Shirley Reminisces

As I watch my daughter Renee Pepys Lowe launch her new company, it brings back pleasant memories when I was doing the very same thing. Renee's company, CoCaLo, a manufacturer of infant bedding and accessories is named after her children Catherine and Courtenay Lowe in the same tradition that we named NoJo after my son Noel and my then partner's daughter Joanna.

There is, however, one major difference. Renee is fortunate to start her business with three major licenses, Baby Martex, OshKosh B'Gosh and Eurobaby, a Holland design house. NoJo started twenty-eight years ago when there were no licensed products in the infant bedding industry. We actually began with one product, the infant seat comforter, a simple quilted flannel cover for a vinyl pad to add comfort for baby.

NoJo's first customer was the local baby store where apparel was sold, followed shortly by our second customer, Bullocks (now Macy's) in Santa Ana, California. At the time, each department store bought their merchandise independently (there was no such thing as a central buying office). Our product sold so well that the department manager at this first location alerted the other eight managers. They encouraged us to make coordinated bedding since we had a flair for putting fabrics together. You can well imagine that in 1975 we were concerned as to how we could ship to all eight stores at one time. In contrast CoCaLo will ship to two hundred stores for their first orders.

Twenty-eight years ago, starting a business for babies was fairly easy; it was growing of the business that was the challenge. Baby products, then, were all sold through specialty stores which sold cribs and furniture. Before then, and before NoJo came along, coordinated bedding was just not available. A consumer would have to visit three or four different stores just to buy a crib, the sheets, a blanket, and a plastic bumper. I take great pride in knowing that NoJo was the creator of the first coordinated nursery. It was probably yellow or green gingham with rosebuds, but proudly, it all matched.

The specialty stores, however, reluctant to cover up the bare mattresses in those cribs lined up on their floors eventually changed their minds. Many owners were afraid customers would object to seeing bedding on their cribs. It took a lot of convincing that every sale would be bigger by adding this bedding to their stores. One of the first pioneers in this concept was Baby Toytown in Rosemead, California. Bernand Zwick took a risk and shared our vision and enthusiasm in this new concept.

Sewing the first products was not easy for me; however, I made exactly twelve pieces and that was the end of my sewing career. Luckily my partner's mother was a skilled seamstress who came to our rescue. She set up a sewing room in her home, which she quickly outgrew, when a second sewing friend came to the rescue. Soon we had ten women sewing in their homes. Unlike NoJo, CoCaLo will begin manufacturing not only using California contractors who have hundreds of sewing operators but will also import products.

NoJo was the first bedding company to sign a license for a product. In 1991 we met a renowned pediatrician, Dr. William Sears, who had developed a new baby carrier called "The Babysling." This move not only led us into the carrier business but also forced us into sewing the product in China to meet the growing demand. This gave NoJo a lead in the marketplace, and was a turning point in our company. Not only did we start a serious import operation in the East, but it also opened our eyes to the world market. The Babysling was the first product that launched us into a full advertising campaign in consumer publications. Soon we had letters from all over the world: the power of advertising had definitely created a strong demand.

Now NoJo had a product for national chain stores like JCPenny and Burlington. We were concerned with the relationships of our specialty stores. In my research, it seemed if a carrier like Snugli could cross all lines of retail, The Babysling could do the same. We produced the carrier in special fabrics for our loyal supporter, the specialty stores. To this day, The Babysling is the #1 sling style carrier in the U.S. and Canadian markets.

As NoJo was expanding, I came to realize that in order to make the company grow and not be totally dependent on infant bedding, which was fashion, we needed to diversify our product line. So we created a car seat cover at the request of a retailer, and this turned into a multi-million-dollar accessory business. It worked! NoJo quickly became the number one supplier of infant headrests and accessories in the country. Our accessories for car seats, strollers, and swings revolutionized the car seat and stroller industries. Consumers wanted fashion and comfort not only for their nurseries but for their strollers and car seats as well. NoJo continued to create new and innovative products as the industry demands grew.

Even as growth and success found their way to our company, it was time to look at new categories of business once again and the NoJo Black and White for Baby was born. We were fortunate to introduce a bedding group, "Puppy Love", that met with great success. It was the first of its kind in the bedding business and led NoJo into a toy line and tremendous success of the Black and White Baby's First Photo Album.

I am very proud of the brand recognition NoJo created over the years. We had the Paddington Bear license but still managed to build a brand of bedding and accessories at the same time. It was done by design awareness. We did not have a big advertising or marketing budget. It's the little things that count to build consumer loyalty. For example, we embroidered our name on every comforter so Moms had to notice the name and take pride in it. We worked hard to create programs for major retailers that no one else had done. The last project I worked on while at NoJo was to look at what retailers call a basics program and expand it and add our sense of fashion. After all, isn't that what Martha Stewart did for Kmart?

It is all about change and that is what NoJo did everyday. We didn't fight it, we embraced it. Isn't that what makes a successful company?

Probably the one thing that helped me the most in my own personal career was my involvement with the Juvenile Product Manufacturers Associations (JPMA). I started out as a board member and then served as the Treasurer, Vice President, and eventually the President. The relationships that I made are not only life-long friendships, but it was also an excellent place for me to get valuable business advice from leaders of the biggest companies in our industry. I was very fortunate to have been part of the industry during years of dramatic growth. The impact this growth had on our trade shows and communication with members of the industry was challenging yet rewarding. The industry has come along way from my first trade show at One Fifth Avenue in New York City to the annual JPMA international trade show in Dallas where over 300 companies exhibit their products. So if I can offer any advice, it is to be open to change and innovation, don't compromise the quality of people or products, serve the customer well, be focused, stay involved with the industry, and always look at the big picture.

-Shirley Pepys