SIS - COVERING THE FUTON WORLD

Historical Perspective On fabric:

When fabric was made on hand looms the cut and sew business just didn't exist. Then in 1790 Samuel Slater (1768-1835), of Pawtucket, RI, built the first water driven, spinning mill in America. High quality fabric could now be made, by that time's standards, in huge quantities. New England became the epicenter of a new global era in textile manufacturing. Then in 1834 Walter Hunt designed the first working lock stitch sewing machine. Elias Howe, another American inventor, patented a similar machine in 1846. Then, in the late 1840's, Issac Merit Singer pulled together several sewing machine patents and put in place the first factory to mass produce his now famous machines. Large quantities of quality fabric, sewing machines to speed up production, and a growing population of consumers all contributed to the birth of the cut and sew industry. Hundreds of companies began to spring up to meet the growing demand for apparel and other products around the textile mills being built along the many small and large rivers all over the Northeast region of the country. Later on, home sewing became a very popular activity. Particularly during the fifties, as scaled down versions of the sewing machine made their way into the American home.

The year was 1986. "As stay at home moms with small children we were challenged to earn an income," said Shari Hammer, owner of SIS Futon Cover Enterprises. "My sister Cyndi and I decided to take our home sewing skills on the road and we started our company so we could stay home and raise our kids as well as prove to ourselves that we actually could do it," she said. Having started out making draperies, which required a large amount of measuring and time consuming visits to client's homes, the SISters quickly latched on to the futon concept. "We had never heard the word futon until we came into contact with Dave Feddick of Santo Eto Futon in Minneapolis," said Hammer. The more adventurous Cyndi pushed the more conservative Shari headlong into the futon cover business. With an eager customer in Feddick and a growing awareness of the scope of the possibilities for future growth through contacts with futon pioneers Sun Tui and Tilt Chair, as well as a look at FANA's (Futon Association of North America now Futon Association International) Futon News, the pair began to expand their horizons. "We were still working out of Cyndi's basement when she decided we were going to the 1987 Futon EXPO in Montreal.

I reluctantly went along," said Shari. The Expo was an eye opener for both sisters. "We went to the show with three great Richloom fabrics (Green Mist, California Cool, and Paradise Lost) and our hand painted line. In fact the Richloom rep offered us just those three designs, and we took them all," she said. Neither of the women fully realized the potential of the futon cover industry, nor did they really understand that their dynamic work ethic and eye for style would be the catalysts of their growth. "We really knew nothing about futon cover production schedules or business in general back then," said Hammer. What they did know was how to produce and quickly ship, via hard work and long hours, great futon and pillow covers on a shoestring ($2000) capital investment. "We saw a company called In-line at the Montreal show and we decided we wanted to compete with them and only manufacture the finest quality and pick the fabrics we liked best. We didn't realize it then but we knew how to pick winners," she said. Shari also added that their ability to deliver futon covers in several days during this time of dramatic growth was also a key to their success. First year sales were about five-hundred thousand dollars. Shari also added that some of their current customers still try to order those original three Richloom fabrics.

Growth came easily over the next two years. Several other keys to the success of SIS Covers can be noted here. First, their hand painted futon covers were super hot sellers and SIS made great hand painted covering. "We would roll out three sixty yard rolls of fabric across Cyndi's back yard and two of her neighbors yards and splatter paint everywhere. The sun would dry the paint and that was the next day's production," said Shari. Second, SIS always delivered high quality products, quickly, and thirdly the principals worked on the line every day and never took a salary for the first three years they were in business. I admire them for that. I did the same thing.

In 1988 SIS Futon Covers moved into, what seemed then, to be a huge 4000 square foot space. Now with ten to twelve employees and a hundred-or-so futon customers the company was really on the move. Joe Hammer, Shari's husband, who has a strong accounting and computer background, has always been the company's financial advisor and analyst. "I can remember designing the book keeping software and working on the books late into the night for several years," said Joe Hammer, who left his job with the Carlson Companies to come on full time with SIS in 1994.

When you make the commitment to deliver stock futon cover in three days and custom in two weeks, and never say no, you'd better be ready to have the people and finished goods inventory to back it up.