How a Niche Title Grows

In 12 years of running his own catalog, Jarek Zaremba says he’s learned the importance of prioritization. “You cannot grow if you’re trying to do it all. We’ve had to take one step at a time and do each one right,” says Zaremba, president of the catalog Polart, Poland by Mail.

Born in Poland, Zaremba founded the catalog with his wife in 1990. In the beginning, the catalog was a simple brochure photocopied in the couple’s basement and mailed in a #10 envelope. Today, the four-color catalog averages 32 pages and is mailed to 750,000 customers and prospects each year. How the niche catalog got its footing is a story full of lessons for any growing cataloger.