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The STO-A-WAY™ Mattress Foundation by
Seahawk Designs, Inc. Proves Popular with Consumers and Bedding
Retailers
By:
Dale T. Read Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Beginning
with this issue of BEDROOM Magazine, we are offering our retail
readers a new feature called the Publisher’s Interview. We will be
personally interviewing and presenting the comments from CEO’s or
General Managers of bedding products manufacturers or suppliers.
Over the past 12 years BEDROOM Magazine as a rule has not featured
metal or wood furniture and certainly not case goods. Our mission
has and will continue to be to educate sleep retailers on the sleep
experience with a focus on mattresses, sleep systems, what is inside
the bed and of course what is on top of the bed. However in recent
years with the emergence of European platform designs, ergonomic
research, and new sleep technologies, greater attention is being
focused on bed foundation or support systems. The STO-A-WAY
platform/storage drawer system is more than a stand alone piece of
furniture, it is in fact a new foundation system that affects the
entire base or support system for mattresses, as well a highly
efficient and convenient storage system. With this in mind we
welcome the opportunity to share our interview with William (Bill)
Jahn, President and CEO of Seahawk Designs, Inc.
BEDROOM Magazine:
“You started in the waterbed industry back in the early
1970’s right?
Bill Jahn:
“Yes I started out in the home furniture business in
1972 selling waterbeds at retail. However by 1976 I was
actually building waterbed furniture and did so for
eight years. In those days, the waterbed industry was a
very creative industry. We actually set the standards
for many of the products and features you see today in
the bedroom furnishings.”
BEDROOM Magazine:
“So how did you end up in the bedding foundation
business?”
Bill Jahn:
“Well, one very functional product at the time was the
six drawer storage pedestal placed under the waterbed.
This was an easy add-on to the waterbed sale, and it
seemed to accompany over 50% of all beds sales when
shown with the waterbed mattress.
BEDROOM Magazine:
“When did you actually establish Blackhawk Furniture?
Bill Jahn: I
started, Blackhawk Furniture in 1983, an oak bedroom
manufacturing company, which I owned and operated for
over twenty years. One of the many innovations that I
carried over from the early waterbed industry was the
six drawer storage pedestal, which became and remained
one of our biggest selling items.
BEDROOM Magazine:
You closed Blackhawk Furniture in 2004; how is the
transition going from Blackhawk to Seahawk Designs,
Inc.?
Bill Jahn:
Closing Blackhawk was difficult. It really affected so
many people from employees to retailers to customers.
Bringing Seahawk to life since its founding in 2002 has
been a challenge. In today’s market retailers and reps
are more cautious when they choose a supplier. I really
had to re-establish myself and my new company.
BEDROOM Magazine:
“So how did you do that?”
Bill Jahn:
“By focusing on quality product and making service our
number one priority. We’ve spent the last year and a
half developing new bedroom products with an emphasis on
storage and functionality. We’ve opened warehouses in
both California and Chicago, and we are developing cross
docking points throughout the country. Service remains
number one for us and for our customers.”
BEDROOM Magazine:
You introduced the STO-A-WAY at the Las Vegas this past
January; how was it received?”
Bill Jahn:
“It went really well for us. Having designed, built and
sold under bed storage for the last thirty years, I
really felt it would be well received by buyers. I just
did not foresee that a storage system that is a
foundation with drawers would appeal to retailers as
well as it did. The fact is we sold out in the first
three days of the show.”
BEDROOM Magazine:
“So are you concerned about supply...keeping up
with retailer demand?”
Bill Jahn: No
I spent the past year developing the product with two of
our factories in China…they are poised for growth. Today
we are in full production and are not only stocking our
warehouses here in the US, but also in China as well. We
intend to keep a steady flow of our product in
production to fill the increasing demands of our
retailers.
BEDROOM Magazine:
“Speaking of foreign manufacturing, what about the
question of knock offs and copycats? You do have a
patent on the STO-A-WAY, right?
Bill Jahn:“Absolutely, we secured a US patent on the STO-A-WAY,
and we will defend that patent very aggressively.”
BEDROOM Magazine:
So what has been the response to the STO-A-WAY on the
retail floor?”
Bill Jahn:
“It has been excellent. The STO-A-WAY, which is a
universal product has been designed to fit as a
foundation/storage unit under any mattress, and it is
being merchandized in several ways. It has been
successful with mattress sales ranging from $499. to
$2999.00…all with high profit margins for the retailer.
Consumers like it because they see it as a very cost
effective storage system working closely with their new
bed. The value of under the bed storage is not fully
understood. Let’s say that the average home costs
$150.00 per square foot. That means a consumer is paying
over $6,000 simply to house a king size bed. Now
increase the value of that space with a foundation
storage system under the mattress, and for a fraction of
the cost you now add an attractive foundation with
storage equivalent to a six-drawer dresser. That is real
value for the consumer.
BEDROOM Magazine:
“So how does a retailer interested in carrying your
foundation/storage STO-A-WAY contact you?
Bill Jahn:
It’s simple: phone us at 951-369-1400 or go to our
website,
www.seahawk.com .
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