LoveSac Alternative Furniture
03-14-2012, 01:24 PM
One summer day in 1995 a highly creative, overly impulsive, and un-dieingly determined 18-year-old thought to himself, "I want to take a beanbag and Oversize it." So he did.
The next challenge was how to shred enough foam to make 12,000 Sacs. Shredding it by hand was less than appealing and the old grain-grinder was clearly not up to the task—someone had already lost part of their thumb to the cause. LoveSac needed something with more power, but what? After visiting the farm country of Utah, looking for more of these small shredders, Shawn was shown a huge shredding machine called a Haybuster. Known for its ability to shred 2000 pound hay bales, it seemed a sensible solution to the problem. The LoveSac crew secured a loan backed by the Department of Agriculture, for the “farm” equipment, bought a full-size tractor to hook up to it and power it, and set out to find a warehouse to set up shop.
The first LoveSac warehouse was truly a piece of work. Paid for with a cash advance from one of Shawn's recently acquired credit cards, not only did it have the required leaky roof, the floor was so old the forklift fell right through it. It was LoveSac's first factory and it was going to be home for the next few months. The first matter of business was the Haybuster. It could shred hay bales but was no match for foam. When the foam wasn't flying out of the Haybuster it was jamming the blades. A makeshift lid was built, and a certain expertise was developed in loading foam into it with the forklift. Once it was successfully shredding foam everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief--and inhaled some serious tractor fumes. LoveSac began manufacturing the first of 12,000 Oversized Sacs on September 1, 2001.
The first day's goal was to complete 500 LoveSacs. After an eight hour shift, the group had completed a pathetic 30 pieces. With only a few weeks until the deadline LoveSac hired temporary laborers and instituted double shifts. Shawn and his friends worked right alongside the crew, sacking out at the factory between shifts. The struggle, sweat, and blood paid off. 25,000 pounds of furniture foam later, after countless cold mornings, and gallons of burnt tractor fuel, LoveSac completed the order on time.
At one point during production the largest foam warehouse in the country burned to the ground. The price of foam doubled. September 11th happened and the price of trucking doubled. Combined with the cost of labor, the warehouse, and the equipment, LoveSac barely broke even on the order. The company found itself clientless and penniless. Shawn was 24 years old, beaten, broken, and tired, not to mention $55,000 in credit card debt from building the factory. Plan B? Approach furniture retailers and see if they would carry the company's product. It's been said that Shawn can still hear the laughter--not one retailer took their Sacs seriously.
Thoreau once said, "Men are born to succeed, not fail." Plan C came from Shawn's cousin Tres: "Let's open retail stores." LoveSac approached The Gateway Mall in downtown Salt Lake City. It was close to the factory and promised to be an upscale shopping center. Mall management flatly turned the company down. A high-end mall was no place for an over-sized beanbag. Desperate to fill some empty retail space for the upcoming 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, The Gateway reluctantly offered LoveSac a three-month temporary lease. The store opened November 17, 2001 with the goal of selling one SuperSac a day. If they did so, Shawn and his cousin Tres could pay the rent and even pay themselves $5 an hour....this would mark Shawn's first real paycheck from LoveSac in three years.
As it turned out, one SuperSac a day was a terribly undersized goal. In no time the store was full of people hangin' out in the Sacs, wearing the clothes, and feeling the LoveSac Vibe. Customers lined up outside the door and waited for the factory to deliver their Sacs. Franchising offers came in from around the country. By Christmas Eve the store was devoid of Oversized Sacs, SacCessories, and LoveSac apparel. Making people's lives more comfortable had never felt so good.
Since then LoveSac has opened 70 stores across the country, closed many of them through various reorganizations and strategic shifts, and has about 20 open today…which are more profitable than ever! LoveSac has a strange underground following, having been featured on sets of numerous TV shows, in celebrity homes, and in movies. But having never used traditional advertising, it has grown by the merits of its products and brand, focused on delivering the ultimate in practical and unique media room and TV room furniture. LoveSac's entrepreneurial founder, Shawn D. Nelson, gained some notoriety winning $1,000,000 on national TV as the last man standing on Richard Branson's 2005 Fox reality TV hit, the Rebel Billionaire.
