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How to make “top shelf” office space out of your closet.

CHICAGO, GURNEE, HOFFMAN ESTATES, NAPERVILLE, TINLEY PARK, IL …

In the corporate world, if they ask you to move your office to the closet, it’s probably not a good sign for your long-term future with the company. If you find yourself working from home, however, converting a closet into a home office can be an effective and economical use of space. With five locations throughout greater Chicago, DirectBuy, the leading home improvement and furnishings club, has some helpful tips on converting a closet into a functional home office.

“Whether you work out of your home or not, nearly everyone has some semblance of office space in their home,” said I.J. Sell, owner of DirectBuy of Tinley Park. “By converting the closet in the guest room or in the basement, you can maintain that room’s primary function while giving yourself or other family members more than adequate office space.”

So, how do you convert a closet into functional office space? For starters, clear everything out of the closet, including clothes, rods, and shelves. Next, take precise measurements of the space, making note of wiring and lighting. Depending on your particular space and what’s available, you may also need to consider the following:

 

  • Installing an electrical outlet within the closet if none are nearby. Make sure you install enough to accommodate a computer, lighting, a printer and other office necessities.
  • Installing a jack for either an Ethernet or DSL line to connect to the Internet. If possible, and to save yourself installation costs, it may be more affordable to buy a wireless router and purchase a laptop with a wireless card.
  • Painting the closet walls will make it seem more like a room and less like a closet. Lighter colors can make your workspace seem bigger than it is.
  • Installing shelves that will function as a desktop that’s the width of the closet and long and deep enough to give you space to either write or work at your computer. You may also want to consider installing additional shelves for storage purposes.
  • Purchasing small file cabinets on wheels for storage underneath your work area.

“One of the downsides to working at home is you essentially never leave the office,” said Sell. “By converting your closet, you can literally close the door on work for the day. You can even put a lock on it for added security and to remove the temptation to work during off hours.”

DirectBuy offers nearly everything you need for your home office—at wholesale prices direct from the manufacturers and their authorized suppliers. In addition, DirectBuy also employs product specialists and designers if your home improvement project is a bit more than you want to take on or you don’t have the time.

For more than 38 years, DirectBuy clubs have offered members the opportunity to enjoy enormous savings on home furnishings, home improvement items, entertainment and outdoor products, flooring and accessories by purchasing from over 700 brand name manufacturers and their authorized suppliers. With several convenient locations in greater Chicago (Chicago, Gurnee, Hoffman Estates, Naperville, and Tinley Park), consumers can enjoy a comfortable, country club setting, where they finally have the financial control of buying direct.

For more information on a DirectBuy membership, you can visit http://www.directbuycares.com.

About DirectBuy

Since 1971, DirectBuy has helped hundreds of thousands of families enjoy a better quality of life, enabling them to buy directly from more than 700 manufacturers and their authorized suppliers. Buying direct makes members’ hard-earned money go much further, while having the selection and choice not available at any retail store. Access to confidential prices, local suppliers, and unparalleled selection helps make members’ dream projects a reality. The DirectBuy clubs serving the greater Chicago area are part of more than 160 locations throughout North America.

Consumers interested in becoming members may obtain a Visitor’s Pass to attend an Open House by visiting http://www.directbuycares.com. 

Locations of the DirectBuy clubs serving greater Chicago area: DirectBuy of Hoffman Estates, 2200 Stonington Ave Ste. 150, Hoffman Estates, IL; DirectBuy of Chicago North, 6325 North Avondale Ste. 110, Chicago, IL; DirectBuy of DuPage County, 1864 High Grove Lane Ste. 124, Naperville, IL; DirectBuy of Lake County, 3900 Washington Street, Gurnee, IL; and DirectBuy of Tinley Park, 18400 S. 76th Avenue Ste. B, Tinley Park, IL.

To learn more about the superior value and benefits of a DirectBuy membership, visit www.directbuycares.com.

Duck…Duck…Donation! DirectBuy of Sacramento Helps Fund Breast Cancer Research

ROCKLIN, CALIFORNIA…

Do you remember going to the carnival with your family when you were younger? If so, you likely remember playing the Duck Pond game where you picked the floating rubber duck you thought the luckiest and, moments later, walked away with a prize that likely cost far less than what Mom or Dad paid. DirectBuy of Sacramento, the leading home improvement and furnishings club, created its own version of the Duck Pond game for its members in an effort to raise money for breast cancer research.

During the month of October, a $5 donation gave members the chance to pick a pink duck with a number on the bottom that corresponded to a prize, such as a $50 American Express gift card. With much more at stake than the carnival attraction, this Duck Pond game drew a significant response from both members and staff.

