How did I find iGap and Grand Soleil?
It was totally a stroke of luck to find iGap. While managing a Euopean subsidiary for an American company in the Automotive Accessory field, I landed in Cogozzo, Italy to live. This nondescript little village in the South of Lombardy didn't seem to have any advantages except it was located North of the business I was managing. My two main goals were first, not drive into the sun in the morning and night, and second to not have to deal with the Parma traffic. So I found a warm and friendly family in Cogozzo that rented me a room and took me into their family.
While walking in Cogozzo, I noticed a wholesale company located in the next town of Viadana. Actually, they are like sister cities, they share a common border. After meeting with this company, I became friends with the owner and his two sons. We started business together and always seemed to have lunch or dinner at a great pizza and fish restaurant in Cogozzo called The New Farone's. I am not sure what the old Farone's was like, but the new one has the best handmade pizza I have ever eaten.
At one of our luncheons, my friend invited a lifelong associate of his. This person happened to be Rocco Pezzi. This giant of a man entertain everyone at the table. He tells great stories and shares the funniest GIFs in the world. I tried a few American jokes on him and a friendship was born. Rocco next invited me to the best risotto restaurant --- EVER! Rocco's father and the owner of the restaurant were old friends, so we received fantastic treatment (of course everyone else there received the same treatment). When we sat down they did not give us a menu. Before we could take our napkins off the table a waiter was standing next to us apologizing for taking so long and started spooning steaming risotto onto our plates. Within seconds after he left, another waiter brought a huge platter of pork ribs. Of course, he started piling these onto our plates. I learned at that time there is only one item on the menu, risotto. The restaurant and farm grow everything there, the rice, pork and whatever else goes into the meal. While you are there they keep coming to your table to give you more and more and more. The culmination of this meal was when they brought a desert cart. We had already eaten enough for three meals, but the cart was full of exotic delicacies. All you had to do was ask a question about an item and they served it to you. I will admit I ate 4 different deserts, one every bit as the good as the prior one.
What does this have to do with iGap - Grand Soleil chairs and furniture you ask? Well Rocco suggested at this luncheon that maybe I would like to import some of his products for the USA. I already had an import company in Michigan for the past 40 years, so I said, "Why not?"
We toured his factory the following week and I was shocked by the size of the facility, the quality of the machines, the incredible laboratory for testing and designing plastic compounds and the wonderful chairs, tables, playhouses and other items they make.
From this meeting, we started by importing two containers of iGap & Grand Soleil products. We have marketed the products on online marketplaces and now, with Chairs4Less.com we are now able to present iGap - Grand Soleil on our own website.
With our parent business, we have been selling Automotive Accessories online since 1998. We have operated over 25 websites and been a leader in interior accessories, Jeep accessories and logo products during this time. We will use the same principles in the furniture business. We always care for our customers and do whatever we can to satisfy and exceed their expectations. All of our products are stocked in our own warehouses located in St. Joseph, Michigan on the banks of Lake Michigan looking over at Chicago. We ship goods daily and take extra care to make sure everything is packaged to protect the precious goods we are sending to you.
I hope this gives you an idea about where we come from and what we plan to do.
Peter J. Marr
President and Founder
Owens Classic International (and Chairs4Living.com)