New accent rugs For Mercy's Sake

By Cecile B. Corral -- Home Textiles Today, 4/8/2002 12:00:00 AM

AUSTIN, TX —

The custom-painted juvenile furniture online store known as For Mercy's Sake Inc. has partnered with its first licensee to produce a line of accent rugs.

After completing a test run of cross-merchandising their products together, For Mercy's Sake and Dallas-based rug wholesaler Kid At Heart Designs have joined forces to produce and market a collection of 100 percent hand-hooked wool rugs from China.

Hillary James, president and co-owner with her mother, Cindy Blewitt of For Mercy's Sake, creates all the designs they paint on their furniture for children's bedrooms.

"This is the first time we have gone into soft goods, and it's always been a goal for us because it's a natural extension of our goods," Blewitt, vp, told Home Textiles Today. "Our ultimate goal is to license Hillary's designs for all kinds of home products."

Blewitt explained that ever since the company launched online as www.mercysake.com in 1997, customers have asked for more coordinated and related products, particularly bedding and wall paper.

"We don't want to get into manufacturing all these things, we'd rather license it out and partner with someone who already has that expertise," Blewitt explained.

Stacy Noordhoff, president of Kid At Heart Designs, said her company's collection of For Mercy's Sake rugs will launch with 12 of James' patterns, ranging from a 36" x 36" for $112 through a 36" x 42" for $140.

"Her designs are bright and colorful and feature graphic details that are appealing to kids and parents," Noordhoff said.

The two companies first learned of each other four years ago when Blewitt and James visited the JPMA show and came across the Kid At Heart Designs booth.