — Jerry Pair’s founding and early road sales model
• 11:34 — Colorful characters and the evolution of American design
• 14:45 — Early industry practices around pricing and transparency
• 17:03 — Dan Cahoon's personal path to joining the company
• 22:14 — The multi-line showroom as a venture incubator
• 24:42 — Expansion into furniture and business model adaptation
• 31:12 — The birth and success of Jerry Pair Leather
• 35:55 — Deciding how to take on new product lines and partners
• 41:41 — Rise of pop-up shops and engaging secondary markets
• 45:50 — Enduring value of physical showrooms
• 49:29 — Creating custom tech solutions (To the Trade Tech)
• 51:49 — Big box and mass-market pressures, and staying premium
• 55:00 — The effect (or lack thereof) of tariffs and affordability
• 56:21 — The future: rents, design centers, and digital engagement

Conclusion

This rich, historical, and forward-looking conversation between Dennis Scully and Dan Cahoon highlights the enduring necessity of showrooms as centers of inspiration, connection, and hands-on experience in the design trade, even as technology, markets, and client expectations continue to evolve. At its core, Jerry Pair’s story is about adaptation—blending tradition, close relationships, and practical innovation to remain a vital conduit between product makers and design professionals, now and for the foreseeable future.