Brockton, MA-based Specialty Catalog Corp., whose titles include wig catalogs Paula Young and Especially Yours, has been sold to Toronto-based private equity firm EdgeStone Capital Partners. Joseph Grabowski will remain CEO. New York-based investment bank Goldsmith Agio Helms represented Specialty Catalog in the sale.
According to its data card, Specialty Catalog’s two core titles target women ages 35-50 with a median household income of $40,000-$50,000. Especially Yours caters to black women, while Paula Young targets a white audience. In addition to its U.S. wigs books, Specialty Catalog markets its products under the Natural Image, Jacqueline, Paula Young, and HotHair brands in the U.K.
EdgeStone sees Specialty Catalog, and Especially Yours in particular, as a platform for growth, says Goldsmith Agio Helms principal David Solomon. It plans on “turbocharging” prospecting for the book, he says, as its primary competitors in the highly fragmented African-American wig market are mom-and-pop hair salons.