Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathy Daniels and Nancy Jones.
Kathy and Nancy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I applied for an assistant job in 1995 after having three children and wanting to go back to work full time. Within 18 mos. I started running the company for the owner, Nancy Jones who was just having her children. Back then, we distributed wedding dress preservation boxes to dry cleaners thru distributors. I began to add to our product line with 100% cotton garment bags and decided to take our company to the internet where home users could buy our products. We have grown from there. Because of our website, families not only can store items at home safely but we also began to expand our market to designers, academy award winning costume makers, movie stars, movie studios, socialites, historical societies, museums and many more. We have moved two times in the last 7 years to bigger warehouses. I feel our company kept up with the times and would have been left behind if had not evolved. The dry cleaning business as declined since the 1990’s.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It was a tough road from 1999-2007 as sales in the dry cleaning market declined and most of our competitors went out of business. We had to revise our inventory and product line so that we did not have to raise prices. We also started paying freight on minimum orders to our distributors in order to compete.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Foster-Stephens – what should we know?
Foster-Stephens is a family owned business started by Elmer Jones in 1936 and now owned by his daughter, Nancy. We are well known for our Keepsake line of wedding gown preservation boxes. The business started on the south side of Chicago and then moved north to Skokie for the next 40 years before moving to Elk Grove Village in 2009. We are very proud to have been around for 81 years in an ever changing market. What sets us apart is that small business feel with outstanding customer service but employees who stay with the company for a very long time.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Some of my best customers have been my cheerleaders. Their compliments, their awareness that I am always there for them has helped me rise up to another level. I personally check my work email as many hours as I am awake and will talk to my customers overseas in the evening. I hired my assistant, Liz O’Boyle back in 2003 and she has been a huge help to me. Before her, it was an ever changing business environment that I had to teach myself, including e-commerce and with the invention of social media, it became too much for one person to handle. It takes a team. Liz was able to evolve with the changing times and assist me.
Pricing:
- Archival muslin garment bags from $29.95-$54.95
- Personalize any bag, any color with embroidery for just $19.95
- Acid-Free boxes from $24.95 and up.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1555 Greenleaf Ave.
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 - Website: www.foster-stephens.com
- Phone: 800-279-8269
- Email: k.daniels@foster-stephens.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Foster-Stephens-Inc-302345665521/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kdpreserve
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/foster-stephens-elk-grove-village-2
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/kdpreserve/
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