Quarterly News Letter

Manayunk Buy Design
by Jon Campisi
Star Staff Writer

The students were busy, but not busy enough to ignor the attire donned by business professor Steven Frumkin.

One day after the Phillies lost their World Seris bid, Frumkin strolled into Philadelphia University's Industrial Design Center wearing New York Yankees garb.

And while the instructor received his looks of disdain, the juniors and seniors studying design and business marketing were more focused on the task at hand. That task was to come up with a piece of furniture worthy of display at one of the regions oldest furniture stores.

Philadelphia University is partnering with Propper Bros. Furniture, a Manayunk institution in existence since 1888, on a project that will be on display during Manayunk's Second Saturday promotion November 14.

The idea for the partnership tool hold after Propper Bros. president Sam Kroungold to reach out to a school or neighborhood organization the purpose being to forge stronger bonds between merchant and the community.

Propper Bros. employee Rob Weiss ended up making contact with Frumkin who is familiar with Manayunk having had students go to work in the neighborhood.

When Weiss learned of the annual program in which the design, engineering and commerce schools at Philadelphia University come together to create a joint project,he thought it would be the perfect opportunity for some of that community outreach.

"We could give back . . by offering a venue where they could get some feedback on a project," Weiss said.

The school's program has paired juniors studying design with seniors studying business and marketing. Since the start of the semester the students, working in groups of around 5, have been creating pieces of furniture that will eventually be displayed at Propper Bros., a well respected furniture outlet.

On Nov. 14 the creations will be unveild to the public during the neighborhood's Second Saturday Festival which this month is titled "Manayunk by Design."

"It's extremely different from what they had been doing," Weiss said on the topic of this years project, "This is kind of coming through in a different direction in design and going back to Manayuck's roots with the furniture business."

During a visit to the school last week students sat down with their groups diligently working on their custom pieces. One group was designing an ottoman while another group was designing a multi-piece sectional.

"We tend to give them real world problems," said Michael Leonard, an industrial design professor heading up the program along with Frumkin.

Leonard said the collaborative effort is beneficial to students because it offers the chance for those experienced in one discipline to work alongside those exprienced in other disciplines.

Since Philadelphia University students are introduced to studio work in their junior year, this would be the perfect opportunity for students to become accustomed to working in conjunction with others, Leonard said.

"We set up a little company," said Frumkin, the business professor.

Michael Schmick, a designer, has also been involved with the project said this is a great chance for students looking to enter the design world post-college to see what it's like to work with others, especially those in different fields from thier own.

"what these guys are learning is how to talk the design talk to folks who are not native speakers," Schmick said.

John Modestine has seen firsthand the benefits of the collaborative process. The junior design student has relished the opportunity to share ideas with students from a different scholarly beginning.

"It's a great opportunity," he said while going over the particulars of his group's creation, a combination ottoman/coffee table that has both refrigerated and non-refrigerated components where one could store refreshments. "Working this way gets us into the real world."

Plus it's good for the resume, Modestine said, since industry leaders have been invited by Weiss and his crew to check out the final creations once they're on display at Propper Bros.

Modestine and his group members explained the process behind their design. After coming up with the initial idea, they created about 500 sketches and then worked on various scale models. They also took time making computer generated images of what they envision the piece of furniture to look like.

Because Propper Bros. typically draws and older client base, Modestine said his group wanted to create something that would be appealing to younger folks.

"Most parties in an older crowd end up in the kitchen," he said, "We wanted to bring everything into the living room. We created these pieces so they would function for a party and personal use."

Danielle Hirt, a senior studying business and one of Modestine's group members said working alongside design units has been great since it prepares students such as herself for what they'll most likely find outside the school's walls.

"It kind of brings together how everybody thinks differently," she said, "Especially since most of us will be working with some type of designer."

Another group is working on a modular seating system, essentially a couch whose sections piece together.

"We wanted to allow for versatility," said Dan Fichter, a junior design major.

Pointing to pictures, blueprints and storyboard on the wall, Fichter relayed how the group came up with the concept for a sofa that could be brought home in pieces and custom fit to the room.

"We're creating a new generation of furniture for a new generation of customers," Fichter said on the group's design.

Fichter said his group was piggy-backing on a current line of Propper Bros. furniture geared toward a younger crowd.

"We're building upon that to tap into a new demographic," he said.

Weiss of Propper Bros. said he initially envisioned a project that could be displayed in a public gallery and custom furniture in a furniture store was about as perfect as you could get.

"They could get reinforcement and feedback from the industry," Weiss said during an interview with Propper Bros last week.

Weiss said his boss was all-too-happy to provide a forum for students looking to make it in the world of design and marketing post-graduation.

"They're really doing a real-world application," Weiss said, "They have a taste of what it would be like to start their own business."

Frumkin, the business professor, said other students also got in on the action such as those studying intellectual property, trademarks and law.

In all four schools, 13 courses, 300 students, and 13 professors have had a hand in the project Frumkin said, making this a truely collaborative process.

All in all Weiss couldn't be happier with the way things are going and the fact that the students are really into this makes it all worthwhile.

"They are real inquisitive," Weiss said, "They come to the store and they show a genuine interest in the project."

The student projects will be on display with Propper Bros Nov. 14 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm during a special opening reception which will include wine and cheese.