Pottery Barn did it
So did The Company Store and Garnet Hill. And in late October, Design Within Reach joined their ranks: It too spun off a catalog selling products exclusively for youngsters.
San Francisco-based Design Within Reach, which sells modern home decor, bound children’s products spin-off DWRjax into copies of its November/December core catalog; it also mailed an undisclosed number as a stand-alone book. The DWRjax line ranges from the $39 Guardian Rechargeable Lantern to the $1,298 Nido Play Cave.
Spokeperson Erin Brown says the company launched the catalog based on research and focus group feedback. “We are certain that there is a definite need in the market for modern children’s furniture,” Brown says.
But is Design Within Reach too late in joining the crowded field? Not according to Glenda Shasho Jones, president of New York-based consultancy Shasho Jones Direct: “A market is only saturated when audience response to a category slips or there’s not enough business to go around. That doesn’t seem to be the case here.” What’s more, she says, by focusing on modern furnishings, DWR stands out from other home goods mailers.