When Vickie Hutchins and Jo Ann Martin met over their backyard fences in Delaware, Ohio 16 years ago, they had no idea their mutual love for country decorating and antiques would spawn a multi-million dollar mail-order catalog and book publishing business.
What started on their kitchen tables in 1984 as an idea for a 12-page catalog with 50 items is now Gooseberry Patch (the idea for the company name came from Vickie's son Matt, who shouted out "Gooseberries" during a family brainstorming session). Today Gooseberry Patch has emerged as a thriving mail-order business with three separate divisions -- retail catalog, wholesale and book publishing. Gooseberry Patch now features more than 400 items and mails 5 million catalogs annually, with sales expected to reach $9 million this year. And the company is continuing to follow a pattern of controlled growth...by nearly 30 percent annually!
"When Vickie and I founded Gooseberry Patch 16 years ago, mail-order was a fairly new aspect in the retail market," says Jo Ann. "We thought starting a catalog business would be the perfect way to work from home and still spend time with our young children. We 'learned the ropes' as we went along, creating a niche which has enabled us to stand out from the hundreds of other retail catalogs available in today’s market."
In 1992, the two long-time friends and small town neighbors began publishing an exclusive line of cookbooks overflowing with delicious recipes, easy how-to hints and magical family memories -- many of which are submitted by our very loyal customers. Our first cookbook, Old-Fashioned Country Christmas, is in its ninth printing and has sold more than 400,000 copies to date. The series now features 22 hardcover cookbooks and two "Best of Gooseberry Patch" coffee table editions. Several new cookbooks are scheduled for release throughout 2000.
"Gooseberry Patch is all about sharing," Vickie says. "Our friends from around the country send us their memories along with their favorite tried-and-true recipes. Remember Sunday dinner at Grandma's house and her favorite recipe for Buttery Mashed Potatoes? There’s something very special about having your treasured recipe selected for one of our cookbooks and seeing your name in print!"
Continuing in the homespun tradition that is Gooseberry Patch, Jo Ann & Vickie unveiled a new line of softcover books in 1996. The Country Friends® Collection is a charming, continuing series of hand-drawn books designed with warm friendships and plenty of smiles in mind. Each book is filled to the brim with a medley of fresh recipes, easy-to-make craft ideas and thrifty tips, served up by three distinctly different country friends -- Kate, Holly and Mary Elizabeth. In 1998, the circle of friends grew by two with the addition of Vickie & Jo Ann’s caricatures. The series currently includes 26 titles, with more on the way in 2000!
"What I love most about the Country Friends® is they're so much fun," says Vickie. "As their personalities developed, Jo Ann and I wanted to join them because we found we were all so much alike... we love to decorate, garden, create crafts and cook! Kate, Holly & Mary Elizabeth are the best friends we'd all like to have."
The rest of the world is just now learning what our loyal customers and friends have known for many years. Gooseberry Patch has been featured nationally in Forbes and Business Week, locally in Columbus C.E.O. Magazine and on the cover of The Columbus Dispatch Business Today, as well as in a column appearing in numerous daily publications across North America by syndicated writer Jane Applegate. But it doesn’t stop there. Items from "A Country Store In Your Mailbox," the Gooseberry Patch catalog, are regularly featured in Country Home, Victoria and McCall’s, as well as many other publications. Trend analyst Faith Popcorn even cites Vickie & Jo Ann in her 1996 book "Clicking" as two entrepreneurs who understand what it takes to create a successful business.
Jo Ann & Vickie were recognized in 1995 as The Columbus and Central Ohio Retail Entrepreneurs of The Year by Ernst & Young, Merrill Lynch and Inc. Magazine. Gooseberry Patch was also selected by Business First in 1997 as one of the "Fast 50" among Ohio’s emerging businesses. In 1998, Business First ranked Gooseberry Patch 13th on its list of the top 25 greater Columbus women-owned businesses. In 2000, the National Association of Women Business Owners recognized Vicke & Jo Ann as top business owners.
"The experts said retail catalog couldn’t be done anymore, but we’ve proven them otherwise," Jo Ann says. "The future looks very bright for Gooseberry Patch. While we have grown considerably since our early days, Vickie and I both agree our philosophy remains unchanged. We continue to offer our customers outstanding products, reasonable prices and impeccable service...all in true 'Gooseberry' fashion."
For more information, please contact the Public Relations and Marketing Manager
(800) 854-6673
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