Designing Women

It's all about the girl talk. at least it is at SimplyShe, agreeting card and gift product company founded by friends MariaPeevey and Lisa Bicker. SimplyShe's signature line of HerSpeakgreeting cards targets women going through different, and sometimestrying, life experiences-from marriage and motherhood tocareer changes and body-image issues. The partners started the SanFrancisco-based company in 1999 after Peevey ended a relationshipand was consoled by funny yet poignant cards from one of her bestfriends (now the company's co-creative director). Says companypresident Peevey, "The whole reason we're able to[address] these various events is because they're eventswe've experienced ourselves."

Getting the greeting cards into the hands of women was anothertriumph. While most card companies just focus on stationery stores,Peevey, 33, and Bicker, 39, were determined to get their productinto fashion and home furnishing stores as well. In less than sixmonths, the pair succeeded in placing their cards on the shelves ofsuch specialty fashion boutiques as Fred Segal and Henri Bendel.Today, they're sold in more than 300 stores nationwide, and thecompany is expecting 2002 sales of $1 million.