RAYMOND | LAWRENCE: A COUPLE, A BRAND—A SUCCESS STORY by thom senzee
RAYMOND MCCALLISTER AND LARRY ABELare uncomfortable being thought of as one of Palm Springs’ “power couples,” said Abel, who with his partner of ten years co-owns no fewer than six successful businesses. “…It tends to invoke more of a shallow social- centered ‘me, me, me’ existence. We would hope to be known as hard-working entrepreneurs who believe in the potential and future of Palm Springs.” Raymond McCallister and Larry Abel opened
their first business in Palm Springs, called ASI-Art Style Innovation, about 10 years ago. “This was a collection of furniture and accessories inspired by the Hollywood events for which we produce and create unique individual pieces,” McCallister said. Hollywood in turn has paid homage to the couple and their designs. Oprah Winfrey even had the couple on her show, while their designs have appeared in household magazines such asIn Style, Woman’s Day and Departures. Even NBC’s Today Show has given on-air nods to Abel and McCal- lister.
Only the pair knows if their romantic partner-
ship was love at first sight, but when Larry met Raymond, they meant business. Asked about the
pitfalls regarding business and love, Abel had this to say: “We are fortunate that our talents and strengths—as well as our weaknesses—compli- ment each other so the pitfalls are few. We have learned to separate business from personal matters, to carve out time for each other and not allow hurt feelings to fester or be prolonged. Com- munication is the key.” Their store, Raymond | Lawrence, is a collection
of unique, curated “pop-up” shops they have brought together from all across the country. “In our L.A. and New York City event production company, Abel McCallister Designs, we produce pop-up shops around the country,” Abel said. “We thought it would be great to bring these to Palm Springs all under one roof, in a whimsical, creative and unique way.” Abel and McCallister believe in the philosophy
one economist called “coopetition,” a portman- teau of cooperation and competition. “We look at this as a ‘retail incubator’ that allows new busi- nesses to test the waters in Palm Springs and see if having a full ‘in-line’ store is for them,” Abel said. “We have a continual flow of 26 shops with an on- going waiting list. We are proud to have been the catalyst for two leav- ing the nest this year for their own stores.” Socialize Palm
Springs is their latest venture, “We special- ize in social, charitable and corporate events
in the Coachella Valley,” Abel explained. “There was a need for experienced, creative and forward- thinking event-production to serve the growing influx of Generation-X destination weddings, corporate sponsorships and community festivals.” Arguably, there isn’t a more qualified team to ad-
dress that growing demand. “Having been named among the top 35 event designers in the country by Biz Bash Magazine, as well as inclusion in the first-ever list of most innovative event producers in North America, we were thrilled that in our first year we were able to ‘reinvent’ and reenergize—to rave reviews—the Palm Springs Art Museum Gala, The Mizell Senior Center Gala and the AAP Evening Under the Stars starring Cyndi Lauper.” Socialize Palm Springs also produced the City of Palm Springs 75th Birthday Celebration, the 50th Anniversary of the Palm Springs Arial Tramway and the Modernism Week Opening Night Party, Splash House. Clearly, these gentlemen and their business
partnership are experiencing a long run of suc- cess. We asked them, what’s next? “In February we purchased PartyLab and breathed new life into it by creating a one-stop shop: Party Lab, the For- mula for a Great Party,” Abel explained. “Here under one roof, using a concept similar to R | L, we have brought you all the vendors needed to produce and design a party yourself.” Then there’s dessert. “We just became partners
with Davy Aker in CRAVE Palm Springs, a dessert and wine bar, moving it up the street to a beautiful, second-floor modern space with dual balconies and stunning views,” McCallister said. With a new Raymond | Lawrence satellite store
now inside the Saguaro Palm Springs, the brand is officially a chain, albeit a small one. But if Raymond McCallister and Lawrence Abel’s record so far is any indication of future prospects; the description “small” isn’t likely to fit this chain for long.
Raymond|Lawrence is located at 830 North Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs. For more information on the store and the couple’s many other ventures, call 760.322.3344 or go to
raymond-lawrence.com.
Palm Springs 50 RAGE monthly | DECEMBER 2013 | DECEMBER 2013
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80