Self-employment

Company helps modernize and preserve furniture with slipcovers

Entrepreneur finds a good fit

Everyone knows that the North American home décor industry is worth billions of dollars. “People spend a lot of money to make their homes look beautiful, and furniture can represent a major part of that investment,” entrepreneur Rose Phillips says.

ROGER PIERCE -- www.bizlaunch.ca
[ 2007-10-31 ]

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Rose Phillips keeps furniture beautiful with her custom slipcovers.

Called Slipcover Suite (www.slipcovercash.com), her company makes custom-fitted slipcovers for couches and chairs. Fabrics are supplied by the customer, so the company can truly design each slipcover to meet colour, fit and style expectations.

Phillips says her clients are people who want to update their home décor without buying new furniture, or folks who want a cover to protect their quality pieces.

“It’s a shame to discard a good piece of furniture because of a dated appearance or minor wear-and-tear,” Phillips says. “Slipcovers are an inexpensive way to breathe new life into sofas and chairs.”

Phillips says she started her business seven years ago because she wanted to be near her children by working from home. “I knew my passion was sewing and realized this business was a perfect fit for my desired lifestyle,” she says.


She launched her business by getting some free media publicity. “My local newspaper mentioned my company, which resulted in several orders,” she says. “Those first sales gave me the cash I needed to get the business rolling.”

Phillips says the best parts of self-employment include the chance to set her own schedule and the opportunity to express her creativity. “I just love designing and creating pieces that really please my customers,” she says.

Her future plans include running classes to teach people how to make slipcovers. Phillips is also writing a book about slipcover design that she hopes will be completed in January 2008.

Her advice to other people thinking about starting a business is clear. “Don’t expect customers to just start buying from you,” Phillips says. “You have to invest plenty of effort in marketing. Nothing sells itself.”



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