“Several employees’ families have been touched by breast cancer, and we wanted to help,” said Amy Sroufe, Regional Service Manager. “We collected member donations both online and in the club during the month of October and then matched them.”

In addition to monies raised from the “donation ducks,” the match included funds raised as part of DirectBuy of Sacramento’s participation in Lee National Denim Day on October 2, 2009. For this fundraising event, DirectBuy employees purchased the right to wear jeans to work. Staff members who made a donation were able to write the name of a loved one on a paper jean pocket and have it displayed in DirectBuy’s Member Services department.

At the end of the month, DirectBuy of Sacramento had collected nearly $1,000 in member and staff donations, which it then matched. The club then made a $2,000 donation to the Women’s Cancer Programs of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), helping to fund research of new treatments and cures for the 192,000 women diagnosed every year.

“Besides helping consumers save money on home improvement projects and home furnishings, DirectBuy also has a reputation for giving to many local and national non-profits,” said Sroufe. “We’re proud to do our small part to help fight this terrible disease that affects so many families.”

In addition to supporting breast cancer research, DirectBuy clubs across the United States and Canada actively contribute to many local non-profits and charities, including The Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Habitat for Humanity, The Salvation Army, YMCA, Homes for Our Troops and various children’s hospitals.

For more than 38 years, DirectBuy has helped consumers enjoy enormous savings on home furnishings, home improvement items, entertainment and outdoor products, flooring and accessories, by providing an avenue to purchase directly from the manufacturer. Conveniently located at 4401 Granite Drive in Rocklin, California, DirectBuy offers members a comfortable setting where they finally have the financial control of buying direct.

For more information on a DirectBuy membership, you can call 716-684-1400 or visit www.directbuycares.com .

About DirectBuy

Since 1971, DirectBuy has helped hundreds of thousands of families enjoy a better quality of life, enabling them to buy directly from more than 700 manufacturers and their authorized suppliers. Buying direct makes members’ hard-earned money go much further, while having the selection and choice not available at any retail store. DirectBuy has been serving the greater Sacramento area since 2007. Access to confidential prices, local suppliers, and unparalleled selection helps make members’ dream projects a reality. DirectBuy of Buffalo is one of more than 160 DirectBuy locations throughout North America.

Consumers interested in becoming members may obtain a Visitor’s Pass to attend an Open House by contacting DirectBuy at 916-251-5200 or visiting www.directbuy.com.. 

To learn more about the superior value and benefits of a DirectBuy membership, visit www.directbuycares.com.

Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield Announce Annual Gala on March 6th

The Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield recently announced their Annual Gala will be held on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at the Indian Pond Country Club in Kingston, MA.  The Gala is a major fundraiser for the privately funded, non-profit club and this year more than 350 people are expected to attend.

During the evening, the club will honor former Marshfield Selectman and Town Moderator Jim Robinson and his wife Maureen for their support of and dedication to the Boys and Girls Club and families in the area.  Both grew up in Marshfield – Jim graduating from Marshfield High in 1972 and Maureen in 1973.  Their two sons, Brian and Sean are also MHS graduates.

Over the years, Jim, who is the founder of Dynamic Results (Pembroke), has served the town of Marshfield in various capacities.  In 1979, he was appointed to the Advisory Board.  In 1983, Jim was elected as a selectman and then reelected in 1986.  In 1993, he was elected moderator for one three-year term.  He ran again in 1999 and served for three more terms until he left office in 2008.  Jim currently serves as Treasurer on Marshfield Community Television’s Board and as Vice Chairman of the finance committee for St. Ann’s by the Sea Parish in Marshfield.

Along with serving the town, Jim and Maureen have been key supporters of the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield.  Knowing that the club was essential to the community, the Robinsons do all they can to ensure that every child has this safe haven for recreation.

In addition to honoring the Robinsons, the “Youth of the Year” will be announced and presented with a scholarship. The Gala promises to be dazzling with hors d’oeuvres, dinner, entertainment and a silent and live auction.

The club hopes to raise more than $60,000 to support programs for more than 4,000 youths in the area.  Major sponsors for the event include Rockland Federal Credit Union and Tiny and Sons Glass.
Tickets are $100 each or $1,000 for a corporate table for 10.  For more information about the Gala or to purchase tickets or donate an item to the auction, visit the website marshfieldboysandgirlsclub.com or contact Shawn Costa, Director of Development at the club (781) 834-1300 (ext. 277).

About the Boys and Girls Club
The Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield provides a safe haven for recreation and fun, which includes a variety of supervised activities for the 1,100 current members and is available to youth (between the ages of 6 to 18 years old) within the town and surrounding communities. The Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield has five Core Areas:  Character and Leadership; Education and Career; Health, Sport Fitness Recreation and Life Skills; The Arts; and Technology.  These Core Areas serve as the foundation for all programming.

