Now that 2022 has come to an end, we wanted to take a moment look back on all the great things our organization and our members did this past year as a part of the River North Design District (RNDD). Thank you to everyone who supported small businesses this year. Your support did not go unnoticed.
Join us as we look back on some of the moments that made 2022 a memorable year for RNDD and we wish you nothing but health and happiness in the New Year!
We Gained New Members
We ended the with a total of 77 members and 18 of those were new members who joined in 2022. This year we welcomed: Daniel Kinkade Fine Art, Joanne Sells Chicago, Architectural Artifacts, Chicago Architecture Center, Terrazzo & Marble Supply Companies, The Golden Triangle, Beige, Bliss Events Concept Consulting, DiVinci Painters, Life Time Work, Jasmin Reese Interiors, M Viamontes Architects, Bellehaven Designs, reDesign home | Chicago, Jessica Margot Design, Altalia Furniture, Prestige Designs and DUXIANA.
We Expanded our Reach
Our Instagram following increased by 14% and Facebook by 11%. We launched a brand new website which also helped to expand our reach. The new site introduced new features such as a member directory and downloadable map of the River North Design District.
We Held 4 Big Events & Raised Money for Great Causes
We held 4 big events this year including 2 design focused workshops: “Engaging Instagram Content” led by Jonathan Pliego and hosted by Roca Tile and “Building a Digital Marketing Strategy” led by Maggie Swift of Unframed Digital hosted by Studio41 and sponsored by GRAFF.
We launched a brand new event: the RNDD Pup Walk and Cat Crawl which was comprised of 9 locations featuring 9 designers who created unique auction items for pets like dog and cat beds and even a stone dog house. The walk raised $6,000 for our philanthropic partner, PAWS Chicago, the city’s largest No Kill animal shelter.
And to end the year strong, a who’s who in the Chicago design and art communities gathered for our 7th Annual River North Design District Fall Gallery Walk to view vignettes designed by Chicago’s top designers as they showcased living settings highlighting artwork created by some of the brightest stars in the art world today. It was our biggest and best turnout yet with over 1,000 attendees and we raised $13,000 for our philanthropic partner, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Thanks to everyone who came out to support us and save the date for next year: Friday, September 8th, 2023.
We Launched a Podcast
Design District, an interior design podcast is the ultimate destination for all things design. On this podcast you will meet our designers, discover new products, and gain valuable industry insights. Whether you are a homeowner looking for ideas or an industry expert– we promise you will be entertained.
With the help of our podcast host and producer, Jonathan Pliego, we released 6 episodes of Design District this year which you can listen to here.
A huge thank you to our podcast sponsor, JC Licht, the Midwest’s largest dealer of Benjamin Moore, high quality paints, wall paper, window treatments and more. Visit one of their 19 design centers to turn your house into your dream home!
Thank You For Your Support
Thank you to everyone who supported The River North Design District and our members this year and thank you to our dedicated members for your contributions in making our Chicago Design Community so strong. It’s because of you that we continue to grow year after year.
We have many exciting things in store for 2023 including some brand new events and partnerships, and we will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary! Now is a great time to join us!
Be sure to check out our events page to see what we have in store for the new year or follow us on Facebook and Instagram to make sure you don’t miss out. Cheers to a healthy and successful 2023!
