WHILE VACATIONING in San Francisco with a friend, Patricia Harrison found a wall sconce she just had to have. After discovering the retailer did not know how to ship to Canada, Harrison tried tracking the piece down though the supplier who would not budge on his minimum order. Instead, Harrison decided to go into business on her own and started the Vancouver based company.
Six years later, BroCars has just launched a U.S. division of the Canadian gardening company Harrison named after her children - daughter Brogan and son Carson.
"It was suggested that I name the company after something I love," Harrison said. "Hence, a little bit of both of them."
BroCars' product line has been described as fresh, up-to-the-minute and sexy, all adjectives you don't hear often in the garden business. Its 400-SKU product line consists of everything from ceramic planters created by Hungarian artists to unbreakable Crackpots, called perfect orchid pots with their multiple holes for aeration and whimsical style in eight modern resin colorations.
The Garden Utility line offers contemporary styling for garden pieces with resin birdframes for perching and Diablo rainwater catchers made from molded resin in sleek happy shapes in shades of orange, avocado and white.
Harrison has had no formal training in product design or manufacturing and is self-taught with her design inspiration coming from the gardens of Vancouver. Harrison said only 30% of BroCars creations come from industry trends; the rest come from collaborating with their designers.
"Gardening has become fashionable and sexy," Harrison said. "We work to create needed and functional pieces that add to a fun and pleasurable lifestyle. One of our designers gets his inspiration from having watched his father garden using the traditional styled gardening objects in Bangkok. He says, 'no offense to my father but it bores me to tears.' The inspiration moved forward from there."
Harrison says the most interesting experiences in her business are the traveling for her buying trips. "We've stayed at The English Patient castle in Hungary, flew to Corregidor Island from Manila with the Canadian Helicopters Captains and experienced the most extrodinary hospitality from the commander in chief and crime prevention specialist from the coolest precinct in Manhattan."
Harrison said having the right amount of inventory is the biggest business obstacle for BroCars.
"You can never predict the huge response to our new products that have just launched," she said.
BroCars showcases the product line at Canada's largest gift show, The Canadian Gift and Tableware Association, in Toronto twice a year as well as the New York Gift Show, the Atlanta Market and The National Hardware Show in Las Vegas. They have 6 corporate employees, a sales team of about 30 and are adding more to support the U.S. market.
Garden Décor - October/November 2005
By Kara Cox
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