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Another example of Harrison’s devotion to her merchandise niche is Shades of Light’s establishment of its own product-testing lab and a full UL-certified assembly plant. This, she says, is to ensure that all product that leaves its distribution center is properly wired and safe.

The company also will alter products to allow customers to safely increase wattage when the original product design doesn’t allow for enough light; 30 to 50 percent of the products are customized — not an easy task, she says. “The UL book is a bear of a document, some 800 pages long, and in it are the measurements for how to calculate maximum wattages,” Harrison says. She sat down and figured out how to narrow the information to an easy-to-use chart, which is now posted on the company’s Web site (www.shadesoflight.com).