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BARBARA
TURF
President, Crate & Barrel
 It
was really meant to be a summer job. I was teaching
junior high school, and was looking for something to
do. My sister was working at Crate & Barrel as a sales
associate, and suggested it to me. So I applied and
got a job. Turf liked it and returned the next year.
And the next. And then, she stayed.
I never, ever thought I'd be where I am today. It wasn't
conceivable. But I love it." As Crate & Barrel's president,
Turf works with CEO Gordon Segal in planning the company's
strategic development. She is also responsible for directing
the selection of all furniture and accessories sold
in the Crate & Barrel stores and catalogues. And she
just recently launched CB2, an offshoot of Crate & Barrel
aimed at younger consumers, with a 6,000-square-foot
store in Chicago. Barbara Turf, is, in other words,
one of America's tastemakers.
Oh, and then there's a family, husband and three children,
and three houses, one in the Chicago suburbs, another
in the country across Lake Michigan and a warm-weather
retreat in Florida. Plus a seat on the Advisory Board
for the Gucci Group. It all adds up to a hectic life,
with lots of travel, lots of stress, lots of need for
anything to keep everything in equilibrium.
None of that shows when you meet Turf. Trim and vivacious,
she has a quick, bright smile that takes over her no-wrinkle
skin. Her prescription for well-being? "I try to go
to the Golden Door Spa (in California) once a year.
I love it because it's a powerful combination of the
physical and mental-not just diet and exercise-that
focuses on the whole human being."
Back home, her regimen includes daily exercise-twice
a week with a trainer-and lots of walking, outdoors
or on a treadmill. She also goes to a day spa at least
once a month. "I can't really commit to a full day,
but I enjoy going and love the idea of being in a room
being taken care of. No cell phone, no interruptions-you're
almost anonymous. It's really a great sanctuary."
A client of the Tiffani Kim Institute (see Spa Star
for more information), Turf particularly enjoys facials,
masssages, manicures and pedicures. "Those are the things
you really can't do for yourself the way they can. I
just had what was for me a new type of facial the other
day, and it was terrific. Everything was pretty much
the same as always-cleansing, massage with oils, moisturizing-but
it ended with a misting of our oxygen. It really felt
great."
A skilled retailer herself, Turf has a keen appreciation
for some of the products she sees at the spas. "In some
ways, I'm a bad customer, in others, I'm a dream come
true. I like to try different lines, and if one product
appeals to me, I'll buy many of the others. Then, I'll
move on to try something else. And I have to say, I
think they're much better, more effective than they
were 10 years ago. The same is true for cosmetics."
Turf has been able to keep Crate & Barrel in the vanguard
of lifestyle companies by keeping careful watch on the
way consumers act. Her observations tell her that the
next generation coming up is going to be the one that
really will fully integrate the spa experience into
their lives-in fact, it will be a must. "My daughter
has done it with ther friends, and they all have more
money to spend then we ever did. They will spend money
on having their nails done, maybe having a pedicure,
and as they get older, they will be going for massages
and facials. There's no question that spas will be something
they want to go to. I think too that the whole economics
of spas will broaden so that they are more accessible
to more people. As they become more popular, more people
will want to go, and someone is going to figure out
how to address that desire.
When she considers her own enjoyment of spas, Turf has
one wish. "I'd like to see more men go. I know they're
starting to. But I think it's something that they'd
enjoy and really find beneficial." One of her resolutions
for this year is to try to go more often. "Right now,
it's once a month. But I'm going to try to double that
to two. It's one of the best ways that I can really
relax and refresh myself."
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CELEBRITY VISITS
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