Victorian Heart adds Joy Marie

By Marvin Lazaro -- Home Textiles Today, 5/14/2001 12:00:00 AM

HOLLISTER, MO — The whimsical country designs of Joy Marie Inc. will soon grace the products of Victorian Heart Co., Inc.

The manufacturer, based here, known for its quilts, pillows and shams, announced the signing of a licensing agreement with Joy Marie to produce a complete line of quilted bedding, quilted throws, shams, juvenile quilts and matching pillows.

Victorian Heart joins an already extensive family of licensees, which includes Goodwin Weavers for throws, pillows and hooked rugs; Riverdale for pillows; and Saturday Knight Ltd. for shower curtains.

"I like her artwork as it relates to the products we make," said Ken Kline, ceo, Victorian Heart. "It has a very fresh look.

"We want to bring a product to the market that is something people haven't seen. I don't want it to be just another name out there," he added.

When the color palette for the product is finalized, Kline said, it will reflect the feminine, soft look for which Marie is known.

All of the products will be handmade and sourced from China and India. Either 100 percent cotton or cotton with a polyester fill will make up most of the construction. Kline also said that he expected most of the products will carry price retail points below $99. Initial introductions for the line will highlight seasonal, holiday and decorative throws and juvenile-theme quilts and accessories.

"People have the same emotional connections with my art as they do with quilts, so we feel this is a natural extension of the Joy Marie brand," said Joy Marie. "Friendship, enjoyment of the simple things, and the comforts of home and family are themes inherent in my work. I see this partnership as having lots of room for growth."

The line will be previewed during the fall High Point Gift Show in September and the New York Home Textiles Show in October. It will be formally launched in January 2002 at the Atlanta and Dallas Gift Markets and, simultaneously, in Victorian Heart catalogs. Kline said he felt that the line was more suited for gift and smaller boutiques and some regional chains rather than national big-box retailers.