Passion breeds success

Tori Swaim has been creating and designing ever since childhood. Growing up, she focused on oil painting and took lessons for about three years. She also took drawing lessons and attended several arts and crafts camps. Years later, she's parlayed that creativity into two successful juvenile manufacturing companies, New Arrivals and My Baby Sam.

Swaim's foray into the juvenile industry began with an idea she had for a box that would disguise plastic baby wipes containers. She developed her first product, Hide-A-Wipe boxes, and took it to the JPMA show in 1999, having officially launched New Arrivals the year before. The company's SKUs now number in the thousands and include items such as crib bedding, picture frames, wood letters, stools and other room décor items. The My Sam Baby line, which is made abroad, carries similar merchandise at lower price points.

New Arrivals, which hits mid to high price points, is sold through mid-tier to high-end boutiques, Web sites and catalogs. Swaim said My Baby Sam, which is sold in larger retailers such as JCPenney, was created to reach a different segment of the market. "We wanted to start a company that would serve a cost-conscious customer," she said. Swaim shows at the Atlanta and New York gift markets, JPMA and the ABC Expo.

The Process: Swaim says the urge to design can strike at anytime. "I usually start with sketches in the middle of the night or on a plane," she said. Swaim then sends her designs to her manufacturing plants to have a prototype developed. She says she tries not to move forward with production until she's gotten adequate feedback on the prototype.

Her inspiration comes from a myriad of sources, including magazines, home décor items, flea markets and other shopping outings. "I may be reading a magazine article about vintage post cards or see an interesting fabric," subjects that can influence her design.

Products in the New Arrivals and My Baby Sam portfolios have a vintage feel with soft or traditional colors, delicate floral fabrics and classic dot and stripe designs. "We definitely have a cottage, cozy, warm look," Swaim said.

Swaim adds that while it's tough to be completely original in the bedding and room décor field, she strives to design things that have their own style. "We try to make products that are different rather than copying other looks. For example, our hook racks look antique and vintage. We take (a product) and make it different."

Swaim said that a new line of picture frames and birth cloths that she plans to debut at the Atlanta gift show this month fits her design philosophy. "They go with our line of bedding," she said. "The burp cloths are made with fun, whimsical fabrics and ribbons."

The Challenges: Managing growth is one of the bigger obstacles facing her business, Swaim said.

"Growth is a great thing, but at the same time it can challenge a small company," she explained, citing challenges in managing cash flow, personnel, inventory control and production. To help remedy that, Swaim has leveraged debt to buy additional inventory to keep up with demand. They also are using other manufacturers to help with production. "This has enabled us to do a better job of keeping our more popular items in stock," Swaim said.

New Arrivals will debut new lines of frames and burp cloths at gift shows this month.