WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Then: Founded by exercise physiologist Beth Hilpert, Round Rock, TX-based Mothers in Motion, a merchant of athletic apparel for expectant mothers, launched a 16-page print catalog in September 2000. The annual book mailed 50,000-60,000 copies and was profiled in our August 2001 issue.

Since then: At the height of its catalog business, Mothers in Motion dropped 500,000 books annually and had an average order size of $50 to $75. But it stopped producing a print catalog in November 2004, when it partnered with Jacques Moret, a New York-based manufacturer/marketer of bodywear and activewear for women. Hilpert says the partnership allows her company to focus on design and wholesaling rather than on inventories and cash-flow issues.

Now: Mothers in Motion's products are sold primarily on TV shopping network/online merchant QVC, though the line can also be found online at U.S. sites Fit Maternity, Breakout Bras, Two Roads Fitness, One Cool Mama, and Baby Center in the U.S. and U.K. site Active Mums. Hilpert says as its business on QVC grows, it will consider additional channels of distribution.