Tustin’s Belts By Simon, better known as B.B. Simon, knows how to bling up a belt.
The company does more than $13 million in yearly sales making belts with Swarovski crystals, Italian leather and clunky metal buckles for fashionistas and cowgirls who want everyday glam.
B.B. Simon doesn’t just stop there.
Inside its 20,000-square-foot factory in Tustin, B.B. Simon’s 65 workers make a whirlwind of personal and home products that are decorated with crystal, metal, stone and other materials.
B.B. Simon started out making upscale belts when it was born out of a 400-square-foot office in 1986. It’s since become a maker of handbags, shoes, mirrors, chandeliers, jewelry, cell phone cases and even dog collars.
The company’s sparkly products have attracted celebrities such as Christina Aguilera and Carrie Underwood. Both wear B.B. Simon belts.
“We’ve come a long way,” said Simon Tavassoli, B.B. Simon’s owner and designer.
The company’s products sell for $60 to $35,000. Tavassoli admits some are on the pricier side. Customers are paying for quality, he insisted.
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B.B. Simon belts: company’s products sell for $60 to $35,000 |
“When customers see the crystals and feel the leather, they understand what they’re getting,” Tavassoli said.
The company uses crystals from Austria. Its leather comes from Italy. Buckles are from Italy, Spain and Taiwan.
Sometimes B.B. Simon buys materials from local suppliers, according to Tavassoli. All of the products are designed, made and packaged in Orange County.
B.B. Simon uses two company trucks and contract carriers to ship products directly to stores in America, Europe, Japan and South Korea.
Stores that sell B.B. Simon products include Production Style in Los Angeles, which sells clothing and accessories to TV, film, music and stage production companies, and boutiques such as Apropos Boutique in Newport Beach’s Fashion Island, Via Moda of New York and Meringue in Oregon.
Tavassoli isn’t new to the belt business.
After moving to America from Iran in 1985, he worked for an uncle’s belt buckle distribution company in Los Angeles. He learned all about how belts were made, he said.
Tavassoli said he longed to start a business in the “land of opportunity.” He worked for his uncle for a year while he saved enough money to start his own belt business.
For him, starting a belt business seemed like the logical thing to do. Tavassoli said he always had a knack for art and style.
With the time he spent learning from his uncle, “It just seemed like the natural thing to do,” he said.
Starting the business was tough. Like other entrepreneurs, Tavassoli had to deal with limited money, experience and help.
He and his wife, Shery Tavassoli, worked 16-hour days just to get to where they are now, he said.
The business has been growing steadily every year, Tavassoli said.
The company is wrestling with the rising cost of fuel, labor, insurance and all of the other expenses that come with running a manufacturing business, Tavassoli said.
There’s also increased competition with overseas manufacturers making similar products, according to Tavassoli. He said he tries to design a few products every month so that he can stay ahead.
“There are way too many knockoffs out there,” Tavassoli said. “I’m determined to make this business grow.”
Tavassoli said he’s thought about passing down the business to his son and two daughters. But he said he’s also open to selling his company down the line.
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CoCaLo’s Lower: “We’re taking baby steps” |
Furniture Move
Costa Mesa’s CoCaLo Inc. is moving beyond baby blankets.
The company makes blankets, sheets, pillows, lampshades, mobiles and other nursery products under the CoCaLo Baby, Baby Martex and Osh Kosh Baby brand names.
Earlier this month, CoCaLo teamed with Illinois-based kids furniture maker Levels of Discovery LLC to make rockers, toy benches, tables, chairs and bookcases.
The furniture is set to be painted and decorated to match CoCaLo’s Sugar Plum and Alphabet Soup nursery collections, two of the company’s best selling lines, according to Renee Pepys Lowe, CoCaLo’s president and founder.
The furniture “really gives parents more options when they’re decorating their child’s nursery,” Lowe said.
The Alphabet Soup Rocker features a built-in “turn and learn” backrest with a rotating wheel that teaches kids alphabet letters and animal names.
The Alphabet Soup toy box bench includes a dry erase board so kids can practice writing.
The furniture is set to sell for $125 to $165 at independent stores that already carry CoCaLo and Levels of Discovery products.
CoCaLo, which employs 25 OC workers and is targeting more than $25 million in sales for 2007, sells its products at more than 500 stores.
It also sells online and at major retailers such as Burlington Coat Factory’s Baby Depot and Target.
The company has had its eyes on the furniture business for some time, Lowe said. CoCaLo wants to start out small by making furniture for its two biggest lines before coming out with more, she said.
“We’re taking baby steps,” Lowe said. “We have a strong concept but we want to stay focused.”
CoCaLo plans to come out with an upscale product line called CoCaLo Couture. The line is set to feature pillows, blankets and other nursery accessories and go for $299 and up.
Laptop Posh
Forget boring black canvas and nylon.
Anaheim’s Mobile Edge LLC has a new line of funky, kitschy laptop computer bags for trendsetters and retro art fans.
The Anaheim company makes laptop bags, backpacks, purses, briefcases, wallets and notebook sleeves with a stylish edge. It recently worked with Chicago designer Maddie Powers Inc. to make laptop bags with 1950s pinup flair.
Its “Cute Bug” and “Dig” lines include laptop bags with vintage pinup art, bright colors, crushed velvet and a decorative pair of red dice. The bags sell for less than $100.
Mobile Edge’s other products sell for $29 to more than $200 at stores such as Circuit City, CompUSA, Fry’s Electronics, Micro Center, Amazon.com, Buy.com and E-Bags.com.
The new bags are aimed at bringing in customers, spokesman Matthew Olivolo said. Think women and fashionistas.
Mobile Edge is trying to carve a niche by catering to female shoppers, Olivolo said. It makes faux crocodile skin totes and bags that come in shades of pink.
“We’re really focused on style because we want to appeal to all shoppers, particularly women,” he said.
Mobile Edge is trying to get them into department stores as well as electronics stores, Olivolo said.
The company, which operates out of a 40,000-square-foot headquarters in Anaheim’s industrial corridor along La Palma Avenue, makes its bags in Asia and uses outside carriers to ship them to stores.
The company is private and doesn’t disclose yearly sales. It employs about 40 workers and several independent sales representatives.
Founder G. David Cartwright is no stranger to the business. He helped start Anaheim’s Targus Inc.,a bigger rival of Mobile Edge,back in the 1980s. Targus has $500 million in yearly sales and also is making more fashionable bags.
Another Mobile Edge rival is Redondo Beach-based Kolobags.
Before the end of the year, Mobile Edge plans to redesign its Web site with added features such as video casts that help advertise products, Olivolo said.
