|
|
(2 of 4)
A better word for ‘accessories’
Marketing scholars of
today might congratulate us for finding a niche market so quickly—but
at the time, that’s not how we saw it. We simply listened to our customers
and adapted. They told us they wanted good chairs and desks and other
reading accessories. Accessories. What was a better word for that?
Products... items... tools. Yes, that was it: Tools for Serious
Readers.
By the winter of 1989 we knew we needed to look for a proper business
location. We considered Massachusetts, Maine and Maryland, all places
where we had ties. But it was a cold March in the Northeast that year,
my father was living in a quiet slice of sunshine near Delray Beach, and
Florida’s commercial real estate was attractively priced. By that fall,
the entire staff of Levenger—by then there were three—had moved to Delray
Beach.
Growing up in the ‘90s
Levenger
grew up in the last decade of the twentieth century. In 1990 we issued
our first color catalog and learned that our 5,000-square-foot building
was already too small. By the following year, we’d brought catalog production
in-house—design, copy, layout and photography. Today Levenger Studios
continues to be at the heart of our creative process.
Sales doubled in 1992; by 1993, Inc. magazine had ranked us the
eighth fastest-growing privately held company in America. That year we
also broke ground on the site of our current 220,000-square-foot facility.
As Levenger continued to be recognized as one of the most successful companies
of the ‘90s, our name and products started appearing in national publications—House
Beautiful, Forbes FYI, The Wall Street Journal, House
and Garden. Look closely at the sets for the film “You’ve Got Mail,”
starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, and you’ll see our Better Mouse Pad,
Best & Lloyd Bestlite lamp and Page Points.
|
|
|
|
