A Wholesale Change : The Pacific Design Center has great furniture, but it’s open only ‘to the trade,’ right? Well, notb anymore. Now, everyone can shop for fabrics, sofas, wall coverings and whatever else a home needs.

You spot the perfect Romeo Gigli kilim in the pages of Architectural Digest or Metropolitan Home and excitedly flip to the “resources” listings in the back of the magazine. Unfortunately, the kilim is available in showrooms that sell “to the trade only.” Same goes for the vibrant Manuel Canovas pillow fabric and the curvy Donghia sofa.

The phrase “to the trade” means, of course, that only decorators and architects can buy said items. For years, such restricted access prevented shoppers whose taste levels (and budgets) had outpaced what ordinary home-furnishing retailers had to offer from buying designer-labeled goods directly.

But now, in an effort to bolster sagging sales, West Hollywood’s 16-acre Pacific Design Center is making all of its 200-plus high-end wholesale showrooms accessible to the public. The move is part of a nationwide trend to give wholesale marketplaces a retail lift.

“Some are doing it in a market-oriented program,” says Michael Love, president-elect of the New York chapter of the American Society for Interior Designers. “Others are turning a blind eye, and if a vendor wants to sell to the public they can. There’s nothing illegal about it.”

The Pacific Design Center’s push will be in full swing by March’s WestWeek, the largest residential and commercial furnishings market in the country. Whereas WestWeek is strictly for the industry, the center’s new program--called the Concierge Service--is, says PDC President Andrew Wolf, “for the user who found this a foreboding, confusing place. Our job is to take each group and make it easy for them to use the PDC.” And easy to spend money there.

Three years ago, Love’s group estimated that there were 325,000 customers nationwide who used interior designers--hardly enough to keep all the designers and showrooms in the black.

Love notes that while some showrooms have always sold to the public, “Now they can’t stay alive without it. The real crux of the matter is, there’s not enough design business.”

Traditionally, home-furnishing showrooms sold goods to professionals for 60% of the list price. The architect or designer would, in turn, tack on 30% when the merchandise was sold to a client. Thus, the client would pay 90% of the list price. The client was also paying the designer or architect an hourly rate, which can range from $50 to $250 an hour.

The problem faced by those who run wholesale markets was how to streamline this complicated procedure for the public. And how to do it without alienating designers and showroom managers--who are often leery of selling directly to the public.

“There are so many variables involved,” explains Rosalind Walker, manager of the Manuel Canovas showroom, where fabrics and wall coverings are sold.

“Once you find a fabric you think you can live with, you need a designer who can visualize the scale. Is it going on a seven-foot sofa or two dining-room chairs? Is it for bedding? Then it will need a stain-resistant treatment.

“The lead times are longer, too, and it can be frustrating for the retail customer. It takes 2 to 2 1/2 weeks to get the fabric from Europe. Then the sofa frame has to be ordered--that takes eight weeks. You may be eighth in line at the upholsterers, and add another week for delivery. That’s a lot of time,” Walker says.

The Pacific Design Center has set up a variety of approaches to smooth the way:

* People who want to cruise the hallways just to see what is available are welcome to do so at no cost or obligation. A directory is available at the information desk in the lobby. The Concierge Service can also direct customers to specific showrooms or provide guided tours of the building.

* Customers who find exactly what they are looking for can proceed directly to a purchasing agent provided by the Concierge Service and the agent will handle all of the necessary paperwork.

* Some showrooms will insist that a designer handle the order in the case of fabrics, kitchens, or anything that needs specific measurements or specifications. Because most of these furnishings are made to order, there is a no-return policy. Any errors can result in a very expensive mistake. For those purchases, the Concierge Services provides designers on-site to handle the negotiations.

* All purchases made through a Concierge agent or designer are priced 20% above list price. Thus, the customer pays 120% of the list price, but avoids a designer’s hourly charges. If a shopper wants to consult with a PDC designer, the first hour is billed at $50. Consultation beyond one hour is negotiated between the customer and the designer.

* If you are ready to go the next step and hire a designer to work on a project, there will be portfolios available to look through, and many of the showrooms will have lists of recommended designers.

Most professionals in the interior design business applaud the center’s effort to welcome the public.

“This is going to be good for the design industry,” says Sally Sirkin Lewis, president of J. Robert Scott, whose shop on Melrose Avenue lies in the center’s shadow. “Andy Wolf doesn’t want to hurt our industry--he wants to open the world to the theater of design and all those floors of furniture. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

The Pace furniture showroom, on Beverly Boulevard, has always been open to the public. “We want to take away that aura of snobism promoted by ‘to the trade,’ even though 90% of the time our customers work with interior designers,” says owner James Rosen.

“That’s why we stay out of the design centers,” he says. Rosen’s other Pace stores are on Madison Avenue in New York and on Oak Street in Chicago, where the neighbors are Barneys New York and Jil Sander.

“Consumers are more sophisticated,” Rosen says, “and there are many who have the money to buy the high-end furniture. They are more confident than ever before and more capable of making design decisions.”

But what about interior designers? How do they feel about the possibility of being cut out of the equation?

At least one thinks the time is right. Ron Meyers says that in the past, some designers abused the system by marking up the merchandise they sold their clients far above the standard 30%.

“It was becoming a rip-off industry,” the designer says. “A lot of designers were marking things up 100% at each turnaround. . . . People got piggish. Any time they could mark it up they would.

“It worked great in the ‘80s. When the money disappeared, the balloon burst.”

Now, Meyers is a part of the new push at the Pacific Design Center. He designs a line of furniture that will be shown in an area called the Future Is Now, which the center set aside to showcase the work of young and trendy designers not yet represented by showrooms.

“The intimidation that was associated with the business was just a lack of information,” Walker says. “We are no longer just for the elite. And the designers are prepared for clients who are looking for short-term and long-term assistance.”

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The Particulars

The Area

The Pacific Design Center is the apex of the design district area in West Hollywood. The area is crammed with showrooms and retail stores. The area spreads south from the center and is bordered by Robertson and San Vicente boulevards, Third Street and Melrose. A wayward arm straggles east on Melrose, which eventually becomes the famous fashion drag.

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Parking

The first hour at the center’s parking garage is free. Parking on the street is often tough, and the parking meters gobble quarters by the hour.

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Hours

The design center’s showrooms are open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Many stores and showrooms in the surrounding area are open six days a week, but hours vary wildly.

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The Prices

Sofas start at $3,000 and can skyrocket into the five figures. Most fabrics begin at $60 a yard.

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Designer Fees

According to Lemeau, mono-named editor and publisher of Decorator’s Insider newsletter, the prices charged by interior designers vary. She compiled a list of average rates in her December, 1994, issue:

Hourly Fees: These vary from $75 to $250, with a two-hour minimum. The time for the initial meeting plus travel time is paid at the first meeting.

Retainers: Some designers request retainers--anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000, depending on the scope of the project. Time is billed against the retainer.

Day Rates: These can be negotiated with some designers and start at $400. The fee is paid each day.

Commissions: When designers work on commission, they buy an item at a discount, then mark it up 25% to 40%. They will also charge a design fee for all layouts and floor plans.

Minimums: A few designers won’t work on a job if the dollar volume is too small. Their minimums range from $50,000 to $250,000.