Bethany Lovegrove, 30, had been enchanted by Beanie Babies since the stuffed beanbag animals' debut in 1993. But when she saw collectors shelling out hundreds of dollars at a local mall for hard-to-find Beanies, she knew there must be a way to make more than beans in the thriving market for the toys.
A full-time administrative assistant for a large company in Alpharetta, Georgia, Lovegrove didn't have the time or money to open her own Beanie retail location. Instead, with some assistance from her husband, David, 29, a former Web designer, she put up a Web site, Bethany's Beanies, in summer 1997, to provide news and rumors for Beanie fans--and offer Beanies for sale.
"I knew Beanie Babies and David knew Web design, so we put our knowledge together," says Bethany. "We'd seen the way people took to Beanies--when McDonald's put them in Happy Meals, people would buy the meals and throw away the food just to get the Beanie--so we knew there was a market here."
The site attracted so many customers, the Lovegroves were forced to cut down on graphics to make more space for ads and listings. Now convinced of the long-term investment potential of Beanie Babies--Bethany has bought and sold more than 1,000 of the toys--David is writing a book on the subject.
Contact Sources
Bethany's Beanies, dlovegrove@cheerful.com
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