LoveSac is not just another furniture retailer, or brand of bland designs. Each core LoveSac product is a legitimate furniture invention, with patents to prove it. The “Sacs” that made LoveSac famous, put simply, are massively oversized bean bags filled with chopped Durafoam instead of styrene beads, and comes with a two-lifetime guarantee never to go flat, or break. The Durafoam is recycled from new sofa foam tailings, and is far more comfortable and resilient than bean bag beans—more like a gigantic pillow, than a stiff bean bag. LoveSac's latest invention, the Sactionals, is a cross between upholstery and Legos. With lifetime guaranteed wood frames upholstered in foam and fabric, Sactionals consist of 2 simple pieces, “Bases” and “Sides,” that can be combined in any quantity in any configuration imaginable to build any furniture desired—no tools necessary. Chairs, sofas, chaises, ottomans, and of course, limitless sectionals are possible using only these two pieces. Sactionals pieces' patented dimensional relationship allow for this uncanny and limitless modularity, where, even in strange configurations, like the “Twister,” the “Play Pen,” or the “Guest Rest,” all of the pieces line up perfectly, and snap together with ease using the simple, patented hardware included—much like Legos. Once connected they are rock solid. Sactionals inventor, Shawn D., believes that Sactionals will become, “The practical, ‘default' furniture for the American TV room. It just makes so much sense in so many ways.” he says about the washable, changeable, modular nature of this superbly comfortable furniture.
The best part about Sactionals is not just their amazing modularity, but the fact that they have totally machine-washable, changeable covers. These covers are tailor-fit, fastening underneath the pieces, allowing them to be invisibly removable, for a smooth, upholstered look—unlike cheap slip-cover sofas. Sactionals are reasonably priced. A Sactionals sofa (two Bases with four Sides—where Sides act as the back pieces also, and Bases include the seat and back cushions) retails for as little as $1,400 in Khaki. With more expensive covers added, furniture shoppers may choose to pay $2,500+ for the same sofa. Covers come ready to take home in many fabrics, from micro-fiber to cotton twill, with hundreds of other fabric choices available in just 3 weeks by custom order. LoveSac, like its products, is a one of a kind company—destined to become a truly legendary brand someday.
One West Flatiron Crossing Drive, Suite # 2142
Broomfield, CO 80021
(720) 887-1070
www.lovesac.com (http://www.lovesac.com)
One West Flatiron Crossing Drive, Broomfield, CO 80021
The next challenge was how to shred enough foam to make 12,000 Sacs. Shredding it by hand was less than appealing and the old grain-grinder was clearly not up to the task—someone had already lost part of their thumb to the cause. LoveSac needed something with more power, but what? After visiting the farm country of Utah, looking for more of these small shredders, Shawn was shown a huge shredding machine called a Haybuster. Known for its ability to shred 2000 pound hay bales, it seemed a sensible solution to the problem. The LoveSac crew secured a loan backed by the Department of Agriculture, for the “farm” equipment, bought a full-size tractor to hook up to it and power it, and set out to find a warehouse to set up shop.
The first LoveSac warehouse was truly a piece of work. Paid for with a cash advance from one of Shawn's recently acquired credit cards, not only did it have the required leaky roof, the floor was so old the forklift fell right through it. It was LoveSac's first factory and it was going to be home for the next few months. The first matter of business was the Haybuster. It could shred hay bales but was no match for foam. When the foam wasn't flying out of the Haybuster it was jamming the blades. A makeshift lid was built, and a certain expertise was developed in loading foam into it with the forklift. Once it was successfully shredding foam everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief--and inhaled some serious tractor fumes. LoveSac began manufacturing the first of 12,000 Oversized Sacs on September 1, 2001.
The first day's goal was to complete 500 LoveSacs. After an eight hour shift, the group had completed a pathetic 30 pieces. With only a few weeks until the deadline LoveSac hired temporary laborers and instituted double shifts. Shawn and his friends worked right alongside the crew, sacking out at the factory between shifts. The struggle, sweat, and blood paid off. 25,000 pounds of furniture foam later, after countless cold mornings, and gallons of burnt tractor fuel, LoveSac completed the order on time.
At one point during production the largest foam warehouse in the country burned to the ground. The price of foam doubled. September 11th happened and the price of trucking doubled. Combined with the cost of labor, the warehouse, and the equipment, LoveSac barely broke even on the order. The company found itself clientless and penniless. Shawn was 24 years old, beaten, broken, and tired, not to mention $55,000 in credit card debt from building the factory. Plan B? Approach furniture retailers and see if they would carry the company's product. It's been said that Shawn can still hear the laughter--not one retailer took their Sacs seriously.
