Laura Hescock
MaryJack founder puts art background to work
By Tanya K. Merritte -- Kids Today, 1/1/2010 12:00:00 AM
Who: Laura Hescock, founder, MaryJack Studios (www.maryjackstudios.com)
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| Honey is a gallery-wrapped canvas on a 2-inch-deep frame. It features hand-sewn sequin and bead embellishments. |
Background: Art has always been a part of Laura Hescock's life. She earned a fine arts degree in college and began teaching at an elementary school and private studio. When she decided to stay home with her two children, it was natural that art would continue to be a creative outlet for her. Now, six years later, Hescock has turned that outlet into a growing juvenile business.
Hescock said her initial collection was based on a blessing that she wrote for her children and wanted to illustrate. She began painting commissions and selling artwork through her own Web site, but soon realized she couldn't keep up with the demand.
“I decided that the best way to get my product out there was to sell directly to retailers,” she said. “I changed to a wholesale format, selling giclee reproductions to better meet the price point and quantities that retailers would demand.”
MaryJack Studios launched to the wholesale market at the 2006 ABC Kids Expo. The line — which retails between $115 and $155, depending on size — is sold though a variety of channels, including children's boutiques and furniture stores.
The Process: Hescock said teaching art to elementary school-age students was extremely helpful to her because she learned what colors and images kids were drawn to. As her own children have gotten older, she has tweaked some of her collections to best fit their current stages of life. Retailers also request certain themes, such as princess, ballerina and sports themes, which seem to be perennial favorites. She also gets requests for color schemes, such as the pink/brown and blue/brown combinations that have been popular the past few years. But whether the idea comes from her or her retailers, Hescock said she believes parents want their children to be surrounded by inspiring and creative environments. “I try to come up with something endearing,” she explained.
And while she misses being able to paint a piece and have it immediately ready to sell, she said moving to reproductions gives her time to develop more new pieces. “That is ultimately what makes me tick.”
Hescock's art is also a bit unusual in that many of the pieces feature hand-sewn embellishments and iridescent powder. “It sort of became our trademark,” she said.
But Hescock is quick to point out the embellishments don't overshadow her product. “I would hope that my collection is set apart by my actual artwork,” she said. “I never want to repeat something that has already been said, so to speak.”
The Challenges: Hescock said her biggest challenge has been balancing running the operations side of MaryJack Studios with the creative side. “I like that this is my business and in turn I have taken a very active role in all parts of running it, but sometimes that leaves little time for art,” she said. Her husband has recently come on board full-time to handle the operations side, which she said will free her to focus more on her artwork.
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| Hescock has shifted her target audience to older children as her own have started to grow up. |
As with many juvenile companies, the economy has affected MaryJack Studios, with Hescock noting that her smaller retailers have been hit the hardest. “It is a Catch-22 for all of us. A lower wholesale price is possible with higher volume, but with the economy keeping sales volumes low, it is hard to make the numbers work for both retailers and manufacturers.”
Hescock has considered expanding into other categories, but said “(I) continue to come back to the notion that I need to stick to what I am good at for right now.”
While moving into new categories is off the table now, Hescock said does plan to introduce collections that will appeal to a wider age range. She said her core market seems to be birth to age 5, and she's looking to broaden to the tween market. That means paintings in brighter colors such as hot pink, turquoise and fuchsia, non-embellished pieces for boys and images that older kids will be drawn to.
Other introductions on the horizon include a new Web site that will make it easier for retailers to navigate and a new collection featuring more media and texture that could launch early in the second quarter of 2010.
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