as an interior designer, i can respect jennifer's wishes to have the fun (and headaches) of decorating her all on her own, and not wishing to work with a designer. there are many buying services available who help her buy what she needs without working with someone like me, but yes, they will charge a mark-up. the idea behind trade-only showrooms, is the same as behind clothing and gift manufacturers who don't sell directly to the public, but rather to retail stores. these manufactures rely on volume and repeat business, and do not provide the kind of customer service that a retail customer needs, nor do they have multiple locations and consumer friendly hours (and they do not take returns- ever!). without a bigger mark-up like a retail store adds on, they simply can't afford that level of customer service- if they did, they would be retailers, not manufacturers. the clearest analogy i can makes is jennifer wouldn't go to bloomingdales, and complain that she wants a ralph lauren coat for the wholesale price, would she? it is the same with fabric, wallcoverings, etc. this isn't an exclusive club, excluding jennifer just to be mean; she has access to virtually everything is available, either at retail, or with a buying service's mark-up (simply google the name of the fabric you want, and you'll find someone offering it); but without the reciprocity of repeat volume business, and well as knowing the rules (what would she do when asked about minimums? CFA's? commercial receivers? does she even know what those are?), not to mention the ability to pay her own sales tax (many to-the-trade companies have no ability to collect end-user sales tax), i'd have to ask again, why does she think she is entitled to a wholesale price? she pays mark-up on clothing, food, cars, electronics- virtually every other product she buys- but an exception should be made for fabric and wallcoverings because she thinks it isn't a fair system? why on earth would that be? i hope i wasn't too blunt with my answer, but really, this boils down to not wanting to pay retail, and unless you are a business, in that particular industry, you have to pay mark-up. everyone does. last, trust me, decorators aren't offended by people that jennifer who wish to work without us- quite the opposite! the worst clients in the world are those that feel though even though we are providing a service they want, that somehow we are trying to rip them off at the same time. we aren't! in a way, we are the most helpful, knowledgeable sales associate you've ever dealt with, combined with a traveling store who brings samples of goods to your door, and yes, since we have no federated corp writing us checks every two weeks like your favorite girl at bergdorfs, we have to charge for those services. no other way to do it, i'm afraid. i really hope you'll turn to a buying service, jennifer, and enjoy transforming your house into the home of your dreams, because one point we'll both agree on, is that everyone deserves to live somewhere that makes them happy! best of luck, and have fun, jennifer- i mean that will all sincerity!

Oops just reading other responses. Sort of repetitive, sorry!

any decorating beyond just dragging a log in from the woods to sit on requires trust and cooperation. that means developing relationships over time, and that many people, all of whom must eat, are involved. most of us, from sitter to hatchet man, have been in lots of roles in the system, and all of us work in different ways. what is important is to find someone who can guide you through the machinery to be comfortable with your purchases. once you define your goals-advice only, purchase only, full responsibility-there is someone out there who will work with you. get a specific contract, but also try to work with someone you think you can trust in good and bad situations. think of your own profession and time. how much are you willing to expend in time and/or money to be an informed consumer, or to have someone else be professional for you. if you have $500 to spend on an item, you will do this differently from someone who is looking to spend $50,000. A $1000 an hour lawyer who hires a designer for $750 an hour to do the work is getting a good deal if the work is done right. most of us fall someplace in the broad middle. make the arrangement which is both good and efficient for yourself, and for those with whom you work. in the end, most people can be satisfied and enjoy. that is what it is all for, at the end.