Thoreau once said, "Men are born to succeed, not fail." Plan C came from Shawn's cousin Tres: "Let's open retail stores." LoveSac approached The Gateway Mall in downtown Salt Lake City. It was close to the factory and promised to be an upscale shopping center. Mall management flatly turned the company down. A high-end mall was no place for an over-sized beanbag. Desperate to fill some empty retail space for the upcoming 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, The Gateway reluctantly offered LoveSac a three-month temporary lease. The store opened November 17, 2001 with the goal of selling one SuperSac a day. If they did so, Shawn and his cousin Tres could pay the rent and even pay themselves $5 an hour....this would mark Shawn's first real paycheck from LoveSac in three years.
As it turned out, one SuperSac a day was a terribly undersized goal. In no time the store was full of people hangin' out in the Sacs, wearing the clothes, and feeling the LoveSac Vibe. Customers lined up outside the door and waited for the factory to deliver their Sacs. Franchising offers came in from around the country. By Christmas Eve the store was devoid of Oversized Sacs, SacCessories, and LoveSac apparel. Making people's lives more comfortable had never felt so good.
Since then LoveSac has opened 70 stores across the country, closed many of them through various reorganizations and strategic shifts, and has about 20 open today…which are more profitable than ever! LoveSac has a strange underground following, having been featured on sets of numerous TV shows, in celebrity homes, and in movies. But having never used traditional advertising, it has grown by the merits of its products and brand, focused on delivering the ultimate in practical and unique media room and TV room furniture. LoveSac's entrepreneurial founder, Shawn D. Nelson, gained some notoriety winning $1,000,000 on national TV as the last man standing on Richard Branson's 2005 Fox reality TV hit, the Rebel Billionaire.
LoveSac is not just another furniture retailer, or brand of bland designs. Each core LoveSac product is a legitimate furniture invention, with patents to prove it. The “Sacs” that made LoveSac famous, put simply, are massively oversized bean bags filled with chopped Durafoam instead of styrene beads, and comes with a two-lifetime guarantee never to go flat, or break. The Durafoam is recycled from new sofa foam tailings, and is far more comfortable and resilient than bean bag beans—more like a gigantic pillow, than a stiff bean bag. LoveSac's latest invention, the Sactionals, is a cross between upholstery and Legos. With lifetime guaranteed wood frames upholstered in foam and fabric, Sactionals consist of 2 simple pieces, “Bases” and “Sides,” that can be combined in any quantity in any configuration imaginable to build any furniture desired—no tools necessary. Chairs, sofas, chaises, ottomans, and of course, limitless sectionals are possible using only these two pieces. Sactionals pieces' patented dimensional relationship allow for this uncanny and limitless modularity, where, even in strange configurations, like the “Twister,” the “Play Pen,” or the “Guest Rest,” all of the pieces line up perfectly, and snap together with ease using the simple, patented hardware included—much like Legos. Once connected they are rock solid. Sactionals inventor, Shawn D., believes that Sactionals will become, “The practical, ‘default' furniture for the American TV room. It just makes so much sense in so many ways.” he says about the washable, changeable, modular nature of this superbly comfortable furniture.
The best part about Sactionals is not just their amazing modularity, but the fact that they have totally machine-washable, changeable covers. These covers are tailor-fit, fastening underneath the pieces, allowing them to be invisibly removable, for a smooth, upholstered look—unlike cheap slip-cover sofas. Sactionals are reasonably priced. A Sactionals sofa (two Bases with four Sides—where Sides act as the back pieces also, and Bases include the seat and back cushions) retails for as little as $1,400 in Khaki. With more expensive covers added, furniture shoppers may choose to pay $2,500+ for the same sofa. Covers come ready to take home in many fabrics, from micro-fiber to cotton twill, with hundreds of other fabric choices available in just 3 weeks by custom order. LoveSac, like its products, is a one of a kind company—destined to become a truly legendary brand someday.
One West Flatiron Crossing Drive, Suite # 2142
Broomfield, CO 80021
(720) 887-1070
www.lovesac.com (http://www.lovesac.com)
One West Flatiron Crossing Drive, Broomfield, CO 80021