The Right Stuff Lillian Vernon on picking products with pizazz.

It's difficult to believe that a single household remains inthe United States that hasn't been touched by Lillian Vernon.If its residents are not among those who have ordered from any ofthe half a billion catalogs sent out over the last 46 years, thensurely they've received a gift from someone who did.

Last year, Lillian Vernon Corp. earned revenues exceeding $238million, a phenomenal achievement for a company launched at ayellow Formica kitchen table by a newly married, pregnant,21-year-old woman. Starting with one small ad in Seventeenmagazine for matching, monogrammed leather belts and handbags, thecompany has burgeoned into an empire that mails 29 editions ofeight different catalogs, each averaging 96 pages and offering morethan 700 products. In addition, the company's wholesaledivision services corporate accounts and a retail division operates15 outlet stores.

Lillian Vernon introduces more than 2,000 products eachyear--carefully chosen by Vernon, herself, and 20 buyers, whotravel an average of 150,000 miles a year sniffing out intriguingitems that will tantalize a large share of the 19.4 million peoplein the company's customer database.