MARKETPLACE: Jumping in feet first
Entrepreneur finds her sole mate: enclosed-foot pajamas for grown-ups
By CHRIS JONESGAMING WIRE
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 A craving for toasty toes inspired Valerie Bent to launch Big Feet Pajama Co., a company selling one-piece, enclosed-foot pajamas for adults.Photo by Clint Karlsen. |
But they're exactly what opened doors for Las Vegas entrepreneur Valerie Bent.
The 36-year-old is president of Big Feet Pajama Co., a small local business launched late last year.
Despite its newcomer status, Big Feet quickly made a splash with Hollywood stars and some of the nation's largest media publications.
And it's all because its founder prefers to keep her toes toasty through the night.
Big Feet's claim to fame is something most adults haven't worn in years: one-piece, enclosed-foot pajamas complete with breathable rubber soles.
Long favored by parents of infants and toddlers, Bent unearthed the sleepwear's surprisingly strong demand among adults.
Those sporting Big Feet might surprise you.
Less than two weeks ago, Bent fielded a call from a planner of the annual "Tinseltown to Gotham" party, a pre-Academy Awards bash at the Regent Beverly Wilshire hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Approximately 40 Hollywood stars were slated to attend, including Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, George Clooney and Don Cheadle.
At the party planner's request, Big Feet Pajamas were added to guests' "goodie bags," which reportedly included plasma television sets and diamond necklaces.
"We were thrilled, obviously, but I asked, 'Why would you want us?'" Bent recalled asking the planner. "She said what celebrities normally like is the fun, unique stuff they've never seen before, and that's where we fit in."
Bent's business was literally inspired by her own cold feet.
A self-described restless sleeper, she often wore several pairs of socks to bed each night, only to kick them off before awakening in the morning.
Thinking back to the enclosed-foot pajamas she wore as a child, Bent scoured the Internet seeking an adult-size pair.
Finding none, she asked friends where to track down such pajamas. They didn't know either, but several said they'd be interested should she find some. So Bent decided to make her own.
In December 2004, Bent began studying fabric samples. A pattern-maker and seamstress were soon hired -- "I don't know how to sew a button on a shirt," Bent said -- which produced 35 samples showcased at February 2005's Men's Apparel Guild in California trade show in Las Vegas.
Encouraged by the response at MAGIC, including requests to make the pajamas unisex, Bent hired a manufacturer in China. Her first shipments arrived late last summer, and she began mailing products to customers who placed advance orders online.
Janet Prior of The Pajama Co., an online retailer based in New Canaan, Conn., said her business struggles to keep Big Feet products in stock.
"Our customers just love these PJ's," said Prior, who forwarded two recent customer e-mails that spoke favorably of Big Feet.
Prior added that her own daughters wear Big Feet, "And I have to wash them immediately so they can wear them again each night."
Big Feet sells 21 pajama styles and colors. Fabrics include cotton flannel and jersey knit fabrics ($40), micro polar fleece ($45) and cashmere ($120).
Sizes range from extra-small to extra-large. Bent hopes to add pairs with fold-down "butt flaps" this fall.
Thanks to numerous requests from parents, pajamas for kids age 5 through 12 are pending.
Big Feet Pajamas are sold in several boutique stores, mostly in the Northeast, Midwest and Canada. Eighty percent of its sales come from its Web site, www.bigfeetpjs.com, though less than 1 percent are shipped to local addresses.
"This isn't really a big pajama market," she said, referencing the Las Vegas Valley's warm climate.
Bent used less than $50,000 in personal savings to launch Big Feet. Within three months of its first sale, she'd recouped her startup costs.
The three-employee company remains profitable thanks primarily to word-of-mouth referrals.
"We sell it to lot of people in fraternities, sororities and dorms," Bent said. "They wear it once, and all of their friends have to have it."
Big Feet has enjoyed short articles in the New York Times and Time magazine, and Bent said Amazon.com representatives last week called to discuss selling her products on its Web site.
Despite her quick ascent, Bent said she's wary of growing her business too much, too soon.
"I've never really taken time to stop and smell the roses. I don't know that I want to try and conquer the world and be the Tommy Hilfiger of the pajama world," said Bent.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Mar-06-Mon-2006/business/6142760.html
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