An Online Retailer's Journey Into Catalogs

However, Birch Lane wasn't without its challenges as it launched the new business last year. In addition to not knowing anything about the catalog business, a very aggressive timeline was put in place for Birch Lane's debut — concept to launch in seven months (September 2013 and March 2014, respectively). Add in the fact that Mahoney was leading a skeleton crew — less than 10 people, and that included buyers, creative, production and marketing — and the odds appeared stacked against Birch Lane.