Organized Living's 'catalog' business extends to sixth location

Discount Store News, Oct 5, 1998 by Mike Duff

CINCINNATI - Cataloger Organized Living recently opened its sixth store here- its easternmost unit.

The Lenexa, Kan.-based company also has stores in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, Kan.; the St. Louis suburb of Creve Coeur, Mo.; Scottsdale, Ariz.; Henderson, Nev.; and Las Vegas.

Organized Living is building a business based on one of the questions consumers ask most frequently today: What do I do with all of this stuff? According to United States Census Bureau figures, most Americans live in a dwelling with 5.5 rooms or fewer, and the No. 1 reason people designated for moving last was for more space.

In many homes, living rooms, family rooms, even kitchens are doing double duty today, often as home offices. While providing home storage products obviously is helpful to space-starved consumers, the hodgepodge available at most stores only offer a piecemeal solution to what can be a sweeping problem. Rather than finding more storage space in a room, consumers today often must tailor a room to storage considerations.

That's the market Organized Living targets.

The six-store chain is more than a place where consumers can pick up a few space-saving gadgets. The chain's associates are trained to help consumers design storage systems that help satisfy their particular home storage needs. Organized Living's slogan reflects the company's purpose: "Simplifying Busy Lives, One Room at a Time."

As the company's president and ceo Mark Ferrel has put it: "It is important to us that our customers feel they are coming to our stores not only for products, but also for our expertise."

Organized Living employees are trained to help customers learn organizational and storage solutions that best utilize the 21,000-sq.-ft. stores' 7,500 skus.

Employees are trained so they can help a consumer figure out the best way to solve a particular problem. And their training is an ongoing process, so that as new products and storage systems emerge on the market, associates get up to speed on their uses and applications.

The retailer also retains a staff of designers that meet with customers at the store and link available products into comprehensive organizational systems. Customers bring in the dimensions of the space they need arranged and a designer sketches out storage solutions that are set to fit the customer's needs. The designer also provides sketches of each wall so that the customer can judge if the available storage space in the design meets their needs. Design services are provided free of charge.

"At our stores, customers find practical solutions to organization problems, and our associates are trained to help, making the job seem less overwhelming and more fun," stated Laura Pfeifer, director of marketing.

The most common custom design projects are for home offices and laundry/utility room, including those that do and do not require the use of Organized Living custom cabinetry. The retailer also offers storage solutions for kitchens, playrooms, garages, workshops and basements.

Organized Living opened its first store in 1985 with a broad focus. The initial store sold storage and organizational products, as well as gifts, cards and party goods, which ultimately proved less of a customer draw than storage solutions.

The stores are stocked with large and small items designed to address storage problems of a wide range of dimensions. For instance, a magnetic paper towel holder that can be affixed to major appliances that might require quick cleanings, a door-hanging cap rack that can hold up to 20 lids in a configuration that won't distort their shape and a two-door shoe cabinet that can hold up to 18 pairs of men's or 24 pairs of women's shoes in a tilt out arrangement.

Many Organized Living offerings are variations on familiar products; the company offers a variety of wire rack and solid plastic products, but many are elab-orations of more common items. The familiar hat box, for instance, is available in plastic, and an oval laundry hamper consists of a frame supporting a laundry bag that can be lifted out when the wash has to be done.

While its stores are the most visible aspect of Organized Living's retail efforts, they constitute only part of the company's approach. Organized Living publishes several annual catalogs. Although each catalog can only cover a limited number of the products carried by Organized Living outlets, they are mailed about every two months and each features a different array of items.

Some are generated out of particular areas of the store, such as closet or home office, others are seasonal.

Seasonal themes include Back-to-School and products from that catalog include a trolley that resembles the familiar luggage tote treasured by flight attendants every. where. The item found in the Organized Living catalog, however is designed with a mesh body and a solid zip top for ease of handling items like books. Also offered is a wire wall unit with built-in CD rack for the stereo that is a must in every college habitation and even the old familiar storage chest, an item that does double duty just about wherever it is found, for storage within and as a coffee table without.