As a privately-funded, non-profit organization, the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield relies tremendously on the generous philanthropic support of individuals.  Financial gifts assist in providing the financial strength necessary to continue the club’s mission “to enable and inspire all young people to realize their full potential as productive and responsible citizens, as well as become tomorrow’s capable leaders.”

For more information about the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield, please contact (781) 834-CLUB (2582) or visit the club in Library Plaza or the website at MarshfieldBoysAndGirlsClub.com.  The club’s mailing address is P.O. Box 311, Marshfield, MA  02050.

Never too old to adopt…Tarlow Breed Hart & Rodgers P.C. helps play Santa for New England Center for Homeless Veterans’s “Adopt a Vet” program.

BOSTON, MASS.

 

We all have our wish list when it comes to gifts we’d like to receive for Christmas. The residents of the New England Center for Homeless Veterans, located at 17 Court Street in Boston, are no different—only that list contains some of life’s necessities, like warm clothing for the winter. As part of the Center’s “Adopt-a-Vet” program, Boston-based Tarlow Breed Hart & Rodgers, P.C. (TBHR) helped make the wishes of two dozen homeless veterans come true.

 

The Adopt-a-Vet program involves each resident drafting a list of items he or she would like to receive for Christmas. Donors are then asked to purchase and wrap gifts from that list to be given to the residents for Christmas. More than 20 members of TBHR’s staff contributed gifts to this year’s program, enabling TBHR adopted shelter residents to check off every item on their wish lists.

 

“This is such a worthwhile program on so many levels. When our car pulled up, the Shelter volunteers were ecstatic!” said Jennifer A. Civitella Hilario, a lawyer at TBHR who volunteers her time at the Center and who coordinates the firm’s participation.  “What makes it even more worthwhile is that the donations and contributions from our firm and other companies and individuals made it possible for every veteran who participated to receive most of the items on their lists.”

 

Items contributed to the Adopt-a-Vet program include:

 

  • winter coats
  • gloves, hats, waterproof boots
  • sweaters, shirts, jeans
  • gift cards to Walgreens, McDonalds, Starbucks
  • notebooks, journals
  • books
  • MBTA’s Charlie Cards

 

For more information on the New England Center for Homeless Veterans and its programs, you can visit http://www.nechv.org.  

High Five! DirectBuy of Central Connecticut celebrates five-year milestone

ROCKY HILL, CONNECTICUT…

For more than five years, DirectBuy of Central Connecticut has been offering consumers in the greater Rocky Hill area a brand new way to save on home improvement products, home furnishings and accessories.

As the leading members-only home improvement and home furnishings club, DirectBuy of Central Connecticut offers direct insider pricing on products ranging from light fixtures to televisions to kitchen cabinets, all from more than 700 manufacturers and their authorized suppliers. DirectBuy also offers design, delivery and installation services.

“The growth we’ve experienced since we opened our doors five years ago is a little hard to fathom,” said Peter Maloney, owner of DirectBuy of Central Connecticut. “Not only have we grown in terms of the number of our members, but also in the number of manufacturers who want to sell their products through DirectBuy. And that’s got us even more excited about the next five years.”

In addition to the tremendous savings on home furnishings, home improvement items, entertainment and outdoor products, flooring and accessories, DirectBuy also offers design services to its members, as well as a listing of local contractors who offer installation services to DirectBuy members, often at a discounted rate.

“Our five years in business have not only given us the opportunity to help families create the home of their dreams, but to also establish ourselves as part of the local business community,” said Maloney. “We look forward to further cultivating those relationships with our customers and the community as we build toward even bigger and better things in the years to come.”

Since 2004, DirectBuy of Central Connecticut has helped consumers enjoy enormous savings by providing an avenue to purchase directly from the manufacturer. Conveniently located at 50 Inwood Road in Rocky Hill, DirectBuy offers consumers comfortable, country-club setting, where they finally have the financial control of buying direct.

About DirectBuy

Since 1971, DirectBuy has helped hundreds of thousands of families enjoy a better quality of life, enabling them to buy directly from more than 700 manufacturers and their authorized suppliers. Buying direct enables members’ hard-earned money to go much further, while having the selection and choice not available at any retail store. DirectBuy has been serving the greater Rocky Hill area since 2004. Access to confidential prices, local suppliers and unparalleled selection helps make members’ dream projects a reality. 

To request a “Free Insider’s Guide to Buying Direct” and a Visitor’s Pass to learn more about the superior value and benefits of a DirectBuy membership, visit www.DirectBuy.com or www.DirectBuyCares.com.