Turning the Tables
Bigwigs are stirring up the kids' furniture market. But when the sawdust settles, entrepreneurs prove they can play, too.
The children run into the room to play. Inside, the table and
chair are hand-painted in a sailor motif, and the bed has scalloped
edges with a matching pillow and comforter set. Anyone with kids
knows that a child's room can mix whimsy and practicality. And
anyone in the children's furniture business knows there's
money to be made by outfitting beds and mini-kitchens. Large companies, like Pottery Barn and The Bombay Company, have
entered the children's furniture market--with Pottery Barn Kids
and Bombay Kids, respectively. But is there room for
entrepreneurial start-ups as well? The answer is a resounding "yes" if you talk to Cheryl
and Dick Shaw, founders of Little Colorado Inc., a Denver
children's furniture manufacturer. The Shaws started the
business in 1987 to create heirloom-quality wooden furniture at
moderate prices. Content Continues Below
After getting laid off during the mid-'80s, Cheryl, 44, and
Dick, 51, began creating wooden stools, beds and toy organizers in
their garage. "Given our size and what we do, we're
specialists," says Dick. "We can do things larger
companies can't." A significant part of their business is
done during Christmas-contributing to about $2 million in annual
sales. With a special focus on shipping and distribution, the Shaws
design their fully assembled items to fit standard shipping
sizes-giving them a strong catalog and Internet business. This emphasis on shipping and distribution is one way the Shaws
stand out in the marketplace, a key strategy that helps them stay
competitive, says Sheila Long O'Mara, editor of Kids
Today, a children's furniture trade magazine. "[With
the Internet], they're competing with everyone-[not] just
people in their own backyard." Long O'Mara has noticed two
trends: juvenile looks and more adult looks-pieces that will last
through adolescence and even into the teenage years. Capturing that whimsy is Angela Harrigan-Flores, who, through
her Web site, www.jackandjillfurniture.com,
sells hand-painted children's furniture part-time.
Harrigan-Flores, 36, started her enterprise in 1999 while looking
for bedroom furniture for her daughter, Hannah, now 9 years old. In
fact, young Hannah is her mother's very own research center:
Harrigan-Flores asks for her daughter's opinion on the
furniture designs. "I try to offer products that are
specialty-oriented-hand-painted by an artist rather than being
mass-produced," she says. With sales increasing 50 to 75
percent from 2000 to 2001, this Tujunga, California, entrepreneur
looks forward to opening a brick-and-mortar store to complement her
online business. | WAIT A MINUTE! | | There's one special concern with
children's furniture: You'll have to conform to
federal safety regulations in order to
do business in this market. Check out the Juvenile Products
Manufacturers Association at www.jpma.org for more
details. |
Contact Source
|
What makes a good client gift?
What guidelines do you follow when buying gifts for your clients? Have you ever received an unusual or inappropriate gift?
|