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May 26, 1988

New Clients for In-Home Shopping

By TRISH HALL
THE living room of the country-style apartment in the Chelsea
section of Manhattan was filled with a dozen women, mostly in
their 30's. In another era, they might have been gathered for
consciousness raising. But the women, most of them busy with
jobs and children, were there to shop: they were looking at
children's fashions sold by a new company, Clothes to Home.

Across town, at a party on the Upper East Side, several dozen

people milled around a living room and tasted ribs, shrimp,
chicken, pasta and cakes that were served from trays decorated
with lilac blooms. They were trying the offerings from a new
company called Sundborn Ltd. that delivers high-quality frozen
foods to the home.

The idea of taking products directly to customers is not new.

Avon, Tupperware and Mary Kay, to name just a few, became
very successful that way. But the selling technique seems to be
increasingly popular among companies that cater to affluent
professionals who do not want to spend the time it takes to go to
stores. Buying products at parties gives them the opportunity
both to shop and to socialize, and to touch the merchandise
rather than just look at catalogues. Many parties are held in
homes, but some are now being held in work places, to make
shopping even more convenient.
Sales made directly to consumers, after being flat for six years,
rose 3 percent last year, to $8.62 billion, and are expected to rise
6 percent this year, according to Neil H. Offen, the president of
the Direct Selling Association in Washington, the trade group for
the direct sales companies. ''The convenience element is there,''
he said, ''and it is becoming more real as people place more
emphasis on time.'' He maintains that shoppers are frustrated
with the lack of competent sales help in traditional retail stores
and that shopping parties are more informative.

''I think the buyer now is more affluent and more educated,'' Mr.
Offen said. Some of the hottest products being sold in homes, he
said, are water filters and educational toys.

While these parties may take as much time as any shopping

expedition, they provide an added benefit: fun. ''A lot of mothers
probably appreciate the night out, as much as anything,'' said
Cathy Wolf, who attended the party given to sell children's
clothes. Ms. Wolf, who has two children and works at Sports
Illustrated, was invited by a colleague. She liked the idea, she
said, because it gave her a chance to touch the clothes.

Bailey Gendron, who also works at Sports Illustrated, said she

attended the party because her 1-year-old son didn't like to shop.
''He hates being in a stroller if it's not moving,'' she said.

Clothes to Home was started last year by Cindy Brown and

Margot Ravon, working mothers who found that hurried
shopping in crowded stores with small children was no pleasure.
Both women wanted to leave their jobs so they could have more
control over their own work and more time with their children.
But not too much time. ''It's too boring just to be home,'' said Ms.
Brown, who used to produce television commercials and has a 2-
year-old son. Ms. Ravon, who previously worked as an art dealer,
has children age 2 and 6.

The company, which sells in New York, New Jersey and

Connecticut and can be reached at 212-713-0055, carries clothing
for children age 18 months through 6 years produced by about 10
manufacturers. The owners said it became profitable last fall,
after its first season. People who organize parties for the
company are given a credit of 10 percent of the sales toward their
own purchases.

As Ms. Ravon displayed each item at the party in Chelsea, she

explained why it had been selected. ''There's something about
this polished cotton,'' she said. ''It holds up so well with
washing.'' The clothes, which cost $8 to $50, are practical but
chic. When she showed a pair of gray seersucker pants, one
woman pronounced them ''very downtown.''

A miniskirt brought joking comments about the future of

hemlines for 3-year-olds. As the women sipped wine and passed
crackers topped with artichoke dip, they asked questions that a
retailer might not have time to answer, such as: ''Have you
discovered any way to get a 2-year-old boy to wear suspenders?''
(Answer: No, not if he doesn't want to.) Shopping with children
for their clothing can be vexing, but shopping for food in
supermarkets may be one of the least enjoyed consumer
activities. For that reason, and because there is a growing
interest in high-quality foods that can be prepared quickly in
microwave ovens, the man who brought the world Chipwich, an
ice cream sandwich, is now moving into a full line of convenience
foods.

Richard LaMotta, whose Chipwich was one of the first specialty

ice-cream novelties, started Sundborn last year with the idea of
selling food through catalogues, but introducing it to potential
customers at parties. The company is based in Secaucus, N.J.,
and is owned by Chipwich, a public company that is 49 percent
owned by Hexagon S.A., a Swedish conglomerate.

Mr. LaMotta said customers can call a toll-free number, 800-

422-2992, to order Sundborn food, which is delivered anywhere
in the United States in 12 hours or so. Thus far, the company is
giving the tasting parties only in New York, New Jersey and
Connecticut, but will expand the parties soon to other regions, he
said.

The company offers a full line of food items, all frozen, in

containers of dry ice. The entrees cost $4.95 for cassoulet to
$14.25 for bouillabaisse. Most chicken dishes are $5.75. Desserts
are from well-regarded bakers like David Glass.

Last week's party on the Upper East Side attracted potential

customers through a mailing that explained the company's
system. ''I thought it was a fabulous idea,'' said Stanley Thea,
who has a real-estate business in New York. Usually, he gets
takeout food or eats in restaurants, but he likes the idea of having
good frozen food. ''I'm recently widowed,'' he said, ''and I don't
really know how to cook. This is a wonderful crutch.''

The food gained reasonably good reviews from the tasters,

especially the barbecued ribs and the desserts. There were some
complaints about the pasta, a melange of fettuccine alfredo and
fettuccine with herbs.

''It should be one or the other, but not mixed,'' said Larry Lala, a
New York entrepreneur. ''You're talking about a sophisticated
group of people.'' Mr. Lala said he was interested in convenient
food because he currently orders takeout food from restaurants
about five times a week. ''I really don't like to spend my time
cooking,'' he said.

Mr. LaMotta has grand dreams for his company, which began
selling food last month. It is structured so that each sales
representative gets a cut of the proceeds of any other
representatives that he or she brings in. ''This is a residual
game,'' Mr. LaMotta said. ''That's called leverage. That's how you
make money in this life.''

His enthusiasm is echoed by his sales people, who describe

themselves as ''gourmet food consultants,'' or G.F.C.'s.
''The food sells itself,'' said Maris Brinkman, who lives in Upper
Saddle River, N.J. ''Friends of mine have bought the food and
had it sent to their vacation houses at the shore.''

Vera Bobo, who lives in the Bronx and works for the New York
State Mental Health Department, said she can sell the product
easily because it meets a desperate need: ''Everyone seems to
think there are a lot of good cooks around. Well, there aren't.''

If she is right about Sundborn, her future is rosy. ''I have great
visions of the future,'' she said, ''on the beach in Rio.''

photos of clients at shop-at-home parties (NYT/Barton

Silverman and Sara Krulwich) (pg. C6)
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