THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 19, 1995 TAG: 9504190024
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: ENTREPRENEUR
SOURCE: BY PAM STARR, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 107 lines
JIM MARX MAY HOLD the answer to the office lunch problem of how to look professional when toting last night's leftovers in a brown paper bag. Or, worse yet, your kid's old Little Mermaid lunch box.
How about designer lunch totes?
It was only a matter of time before someone came up with a way to capitalize on the bring-your-own-lunch-instead-of-eating-out trend that seems to be sweeping across yuppiedom.
Let's face it - lunch bags don't go with power suits and briefcases.
Thanks to Marx, a Bayside High graduate, you can hide your sandwich, fruit and drink in a re-usable, lined and insulated tote printed with wildlife, nature or flower patterns. The aptly named SAX line of designer totes is even politically correct. One of the patterns feature endangered species.
And the totes are hot, hot, hot. Marx, 28, and younger brother Brad, 24, can't fill orders fast enough from a 1,000-square-foot office in Shoreline Shoppes on Shore Drive.
Hundreds of small boutiques and department stores such as Nordstrom and Woodward & Lothrop sell out of the totes as quickly as they come in. Zoos and hospital gift shops across the country can't keep them in stock. The National Wildlife Federation sells the endangered species tote in its catalog.
Even The Disney Company is looking beyond the old standby lunch box. The Disney Company has also expressed interest in having Marx produce totes printed with its licensed cartoon characters.
Marx is a little shell-shocked at the sudden success of his SAX line. He owns In Touch Designs, a T-shirt screen printing company he started while attending the University of Virginia.
The 16-hour work days are finally paying off, but the self-effacing Marx is still pinching himself.
``I could not believe no one had thought of this,'' says Marx. ``Two years ago, when I came up with the idea, I was sure I would see it somewhere.''
The designer tote idea hit Marx after he saw professionals, his wife included, carry children-style lunch totes to work. There had to be a way to make those totes more appealing, he thought. Marx ordered a batch of plain blue nylon totes to see if he could screen print a design on them but found that screen printing doesn't work on nylon.
So he found some fabric, took it to a tailor shop in Norfolk and told the man he wanted 20 totes. That prototype gave Marx his first order two years ago - 100 dozen totes for a Midwestern chain called Meijer.
``I had no idea how I was going to fill that - I didn't even have a manufacturer yet,'' recalls Marx with a laugh, sweeping a hand through his close-cropped brown hair. ``I finally found a sewing place on 17th Street and stayed up till 3 a.m. every night, cutting fabric.''
The first year the SAX line only brought in about $10,000 in orders - $5,000 from Meijer. Last year Marx sold $40,000 worth of lunch totes with five independent sales representatives and started hawking the totes at trade shows and showrooms.
He also convinced Brad to become the sales manager and right-hand man. Quiet and soft-spoken Brad, a free-lance magazine writer, works about seven hours a day with his fast-talking and frenetic-paced brother. Their different styles complement each other, and the brothers freely admit to frequent bickering. But since they joined forces, the Marx brothers have struck gold.
They added 60 new sales reps and several showrooms and expect to sell $500,000 worth of totes by the end of the year. The totes retail for $10 to $12, and the larger ones sell for $16 to $20. Sentara Bayside's gift shop and Earth Friendly, among others in the area, keep the SAX line in stock.
``It's amazing - I'm completely surprised by it,'' says Jim Marx, who played lead guitar in a punk rock band while in high school. ``I needed that time to learn about the business. It's way, way harder than I ever realized.''
For instance, he went through 12 different manufacturing companies in two years. A few months ago, he found a Midwest company whose workers, all women, construct the totes in their homes.
``They have an amazing capacity,'' says Marx. ``And a very good price, too.''
Marx also didn't realize at first how complex the business would become. They have to order fabric by the rolls, and then funnel it to the workers through his mother, who lives in the Midwest. The little black SAX tags on the totes are produced at another company. If they run out of those tags, like they just did, shipments may be delayed.
The completed totes are sent back to Virginia Beach and stocked in the small inventory room. Thousands of colorful totes spill over the shelves, while the men fill the orders and ship them.
``We are looking for one person to do the shipping,'' admits Marx, grinning. ``No one knows it's just us two. We need more help.''
Marx isn't content to bank on the success of just these designer totes. He wants to get into licensing next and says he has a million ideas for products. He doesn't see himself shipping totes forever, but Marx is making sure that this venture has his complete devotion.
``I've looked back on other things I've done and wished I had pushed myself harder,'' says Marx. ``I refuse to let go of this. I don't want to look back on my life in 20 years and have regrets.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MOTOYA NAKAMURA/Staff
Jim Marx, right, and his brother, Brad, can't fill orders fast
enough from their Beach office.
Photo
MOTOYA NAKAMURA/Staff
In Touch Designs has introduced a line of designer lunch boxes that
feature everything from flowers to endangered species.
by CNB