A Firm Named Boom Boom Wiz
Few small business owners have gathered inspiration by living in a clay hut in the Sinai Desert or growing up in a remote Spanish village, but Hari Grebler and David Wakeam are not typical entrepreneurs.
In the past four years, this artistic duo has turned their love of whimsical doodles into a flourishing jewelry and accessories company with the offbeat name of Boom Boom Wiz. The name comes from their pet names for each other, with Wakeam being the Wiz. The partners, who are married, said they never set out to open a business, but people liked their work and wanted to buy more and more of it.
At first, the greatest challenge was finding a way to reproduce their original hand-colored paper designs. The earliest pieces were colored with marking pens and watercolors, laminated in plastic and cut out by hand. Next, they tried copying the designs with early-model color photocopying machines, but the colors were not quite right.
Grebler said she knew there had to be someone out there with the ability to mass-produce their designs in lightweight plastic. “Many businessmen I met with said, ‘Honey, it’s going to cost you a lot of money to do this,’ ” Grebler recalled. “They didn’t take me seriously.” After months of frustration, Grebler finally found a company with the right equipment and skills to do the job. The name and location of that company remains a trade secret.
The brilliantly colored plastic pieces are delivered to Boom Boom Wiz headquarters for assembly. The company is located in funky building near the old Helms Bakery in West Los Angeles. There, a small crew turns out dangling earrings, pins, barrettes and bolo ties, which retail for $6 to $15. Each piece has a zany character or scene on the front and a tiny tale on the back. For example: “The Dragon liked nothing better than toasted ape. He liked his ape well done.”
Boom Boom and Wiz have managed to keep their sense of humor, despite some very lean times. They borrowed money from several sources to get started but have paid it all back.
“If we had looked at the figures the first year, we would have given up,” said Grebler, who was teaching art to preschoolers before she and Wakeam started the business. Like many small businesses, theirs moved from the living room table to the garage and then into an empty condominium.
After 1985, sales doubled each year and are approaching $1 million this year. The company has 60 independent sales representatives selling to 2,000 stores, including Nordstrom.
Wakeam and Grebler still design every piece. They often work together on designs, with one person beginning a project and the other finishing it.
Their work reflects a passion for exotic destinations--jungles, deserts, remote islands. Grebler, who fancies cowboy boots, has traveled all over the world exploring traditional cultures. About eight years ago, she spent time living with a group of nomads on the beach in Israel.
Wakeam has also traveled widely, living many years in Spain. He also lived in England where he tried selling his paintings in Hyde Park. Discouraged by his lack of success, he emigrated to California. In 1984, he was working for a telemarketing company.
“I needed a job and was sitting at the table in the living room doodling,” Wakeam said. He and Grebler, who met through a mutual friend, talked as they drew and kicked around the idea of making jewelry out of their tiny pictures.
When they put together a small collection of earrings, Wakeam took them around to boutiques and museum shops. At first, he pretended the work was by a pair of mysterious artists called Boom Boom and Wiz from New York.
“We made up the fake names to cushion the rejection,” Grebler said.
But as the work began to sell and store owners wanted to know more about the artists, they confessed.
Soon after the jewelry business took off, Grebler said store owners clamored for T-shirts with the same offbeat designs. Anxious to please, they began making shirts. Soon, the shirt sales began to equal the jewelry sales. But, their energy was divided and they began losing sight of their core business.
“We had rooms full of shirts--it was insane,” Wakeam said. He said the competition in the T-shirt business was so tough that although their shirts were selling they opted to quit. “We didn’t want to be T-shirt manufacturers.”
Now, they are figuring out how to license their designs for use on products ranging from bed sheets to tableware. The are also working on an animated television series based on their zany characters.
“If the jewelry doesn’t last forever, we’ve come a long way,” Grebler said. Their goal is to keep designing the accessories but leave everything else to their staff while they pursue other projects.
Capital to Be Topic of Seminar
“Access to Capital: Preparing for the 1990s,” is the subject of a half-day seminar Nov. 30 at the Registry Hotel, 555 Universal Terrace Parkway, Universal City. The gathering is sponsored by the Encino law firm of Grayson, Givner, Booke & Silver and a group of financial service companies. Speakers from Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo Bank and Michael Milken’s International Capital Asset Group are scheduled to attend. The fee is $75 in advance and $95 at the door. The event lasts from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. For reservations, call (818) 788-3720 or (213) 277-2267.
Improving Selling to Be Discussed
Improving your selling and persuasion techniques is the theme of the Nov. 28 dinner meeting of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Assn. of Women Business Owners. Jay Sargent of Paradigms for Excellence is the guest speaker. The meeting will be at the Mayfair Hotel, 1256 W. 7th St. in downtown Los Angeles. It begins with a reception at 6:45 p.m. The cost is $27 for pre-registered members and $32 for non-members. For reservations and information call NAWBO at (213) 623-9977.
El Rey Sausage President to Speak
Laura Balverde-Sanchez, president and chief executive of El Rey Sausage Co., will speak on Dec. 7 at the Town Hall of California meeting. Balverde-Sanchez is credited with turning around the bankrupt sausage company and becoming one of the most influential women in the food industry. For information, contact Connie Whitley, (213) 628-8141.
