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Woodstock Chimes Rings True Quality Products Sing for Specialty Stores
 WIND ON AIROur real break came in early 1980 when I sent our Chimes of Olympos to Susan Stamberg, the host of National Public Radio's “All Things Considered.” I wanted to thank her for their great show. I thought she might play it on the air, but she ended up interviewing me!  TROUBLES OF THE TRADEWe were interested in wholesale distribution, so I applied to trade shows but couldn’t get in. There was no category for the chimes. Persistence paid off and they finally accepted us in the mid-80s. Our first show was "Accent on Design," the juried part of the New York International Gift Show. People are intrigued when they hear good sound, and the wind chimes sell themselves. When we started showing at trade shows, we had about 100 stores. Now we have accounts with more than 5,000.  MODEST EXPANSIONWe started off with $15,000 and always stayed within our means. The bank loans came later. Whatever we make, we put back into the business. We bought an inexpensive house with an old barn, which we outgrew in three years and replaced with a small warehouse factory on our land. We employ about 40 people who do research and development, customer service, shipping and fulfillment and distribution. CHIMES GO TO CHILDREN  The transition into the toy market came in the mid-80s. There was no great instrument on the market for kids so I converted the xylophone into the precision-tuned Chimalong. Jim Henson, who created the Muppets, had been buying the xylophone to give to guests on his show. I contacted him and said that I was making an instrument for children and would love to get his feedback. He invited me to meet with him, and he loved the Chimalong. He allowed me to put his name on the product if I said that he recognized its educational value, and if I could find four other names. His name made it easy to get the other names.  NO MASS FOR THIS MUSICKurt Naef, the late Swiss designer and manufacturer of high-quality toys, was a big inspiration. He distributed our products in Switzerland for many years. He told me not to worry if people copy your product as long as your product is of lasting quality. We developed advertising campaigns and we use sales reps that focus on the toy market. We’ve always been able to keep up with demand because we’re careful and have never gone after Toys ’R’ Us or Wal-Mart. Our core business is mom-and-pop shops and specialty stores.  QUALITY GOES THE DISTANCEMy advice to someone who wants to start a business is to make something unique that is of high quality and has staying power. The toy market is full of fads, and if you have a product that’s popular immediately, you need a huge investment. It’s hard to compete with the big companies who offer the best price, but by sticking with quality you’re always going to have clientele. See Woodstock Chimes’ quality products below:
 Writer's Bio: Elizabeth Greenspan edits and writes for trade and technical publications. She has interviewed and collaborated with some of the top practitioners in their fields. She lives in Philadelphia and travels extensively for her work. Read more articles by this author |
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