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When Wade and Karen Svicarovich purchased Kimlor Mills, in Orangeburg, South Carolina in 1994, the marketplace was very different from what it is today. The specialty sleep industry was still largely waterbeds and futons, with latex and memory foam mattresses just having been introduced into the marketplace. The major innerspring bed manufacturers were using some of the new materials along with traditional poly foam and quiltings to create extremely high profile luxury and ultra-luxury bedding. Consumers were having a very difficult time finding deep pocketed, high profile specialty bed products which created a distinct marketing opportunity (at the time) for companies such as Kimlor Mills.

ade Svicarovich brought to the company and to the marketplace his considerable background in the top-of-bed/textile field, having over thirty years experience with such companies as Spring Industries and Custom Designs. Karen (Maki) Svicarovich complemented her husband’s experience with a design knowledge that lead both of them to explore designs and product niches that other top-of-bed manufacturers would not explore.

Kimlor Mills is a family owned and operated business, with Wade, Karen and their two sons Matt and Jeff operating the business hands-on, day-to-day, having a close rapport with their employees, their suppliers and their customers. Ask a detailed question about any aspect of their business and one of these four family members will, most likely, be able to provide the answer. When you discuss business values with the Svicarovich family, you sense a commitment to quality, customer satisfaction, flexibility, creativity and performance. In discussing their business, the Svicarovichs are able to cite numerous examples of going the extra mile, selecting a creative path and even taking risks on behalf of their customers that more timid companies or larger, inflexible companies, would not take.

Today, Kimlor Mills is one of the few remaining textile companies in the United States. Wade Svicarovich notes that they are one of the few companies who will work as a partner with their customers, designing, producing and packaging complete bed packages. According to Svicarovich, “Kimlor is always adjusting and optimizing, based on our customers’ needs.” He states that the company’s quick response time is the hallmark of the company. Kimlor Mills offers a strong message about quality, consistency, breadth of design, working with their customers to meet their needs, on the customer’s timetable. In order to accomplish their mission, Kimlor maintains an expansive inventory, with over 7,000 SKUs warehoused in their 170,000 square foot plant in Orangeburg, SC. While this is a large inventory, Kimlor manages this inventory by keeping a tight control on which products move or don’t move, and working closely with their customers to anticipate their shipment and sales needs.

As stated above, the top-of-bed marketplace is very different today for Kimlor Mills than it was when the Svicarovichs first purchased the company. Karen informs BEDROOM Magazine that there is a very broad and diversified customer base, including big box stores, boutiques, department stores, specialty stores, catalog stores, catalogs and the internet. The modern marketplace blurs some of the traditional channels of distribution. For instance, the internet and catalog sales seem to work “hand and glove” and each of these markets tends to feed the other.

Recent changes in the marketplace include the closing of many U.S. textile firms (the most recent being Quaker Fabrics in Massachusetts) and the expansion of international marketing. These changes have brought about both a unique set of challenges and opportunities for top-of-bed retailers, as well as a business opportunity for Kimlor Mills being one of the few remaining textile finished goods producers in the United States. “With the emergence of the international marketplace for textile goods, we are able to perform a service for our customers,” says Wade Svicarovich. “We’re able to serve as a buffer between the retailer and the overseas raw goods manufacturer.” In order to understand how retailers benefit from Kimlor’s services, observers merely need to look at the mixed or poor quality of goods that can, in some cases, arrive from overseas. In more than one instance, product that we would treat as “seconds” in the United States have been shipped to retailers as first quality goods. Sometimes wrong patterns, incorrect quantities, poor sewing and poor quality of goods can be shipped to retailers from international suppliers. In these instances, the retailer’s only recourse is to deal directly with the overseas supplier, causing delay, loss of sales, possible loss of profit with no assurance of a resolution. Even though it is a considerable risk to Kimlor Mills, by handling all the overseas purchasing, inspection, quality control and delivery issues, Kimlor lifts those burdens from their retail customers. While it may cost the retailer a little more money, the benefit of reducing risk, having a steady source of supply and the saving in time and frustration has proven to be well worth the expense for many of Kimlor’s customers.

Kimlor Mills’ responsiveness extends to the area of product development and test marketing a design for a customer, manufacturing smaller quantities at the Orangeburg, SC plant and offering the test product at a lower price than a normal run. The Svicarovichs admit that there is a risk involved in this product development process. However, they rely upon their many years of product knowledge and consumer demand having more successes than failures. If a low quantity test product does well, then Kimlor will go to produce a full run quantity using overseas sources and container quantities and selling the product at normal market prices. The Svicarovichs note that this is an invaluable service to their customers, allowing retailers to work with Kimlor to develop new designs, patterns and product categories, to address the changing needs and wants of consumers.

Kimlor Mills could not achieve the unique role that they play for their retailers without their 170,000 square foot facilities. With the company mission in mind, the Svicarovichs have constructed a design, storage, assembly and distribution/shipping facility that allows them to manage both unique product development and custom response to retailers’ needs. Their facilities include sewing and assembly, storage of raw and finished goods, custom packaging and labeling, inventory control and order fulfillment and delivery. The plant is strategically located in Orangeburg, SC with easy access to Highway 26 and Route 95 in the southeast. Guardedly optimistic about the continued growth of the business, the Svicarovichs are expanding by adding a new building which can be used for additional storage, shipping and distribution.

Kimlor Bedding Ensembles

Over the years, Kimlor has developed and marketed countless bedding designs. The design categories have covered the full spectrum of outdoor lifestyle and western designs, tropical, safari and floral designs, as well as camo prints and primary colors. In other words, there is a design to suit every taste and décor. And Kimlor continues to design bedding to meet the demands of the public and to explore new designs for their customers. Under the trademarks RealTree™, Mossy Oak™, True Grit™, Blue Ridge Trading™ and Karin Maki™, Kimlor has introduced a wealth of designs, many of which include all the bedroom ensembles needed to create a pulled-together look. Besides comforter sets and sheets, many of the patterns are also available in accent pillows, slipcovers, daybed and futon ensembles, window treatments and bathroom accents, such as matching towels, robes and shower curtains and, of course, they come in bed-in-a-bag.

The prints and designs come in easy care Percale. Solids are available in flannel and satin, as well as the percale.

The popularity of their designs prompted the Kimlor design team to create a line of crib bedding, for the youngest member of the household. The crib bedding comes in pink striped “Sweet Heart”, yellow background “Flower Fields” and two camouflage designs from Mossy Oak and Advantage Max-4™, respectively. The crib bedding line spawned another line for the furry member of the family, aptly called Paw-Tex™ pet beds and couch and car protectors. This comfortable pet line not only protects furniture and car seats, but gives Fido a sense of place and a feeling of security. Fido’s cotton duck and microfiber bedding is easily washed, keeping it clean and fresh smelling. The car and couch protectors are an attractive and stable alternative to the “old blanket”.

Over the past fourteen years, Kimlor Mills has not only provided innovative, fun and unique top-of-bed products, but they have successfully met the needs of a broad range of retailers, large and small. Mattress, bedding and top-of-bed retailers who are looking for niche market products, creativity and, more importantly, for a company with whom to partner in the face of a complex international market, are invited to:

contact Jan Fogle at Kimlor Mills at

(800) 762-0007 or visit their website at

www.kimlor.com

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