‘I was just shopping my little heart out! I think it’s fantastic,” said Greg Polman, who was with seeing-eye boxer Blaze at “Party on the Spot,” the preview for the Chicago Design Show at the Merchandise Mart. “I fell in love with that tapestry chair over there.” The party benefited the Chicago Lighthouse, which provides services for the blind and visually impaired, and gave the facility a chance to debut its new Young Philanthropists Board, people who one day may head big firms and be major donors. Jazz sounds were provided by VisionQuest, whose members are visually impaired. A buying mood was in the air–for rugs, rattan and more. Friends Kate Lunn, Cindy Pages and Connie Wittstock loaded up on party games at $35 a set, a lot less than the $20,500 Bang & Olufsen plasma TV. Said B&O owner Tom Berichon: “As one of my salesman says, it’s all about priorities.” In November, he sold seven.
