Clarke & Boston Design Guide: Two New England Innovators
In a small business park in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, on April 1, 1991, Tom Clarke opened Clarke Distribution Corporation. Soon after the ink dried, he opened the country’s first Sub-Zero Showroom and luxury appliance buying would never be the same again. Until then, if you were buying a Sub-Zero refrigerator, you picked it out of a catalogue, or you might see it leaning up against the back wall in a local appliance store. Not only did Tom create the first place in New England where you could see Sub-Zero refrigerators in kitchen environments. He also offered test drives of high-end cooking appliances. For the first time, homeowners could experience the features and actually taste the results when the Clarke staff prepared cakes, breads, roasted chicken and more. Architects, kitchen designers, interior designers and builders immediately started bringing their clients to Clarke.
Just 5 years later, Boston Design Guide came on the scene and the two companies were fast friends. Clarke was making news and Melanie Perillo’s team was ready to spotlight the incredible kitchens that were anchored by Sub-Zero appliances. “Today we have a number of high-quality design magazines in New England,” said Sean Clarke, president of the Clarke Distribution Corporation. “However, when my dad started this company in the ’90s, design magazines were just getting traction, so we were eager to work together and here we are celebrating milestone anniversaries in the same year.”
Some say Tom’s vision of the ultimate hands-on appliance showroom was destined. In 1955, Tom’s father Jim Clarke opened an appliance store – The Clarke Electric Company – in Stamford, Connecticut. Four years later Jim met Westye Bakke, the founder of Sub-Zero, at a trade show in Chicago. Their conversations led to Jim becoming the country’s top Sub-Zero independent sales rep. Kitchen design knowledge and innovation were part of the Clarke DNA and four decades after Tom’s dad met the Sub-Zero founder, Tom opened a cabinet company in Massachusetts, followed by his decision to integrate Sub-Zero appliances. His timing was perfect, as “custom kitchen” designs were becoming the cornerstone of New England’s burgeoning home boom in the 1990s.
As Boston Design Guide spread the word, Clarke’s Showrooms inspired thousands.
Over the past 35 years, more than 100,000 people have visited one of Clarke’s three showrooms in Boston Seaport, Milford, Massachusetts, or South Norwalk, Connecticut. “We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to help homeowners create extraordinary kitchens,” shared Sean Clarke. “Over the years, we’ve collaborated with Boston Design Guide in unique ways, like our invitation-only Celebration of Creativity & Design with Chef Ming Tsai at Action Kitchen at the Seaport Hotel in Boston.
Clarke’s showroom consultants are known for being some of the best trained in the country. The company receives numerous five-star reviews each month, including this recent one, “Exceptional experience! Showroom Consultant Cathy Whelan was extremely knowledgeable on all the appliances we reviewed. The staff was very professional and courteous, and the showroom is impressive. With so many options and functioning appliances it made our decision-making process much easier.”
To further help the selection process, Clarke has had professional chefs on staff for decades. Now led by Chef Vanessa Ali, the culinary staff help homeowners experience how these appliances can truly make a difference in their lives.
“We are delighted to share this anniversary year with Boston Design Guide,” Clarke said. “We look forward to seeing what the next decade offers in home design, and we’ll be there to help make it fun, inspiring and delicious.”
