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| "Sterling Pear co-founders Heather Hadfield Dietrich & Janet Hayden" |
We designed two ornament storage solutions that were unlike any
others on the current market. Both were luxurious and sophisticated,
something fitting to hold the treasures of one's collection of precious
heirloom ornaments and collectibles - almost like big jewelry boxes!
We knew we had something special and we decided to focus solely on
these boxes since we didn't have the initial time and resources to roll out the
whole ornament "kit" at the same time.
We launched with our Keepsake Ornament Storage Chest and a few
other Christmas decorating products. Now, each year we've been adding
more products with an emphasis on ingenious design and sophistication.
Heather and I became friends back in the mid-1990's when we were
both living and working in Washington, DC as young adults. I was a few
years out of college and had my first "real" job working in corporate
fundraising for a national environmental federation. Heather had just
returned from four years of working in Seoul, South Korea where she hosted a
national radio show and also taught English as a second language. She was
working part-time in a retail shop while she was deciding where to live and
finish her degree.
One day I happened to be a customer in the shop where Heather
worked. While ringing me up at the register we made small talk about the
store and we realized that we had a connection - my ex-boyfriend was friends
with one of her colleagues. Heather was so genuine and friendly that I
knew instantly that we'd be friends. We exchanged phone numbers and ended
up getting together the very next day.
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| "Heather & Janet at the Presidential Inaugural Ball, January 20, 1997" |
Ten years later Heather relocated to the Philadelphia area and I
had moved to New York City. I had been working in various jobs in PR,
marketing, banking and was currently a personal assistant to the Chairman of a
NYC commercial real estate firm. I had the specific goal of starting a
business of my own but struggled with what type of business it would be.
I attended many start-up business classes on the side, and was soaking up
everything entrepreneurial I could. Heather was a new Mom and was trying
to find a balance of being a stay-at-home mom after an industrious career in
marketing and corporate event planning.
One weekend I visited Heather in Philadelphia to see her new home
and spend time with her baby. She told me about a business idea she had
involving Christmas ornament kits. I loved her idea and I loved the idea
of working with her! I knew her work ethic and I knew she was someone I could
trust! At that moment, we made the decision to go into business together
and it was a natural fit. I returned to New York with a decision to make
it happen. There was no stopping us!
Since then we've made a few mistakes and even had our share of setbacks.
We were on the brink of quitting numerous times. But each time, one
of us would always stay positive and pull the other out of the dumps, providing
encouragement that we could succeed.
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| "Keepsake Storage Chests" |
And I guess you can say.... The rest is history!
by Janet Hayden
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