![]() They make great gifts both for our local customers and for people who come from out of town.” Barnard now plans to carry the umbrellas year round.Īll this success has inspired Hare, a former gift store retailer, to broaden the product mix. “We put them on the counter or hung them over raincoats. ![]() “At Christmas, we sold out and had to reorder three times,” said Barnard. Louise Barnard, owner of Isaacson’s, a bridge-to-designer women’s specialty boutique in Atlanta’s Phipps Plaza, started carrying the umbrellas during the Christmas season and brought them back for Mother’s Day. With the new additions, Hare projects $5 million in total sales for 1994. Industry sources estimate that since its introduction, the umbrellas have sold over $1 million. They are priced between $12-$14 wholesale. Magnin and Mercantile Stores, as well as in around 1,500 gift and specialty stores such as Accessory Lady, Mori Luggage and Gifts and Isaacson’s. It was “immediately knocked off,” said Hare, a problem that should be solved by the granting of a design patent in April.Ĭurrently the umbrellas are sold in department stores such as I. “The idea grew out of losing umbrellas or not knowing what to do with them at social events,” said Hare, who designed the product. It’s manufactured in China, and CUI plans to expand distribution into Canada and Europe. ![]() The umbrella comes in black, gray, brown, neutral and an animal print for fall and is equipped with a quilted vinyl case with a gold Chanel-like chain. It promptly sold 2,400 pieces in two days. The Atlanta-based company premiered its first product, the Weather or Not umbrella, in January of 1993 at the Atlanta Apparel Mart. “We don’t ever want to be in the mainstream.” “We want to offer novel, unique things,” said Judy Hare, marketing director. And now, with several innovative new products about to be launched, Creative Unique Ideas (CUI) is proving to be a company that lives up to its name. It all started with an umbrella case modeled on a Chanel evening bag. ![]()
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