Junior Chefs

Here comes the sun, indeed. As the nation basks in the warmer temperatures of spring, retailers in the housewares industry are basking in a golden glow brought on by a renewed interest in the color yellow.

"It's a color that drives a lot of excitement for our retailers," says Richard Ahern, home products design manager for Wooster, Ohio-based Rubbermaid Inc. "And it helps drive consumer excitement, too."

That excitement is propelling Rubbermaid into releasing a variety of housewares in a soft yellow shade the company is dubbing "Sunrise." According to Ahern, yellow will brighten items as diverse as storage containers, dish drainers, wastebaskets and laundry baskets.

Although some see the move into yellow housewares products by major manufacturers like Rubbermaid as a nostalgic nod to the 1970s, Ahern disputes this. "We're not doing this because it's retro," he says. To the contrary, he explains, yellow's presence in fabric and bedcovers has simply generated more consumer acceptance for the color. And, of course, spring is a great time to get consumers to brighten up their homes.

This article was originally published in the April 1997 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Junior Chefs.