Reaching a 67th wedding anniversary is an achievement. To do it while working alongside one’s spouse day in and day out makes it even more so. Edwin and Lenore Pepper could write the “how-to” book on staying blissfully married while building a successful business.
In 1961, they founded Edwin Pepper Interiors. Still, even before their “grand opening,” they had been perfecting their design and drapery expertise. Edwin knew early that he had a keen interest for interior design. “I loved to do carpentry and furniture design from the age of 16,” he says.
Lenore was 16 and Edwin was 17 when they were students at University City High School. “We got married two years after I graduated from high school,” Lenore says.
They went on to have three children: Michael, Mark and Karen, and to build their interior design business from the ground up.
From a young age, Edwin had an innate sense of design, which he honed at the School of Art and School of Architecture at Washington University where he learned to design furniture. “He built cedar closets and cabinets in rathskellers while he was in high school,” says Lenore. “In college, he learned how to sell and install draperies after I made them. That’s how we got started.”
“It came so easy to me,” Edwin says. “Some women I worked for when I was in school asked if I’d considered interior design because it’s the coming thing, and I decided that was the place for me.”
After their marriage, Edwin joined the U.S. Army, and Lenore kept building their business. “I said I would take care of the clientele while he was in service, and he taught me,” she says.
“He was stationed in Baltimore, Md., and I would work with his clients,” she says. “If they wanted custom-made, I would write to him and tell him what I needed, and he would write back with drawings, so I learned the hard way. Making phone calls was too expensive."
“We had cabinet makers and upholsterers, and I moved in with my parents and made draperies on the dining room table. I built a reputation because my clients recommended me, and if I had any doubts, I would write him and he would answer,” Lenore says. “He was so good and patient.”
One of the reasons their business flourished was their commitment to finding the perfect accessories for their clients. They have traveled to London, France, China, Italy, Ireland and other places around the world to find the perfect piece. However, it was not just for their clients. “These trips that we’ve done together all over the world are the best times we’ve had,” Edwin says. “We have a wonderful time together while doing something that we love, which is buying things for clients back in the states.”
The Peppers attribute their success to understanding clients. “We’ve been successful throughout the years, and moving along with the trends,” Edwin says.
“I walk into a home and visualize what we would do,” he says. “The real key is understanding the client’s needs, then I go back and create an image for them. Many times, our next client comes from a referral. If someone sees our work, loves it, and has been thinking about renovations, they call and we meet at their home, condo or apartment, and discuss their needs and I get an idea of what they like.
“Afterward, I make drawings and layouts,” he says. “Then we do a showing or presentation of the room or house with images including styles, fabrics, drawings, and photos.
“Our goal is to satisfy the client, and adjust to their needs,” he says.
Lenore adds that knowing the client’s budget is very important. “We don’t want to go over or under their price line. Our goal is to make the client happy and give good professional advice," she says.
“Buying and furnishing a home is expensive, and we help them spend their money wisely,” she adds.
“It‘s important for the end result to be their personality and their life. If they have a family treasure family that they want, it is our responsibility to work it in with the design, and I enjoy seeing people happy with what they have. It doesn’t have to be all one way. Our house is a mixture of memories and pieces that we have gotten as gifts for anniversaries and birthdays, and they have meaning. Other people’s memories have meaning too, so I like to listen to what they say and respond with the professional knowledge that I have, and I want to share it with them so they’ll make a wise decision in spending their money,” she says.
Lenore says their clients are always surprised that they can do so much with whatever budget they provide. “Everyone who works for us is very talented and an expert at what they do,” she says. “We are a good team, and our children are an age where they are taking over.”
Michael, who has a degree in finance, is president of the company, and Karen is an interior designer. However, Lenore and Edwin remain actively involved in their business with Edwin still designing furniture and Lenore helping clients design the home of their dreams within their budget. “This is our legacy,” she says. “A legacy built with love.”
Around her neck, Lenore wears a sterling silver heart with 'Eddie; engraved on the back. “He gave this to me on my 16th birthday, and I’ve never taken it off,” she smiles.
“We were married 67 years last August, and I wonder where all those years went?” Edwin says. “As you grow older, life goes faster every year, and you can either make it miserable or make it wonderful together.”
“All the happy times were very happy, and in times that were difficult, and there were a few, we found that if you get together and hug each other a little bit harder, it just works,” Lenore says.
For more information on Edwin Pepper Interiors, visit EdwinPepper.com, or call 314.455.4500.