Chinaberry: Reinventing the Wheel

“For me, growth isn’t an objective at all,” Ed Ruethling says; “it’s how growth is effected. I think of us as gardeners assisting a natural process, rather than commercial farmers.”

Although Ruethling says he’d still like the company to grow over time, significant long-term growth could be a challenge. “With some caution,” Swedlund observes, “both businesses can grow. The kids’ [Chinaberry] business is limited by the seasonality [of gift-giving]; the Isabella business is limited by the competitiveness of the categories, gifts, jewelry, books, etc. At Chinaberry’s size, it’s really a question of how well the company merchandises, how well it can attract new buyers and take share-of-wallet from others.”