Mindy J Marx

In my role as Director of National Accounts at Creative Co-Op, I mentored and coached a team of 9 Sales Directors working closely with major retail customers to develop home décor assortments that aligned with both emerging interior trends and each retailer’s unique brand positioning.

At Holiday Bright Lights, I led product development and merchandising for seasonal décor categories, working closely with overseas manufacturing partners to bring new collections to market each year. I focused on identifying emerging trends, developing cohesive assortments, and balancing creativity with strong margins and production timelines. The fast-paced seasonal cycle for key account's private brands required close collaboration with suppliers, and a constant communication with key customers like ACE, Menards, and Grandin Road to ensure they had seasonal products on time with displays and planograms to excite customers each holiday season.

During my time at Kirkland’s Home, I worked on developing and merchandising home décor assortments that aligned with the brand’s style and value proposition. I helped translate trends into accessible products across the wall categories including art, mirrors, and functional wall decor while working closely with sourcing partners to ensure quality, cost, and timing all came together successfully. It was an experience that strengthened my merchant instincts and deepened my understanding of what resonates with home décor customers at retail.

At Sagebrook Home, I played a key role in the full product development process, helping build curated, trend driven home décor collections for a fast growing wholesale business. Part of my focus was expanding and refreshing the lighting and wall art categories to keep the assortment current and compelling. I worked closely with sales, marketing, and leadership to identify gaps in the market, while partnering with global factories to bring new products from concept through production. Because the company moved quickly, the role required balancing creativity with speed as we continually introduced new items to keep assortments fresh for retail customers and interior designers. I also worked directly with key accounts such as La-Z-Boy, Havertys, and Nebraska Furniture Mart to develop custom curated collections, often acting as their “personal shopper” when sourcing new products internationally.

Leading a team of internationally based sourcing agents I created the trend direction and merchandising plan for A&B Home. Curating and designing three full collections of mid to luxury level home decor and furniture in under six months. Acting as the interim Marketing Director for the North American market I created a brand profile and enhanced social media plans along with improved SEO content for their website and ecommerce partners.

At IMAX Worldwide Home, I focused on developing home décor and furniture pieces that blended trend, craftsmanship, and commercial appeal. Working closely with international vendors, I helped bring new products to life through material development, sampling, and production coordination. The role gave me strong exposure to global sourcing. licensing working with brands like Trisha Yearwood, Ducks Unlimited, and Mary Mayo and reinforced the importance of building long-term relationships while delivering unique products that stood out in the marketplace. I also acted as a custom product development director for key accounts like Haverty's Furniture, Home Depot, Von Maur, Kirkland's, and La-Z-Boy crafting curated lines specific to their needs and building relationships with the retail buyers.

In my role at Nebraska Furniture Mart, I repositioned the decorative accessories and seasonal departments from being viewed primarily as supporting “props” for furniture displays into a meaningful sales and profit center of their own. By developing curated themes and lifestyle stories in collaboration with case goods and upholstery buyers—and providing clear direction to the visual merchandising team—I helped create more intentional and compelling floor presentations. This approach drove add-on sales and significantly increased customer engagement, resulting in more than 30% year-over-year sales growth within the first two years while maintaining strong inventory turns and improving gross margins. By intentionally buying across a full range of styles and price points, we were able to create visually impactful displays that resonated with a broader customer base and strengthened the overall category performance.