Tender Heart Treasures creates 90 percent of its own products—and considers this one of its competitive advantages.

By Alicia Orr Suman

Watanabe-Gerdes attributes much of the success of her business to developing its own unique, affordable giftware and home decor products. “We work hard to determine what the customer wants, then bring it to them at the best price for the greatest value.”

From Concept to Completion

Of the 600 new products Tender Heart Treasures introduces each year, more than 90 percent are created in-house. The company’s product design staff consists of buyers, designers, artists, woodworkers, seamstresses and a staff of assistants. The team, along with Mary DeGraeve, director of merchandising and product development, produces three product lines a year—spring, summer and fall/holiday—for each of the company’s two catalog titles.