Family business leader spearheads debut of urban design center
Family and business are closely linked for Sean Clarke, president of Clarke, a premier kitchen and bath showroom destination. His grandfather opened a Connecticut-based appliance store back in 1955 and, several decades later, his father Tom Clarke continued the family tradition when he became the country’s first Sub-Zero distributor and opened the first Clarke showroom in Hopkinton, MA.
Operating the very first Sub-Zero showroom in the U.S., Clarke is now New England’s exclusive distributor of high-performance appliance brands including Sub-Zero, Wolf, ASKO, Best and Scotsman as well as Waterstone Faucets and Dawn Sinks. Top-tier cabinet and countertop lines are also featured in vignettes at Clarke, which now has three showrooms.
Under Sean Clarke’s direction, the company took on its most ambitious project, opening 7 Tide in the Boston Seaport a year ago, the company’s first urban-based showroom. The prestigious project led to an invitation from Sub-Zero and Wolf for Sean Clarke to become the co-chair of their new Distributor Marketing Advisory Board.
“At 7 Tide, we have built our most ambitious showroom and test kitchen to date, and have already doubled its size within a year,” he remarks. And, since the building provides more space than the company needs, it has attracted synergistic companies including Marvin Windows & Doors and Kohler to open inspiration centers at the address.
