.mt6 .hm3 .h1Grayso Enterprise Ltd On tim right .h2Pag #. Exclusiv you state .h31023 words Copyrigh GE 1989 WHE NOTHIN BU TH BES WIL DO FELIN FURNITURE Writte an photographe b Jun Grayson Pit th poo pussie wit nothin t d al day No wonde the cla th drape an scratc th furnitur whil th peopl o th hous ar away. I thi i th wa you ca lives yo definitel hav disadvantage cat Yo nee "kitt klimbe" i th corne o you livin roo -o mayb severa o the scattere throughou you home. Lind an Dav Brinkma sa tha thei company th AMERICA CA EMPORIUM (A.C.E.) produce th ultimat i ca furniture The ar sellin i a fas a the ca mak it. Thei colo brochur illustrate mor tha sevent ca toy an furnitur design wher cat ca perch play an sleep. A.C.E i th larges o th si America ca furnitur companies Thei friend sometime refe t the a th owner o th larges "ca hous" i America. Humo aside cat mea mone i th ban t th Brinkmans Their busines ha grow mor tha 50 annuall sinc they started eigh year ago The expec t reac on millio gros yearl sale withi fe months. Th Brinkman mean t for onl "sidelin" business on tha Lind coul manag whil sh staye hom t rais thei childre an Dav ket hi ful-tim salarie jo. The kne thei marke befor committin themselves one o th firs rule fo busines success Dav ha spent fiftee year i the pe industry startin a teen-age cler i pe store Lind has bachelor' degre i hom economic an master' degre i nutrition Befor thei marriage sh worke a qualit contro specialis i multinationa foo compan tha make pe foo. Dav identifie a underserve marke nich qualit cat furniture "W though w coul desig bette produc an provid bette servic tha th othe companie alread i th field, Lind explains. The starte wit fou worker i smal factor i McHenry Illinois i 1980 Outgrowin tha plan i on year the move t 20,00 squar foo bar i Elburn Illinois wher the ha roo fo 1 employees. Withi tw year the grosse $100,00 an Dav ha t qui hi jo t hel Lind manag th business. Thei lates expansion Las yea the bough ou anothe pe supplie i Wisconsi an merge th tw businesse ito on factor i Cam Douglas Wisconsin. Thei smalles produc i $1.5 to wit bel insid of carpete cardboar box Thei larges piec o furnitur i a complicate climbin pos fou fee wid an si fee hig that retail fo $179 Natura bar-covere branche serv a uprigh support fo carpete perches tunnels an nests. Jane Hospodar th owne o th Genev Pe Depot Geneva Illinois ha four o thes bi climbers, a wel a man smalle variations i th brigh an air catter wher sh breed he champio America wir-haire cats "Cat ar jus lik people" Hospoda says "I the don' hav somethin t d the wil ge bored The lik t clim an claw Withou th ca furniture m cat woul b climbin th walls." Dav i th company' creativ designer Lind interpret hi design an maks the work Sh train th staf an supervise qualit control Dav buy th supplies The hav hands-o managemen styl fo ever ste o th business "Almos 97 o pe product ar no importe fro Taiwa an ar cheapl made, Lind observes "W produc custom handmad product s w hav t provid top-notc qualit an service." A.C.E i th onl compan makin rusti furniture They buy hardwoo tre branches i goo suppl i Wisconsi becaus th branche ar smalle tha thos use fo firewood Oak cherry maple and especiall birc branche mak attractiv designs The discar bug-infeste o rotte woo. The bu residentia grad carpetin mil end an sample i al color an price fro Georgi carpe factory Th amoun o carpetin i desig determine th fina price. Staple fro pneumati air-drive staplin gun tha delive 12 pound o pressur joi th differen components. "Yo don' realiz ho wel ou furnitur i pu togethe unti yo tr t tak i apart, Lind says. Tw full-tim truc driver i tw truck owne b A.C.. delive th finishe product t distributor a fa eas a Florid an a fa wes a th Rock Mountains. The d no sel directl t retai customers bu mos pe store eithe carr o ca orde thei products. The marke thei busines throug regiona manufacturers representative and trad show. "Fo th bi shows w clos th plan an tak th whol famil o vacation Wh d yo thin th majo sho i hel i Tampa Florida i th spring? Lind laughs. The us th "shoestring managemen style. "W alway operate o cas basis W bu ne equipmen whe w ca pa fo i i cash Tha wa w neve hav t spen mone servicin debt I fact th owne o th compan whic w bough las year sai h jus go tire o tryin t pa th interes o hi Smal Busines Administratio loan," Th futur look "purrfec" fo th America Ca Emporium "Thi i recession-proo business, Lind thinks "We starte durin th economi downtur o 198-198 an succeeded fro th start Whe peopl canno affor luxuriou vacation o expensiv hobbie the ca stil affor t hav cat." Demographic i als o th sid o ca suppliers. "Te year ago th pe distributio i th Unite State wa tw-third dog an on-thir cats No i i estimate t b 45 dog an 55 cat an stil shifting, Lind explains. "A mor wome work th percentag o cat ca onl increase Yo can' leav do a hom alon fo long Bu yo ca leav you ca alon fo a lon a thre day i yo have to, Lind says. A leas yo can i yor ca ca froli th tim awa o ca furnitur from th America Ca Emporiu. #####