SEARCH
FIND A DEALER
Meet Sarah Faucet, fashionista extraordinaire, glam gal about town, and steam spa shower devotee. Followers of Hubbard Kitchen Bath & Lighting in North Carolina have spotted her on Facebook and Twitter. She has also been spotted in three showrooms telling a fashion plumbing and steam shower story.
A striking brunette with long curly locks, Sarah Faucet is Hubbard’s creative marketing icon, an avatar that promotes the fashion side of plumbing. She’s a big fan of spa steam showers in general and MrSteam especially. (Dan Reinert, MrSteam’s vice president of sales, met her in person and says she’s awesome.)
Fashionista Sarah Faucet Tells The Hubbard Supply Fashion Plumbing Story
Sarah Faucet is the brainchild of Nancy Teachey, co-owner of Hubbard Supply.
Like many showrooms today, the firm was founded as a supply house, Hubbard Pipe & Supply, by Nancy’s parents in 1972. When the second generation—Nancy, her husband Wilson, and her brother David—took over, they expanded into the decorative plumbing business in 2004. They now have three showrooms in Fayetteville, Wilmington, and Southern Pines, North Carolina, as well as four supply houses. The marketing challenge was how to go from pipes to pretty.
Along came Sarah Faucet Fashionista to tell the fashion plumbing story.
“I got the idea from a Junior League project that had a similar girl,” Nancy recalls. “I thought she was so cute, I had a local artist create our own little shopper for our showrooms who would be an embodiment of everything that is beautiful and everything we love about decorative plumbing. She is our icon girl, the voice of the decorative side of our business.”
Not just a pretty face, Sarah is a hardworking gal who has taken Hubbard from industrial to inspirational.
Cardboard cut-outs of her pop up in the showrooms. She appears in literature and ads, giving advice and recommendations. She’s made it onto the back covers of lifestyle magazines. “We’ve taken her around town to other businesses and had people post on Facebook and Twitter when they see her,” Nancy says.
“Sarah is a modern woman and she wants to take care of herself. She’s all about holistic well-being. She knows steam goes hand-in-hand with taking good care of your body and your skin. Sarah is going to age very well. She understands the mind-body, health-and-beauty connection. That’s why we put her in a robe for a spa-like look,” Nancy explains.
>> See Steam Bathing 101: Seven Steps For an Effective Steam Bath
Hubbard Supply Customers Seek At-Home Steam Spas
At-home spas are just what her customers are seeking. “HGTV has given everyone that desire. Plus a lot of our customers go to island resorts and want to bring home the Caribbean,” she adds.
>> Explore steam around the world.
“We’re seeing bathrooms with lots of stone and marble, in grays and tranquil blues,” reports Angie Kozikowski, a Hubbard showroom consultant for six years.” Angie is also keeping an eye on the trend toward wet rooms where tubs and showers are combined together. “We haven’t done a lot of that, but more people are asking about them,” she says.
Hubbard’s typical customers are in their mid 40s to 50s, planning to stay in their home for the long term, and looking to make the master bath more of a retreat with an at-home spa.
Here’s where Sarah weighs in about steam.
“For a healthier and more beautiful you, Sarah Faucet recommends MrSteam. Transform your bathroom into a home spa. Visit the Hubbard Kitchen, Bath & Lighting Showroom and learn over 40 health benefits associated with steam bathing,” she tells homeowners in ads.
“Steam doesn’t resonate until our consultants explain the true benefits,” Angie points out. “We talk about the 40 benefits and probe to find someone’s hot spot. For some people it might be using it after they work out. There are all kinds of reasons to have steam.” Nancy, who has a MrSteam spa shower herself, says her husband uses it almost daily for his sinuses and allergies.
>> See How To Make Your Workouts Leverage The Benefits Of Steam
>> See 11 SteamTherapy Tips to Relieve Springtime Allergies
People may think steam is something they just go and visit, not something they can have at home, but Hubbard tells them it’s not an extravagance, especially for the long term benefits it brings.
Customers may also think they don’t want steam because it will hurt their wallpaper or cause maintenance problems. Nancy assures them from personal experience that she’s never had an issue with a MrSteam spa shower in her bathroom.
Driving Home The Benefits Of Steam And MrSteam
The iDream package with lavender and eucalyptus aromatherapy in the showrooms drives home the benefits of steam. “They can smell it, see it, touch it and hear the music. They can understand it once we give them the experience,” Nancy notes. Aromatherapy is the number one add-on, although music is picking up. Consultants always recommend a complete spa package as well as towel warmers.
Sarah would say, "Wrap yourself in comfort with a warm towel. There’s nothing better when you get out of the steam shower."
Consultants rely on the MrSteam website VirtualSpa and sizing tools for helping customers find the right application. “People have a tendency to get a unit that’s too small,” says Angie. “And it’s important to know whether their shower is tile or stone to get the correct sizing.”
>> See Tile Steam Shower? Marble Steam Shower? What's the Difference?
Service goes beyond selecting the right steam shower components, however. Hubbard also walks plumbers and contractors through each job, explaining installation details and calling on MrSteam for technical assistance when necessary. “They have exceptional technical support that is easy to contact and is especially helpful for someone who is new to steam shower installation,” Angie says.
>> See Meet Kris Lee, Mr.Steam Technical Sales Representative
Hubbard partners with installers, offering training on new products to make sure they can deliver what customers have selected. “We’re a team,” Nancy emphasizes.
Hubbard is a team player when it comes to ads, as well, featuring real-life showroom consultants in addition to Sarah Faucet. “People love to associate with people. They recognize our people from the ads when they see them around town.” The ads support Hubbard’s “Shop Local, We’ll Remember Your Name” message.
So it’s no surprise that, when asked what they love most about their jobs, Nancy and Angie both said “the people.” Cardboard and real, they’re all important.
