Get to know Matt Falcone of ABC Carpet & Home

Describe how you chose your profession and how you have succeeded in this industry? It's been more of an evolution for me professionally. You have to be good at a lot of things to succeed in this industry; you have to an eye for design and style, be able to multitask and entertain at the same time. I'm a Generalist really. It's an amalgamation of a lot skill sets so I kind of fell into it. I've been an actor, worked in advertising as an account executive. Hospitality. You name it. What are your proudest accomplishments so far this year and what are you looking forward to in 2013, in a personal or business sense? Well we have an unbelievable list of high profile clients and top designers whom I've developed strong relationships with over the years. I'm so fortunate our team put trust in me. Also working with large-scale special projects to help curate the ABC aesthetic with a much larger audience than just New York. It's exciting to have someone interpret ABC rather than imitate it. It becomes a real partnership. Also, I love doing media. Print, broadcast, online. How is the market doing, from your perspective? I am encouraged to see a turn around, especially after the election. I really feel like we have seen a real shift in the past year. I think people are tired of the downturn and not doing well. It's not healthy. Some good does come from it. Looking at values and what is really important. Fortunately for us Home became a part of that. We think of Home as a refuge, especially in hard times. As a result, the common philosophy was "If we can make our Space more comfortable, things won't be so bad." Describe something exciting that just happened at your company. Well we hosted President Obama in March. The Roots played. That was like nothing we've done before. Our Mission Market is so unique too. Essentially you can buy a Mission based gift that gives back. For example, Wind Over Wings, which unties special needs youth with injured Raptors who've overcome a lot. Or New York Pet-I-Care, provides a home for neglected animals and assists with fostering. These gifts inspire on another level. There is intent with everything at ABC. It's a total lifestyle experience. We're really in elite company as a lifestyle brand. From our James Beard, award-winning, ABC kitchen with Jean Georges to our unbelievable collection. If you could use one word to describe your work environment, what would it be? Evolving. Describe a typical day at ABC? There isn't one, that's what keeps me going. Matt Falcone is a personal shopper at ABC Carpet & Home, New York, N.Y.