Today 2JANE is the official North American home of such brands as Innermost, Mibo, DuffyLondon, Wallpaper-by-Numbers, and Emma Jeffs, 5 years ago I’d never even heard of these names…
When I attend the 100% Design Show in London in a few days I will also be marking the 5th year of 2JANE Co.
After a prolonged stay in London in 2003 and a glimpse into its unbelievably prolific designer maker/applied arts scene, I decided to begin importing otherwise unavailable products for the lighting and homewares industry.
When I think of each 1st meeting with a new designer I’m reminded of the great pains I went to to explain a business that didn’t really exist, and each designer’s willingness to hear me out! The birth of 2JANE is owed to 2 simple things: 1) My own ignorance re: the realities of business; 2) the kindness of the many designers who agreed to give an ex-magazine editor and fledgling businesswoman a chance.
By 2004, Beth Ferguson, an old friend and Harvard Business School graduate agreed to come on board as my partner to take over the numbers side of the business. She helped me realize that I needed to get more from each sale than just the warm and fuzzy feeling of having someone buy the products—I needed to grow the business financially in order to add more and future designers’ work to our collection.
And here we are today. We’ve worked with dozens of designers and have done our best to represent them in this market. We try to be as professional as possible, but our designer relationships are personal and so is our business. If all goes well this week, 2JANE will be adding a few more outstanding personalities to the mix of products and people!
Roxie Mae
(4.29 out of 5)
(4.00 out of 5)
