THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 3, 1995 TAG: 9503020181
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JO-ANN CLEGG, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
``I ALWAYS FELT that I was an idea person,'' Brenda Lies (rhymes with keys) said as she sat in her small Shore Drive condo surrounded by dolls, kids' clothes and lots and lots of hats.
``This all started when I wrote a book to help children express their feelings,'' the former owner of a drop-in day care center said. ``It was a touch and feel book,'' she explained.
The little book progressed into dolls and then to children's clothes and hats that coordinated with the dolls.
Somewhere along the line, Lies found a material named ``Feel So Soft.'' That's when the real story began, the one that ended up with Lies selling 800 Kon-vert-Able hats in well under five minutes on QVC, the cable TV shopping channel.
That was the number that Lies had available for immediate delivery when the star product of her Feelings Inc. company was featured as one of Virginia's 20 best kept secrets on a QVC live national broadcast a couple of Saturday afternoons ago.
As a result of the show, Lies has back orders for about 1,000 more of the soft hats that pack like a dream and can instantly change in looks from something vaguely reminiscent of an Egyptian queen to a classic skimmer with turned up brim.
There are at least eight different looks, Lies says, not including what the wearer can do by adding the bow that's included with the hat or dressing it up with pins or clips of her own.
The secret of the hat, according to Lies, is in the fabric. `` `Feel So Soft' is Velcro compatible,'' she explained. The single piece of Velcro that's on the hat will adhere to any place else on the hat that the wearer wants it, thus giving it all sorts of shape and size possibilities.
In addition, the hat's brim has an interlining that allows the wearer to mold it to just about any position desired. And there's always the option of adding a pin or decorating the hat with anything that has a standard Velcro backing.
The Kon-vert-Able-Hat is the brain child of Lies and business associate Lee Smith Conduff.
At $22 to $26, depending on fabric, it is selling like the proverbial hot cakes not just on QVC, but in local specialty shops like Elle, Hang-Ups and Sisters as well.
It's even become a favorite with the models who have worn it in fashion shows, including the hostess on QVC.
``She tried it on all different ways,'' Lies said, ``and just loved it.'' The whole QVC experience with a pleasant one for Lies and those who accompanied her to the Williamsburg broadcast which was part of ``QVC's Quest for America's Best - The 50 In 50 Tour.'' The special promotion currently has the shopping show's staff on the road highlighting the best new products from each of the 50 states.
Back in December the Kon-vert-Able people had joined about 250 other hopefuls for a qualifying round in Richmond. ``We all wore our own hats,'' Lies said ``and we were the last (new product) that they looked at.''
The QVC buyer tried on a walnut colored hat. Like others, she loved it.
``They told us we'd hear in two to three weeks whether we were accepted for the show,'' Lies said. By the time they got the word, they had less than eight weeks to get the 800 needed for the show completed. That meant a lot of scurrying around during the holiday season getting the jobbers who make the hats busy, but they met the deadline.
There's still a lot of scurrying to be done. First of all, there are those 1,000 back orders to get out.
And then there's the marketing. The QVC exposure was great, but regular orders from shops and individuals are needed to keep any business going. And there are also those dolls and children's clothes which Lies hopes to get into stores.
Her advice to others with a product to sell?
``Be determined. Don't give up on your dreams,'' she said as she adjusted the brim of one of her Kon-vert-Ables to just the right angle to flatter a potential customer's face. MEMO: For more information on Kon-vert-Ables, call Brenda Lies at 363-9585.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by JO-ANN CLEGG
Brenda Lies models one of her Kon-vert-Able hats, which can be
shaped at least eight different ways. The secret of the hat is an
interlined brim and a soft fabric that clings to a single strip of
Velcro.
by CNB