Unique Concepts Spring 2007

by Bernadette Starzee

A Fresh Perspective

Rockcycle turns old record albums into one-of-a-kind purses, notebooks, coasters and other products. Selling nostalgia in the form of useful products, the company is giving a second life to a nearly limitless supply of records while drumming up big sales.

Sock Popits, socks with clip-on fashion accessories called Popits (and their hairclip cousins, Clip Its), are a new fun and functional—and patented—product that's taking off in the children's market.

Leal Vineyards offered holiday shoppers a break with wine tastings at its in-line store as well as selling bottles, gift certificates and wine club memberships. The holiday store not only landed the sales but also helped the company expand its customer base.

Happy Hippo Bath Company manufactures crowd pleasers like soothing bath bombes and bubble baths, merchandises them in mix-and-match batches and offers bulk pricing to keep sales volume high.

Stuffed Innovations is bringing its animal-stuffing business to malls, but what makes this company stand out from other stuff-and-fluffers is its start-up program, which allows entrepreneurs to get started for no money down.

Although every company profiled here has a different product line and selling strategy, all of them are using cart, kiosk or in-line space to their advantage. And each company except Leal Vineyards has a turnkey start-up package that independent entrepreneurs can buy into.