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European Weekly: It must
have been tough at first to leave your day job. How were you
able to overcome some slim times, financially?
Don Larson: Hard work, long
hours, sacrifice, Cello lessons and a little luck. Fortunately
at the time there was little in the way of competition, and
taking an ad out in the local papers kept the phone ringing
steadily.
EW: How did you end up having
a business partner?
DL: In 1999, with a little
help from my friends, I went live with my first website. Before
long I started writing more business than I could possibly
handle. Rusty, who ran Sound Sleep Products (a local mattress
manufacturing facility), and supplied all my bunk mattresses,
was a big help. He provided a lot of (late night) web/computer
tech support. He and I share the same work ethic. I first
approached him about a joint venture in early 2000. After
several brainstorming sessions, we decided to join forces
with a primary focus on the web.
EW: Do you have many European
customers?
DL: Yes, we have a lot of
European / American customers. We get inquiries from Europe,
but have yet to ship outside the States.
EW: Why do you think Europeans
would prefer a product such as yours?
DL: Having lived in Europe
for 13 years, I observed a history of fine woodworking and
craftsmanship. I feel Europeans in general have a greater
appreciation for quality furniture, the arts, and etc.
EW: Do you think Americans
and Europeans differ in how they perceive value?
DL: It has been my experience
that Americans tend to be obsessed with price, hence the success
of Wal-Mart,
Ikea,
and so on.
EW: You also make footboards
and headboards for more traditional beds that stay close to
the floor. What are your design influences?
DL: Working with a lot of
old Norwegian guys, undoubtedly, has greatly influenced my
designs. Child safety and customer feedback have also played
a big role in the evolution of our products. The testing grounds
of my sons’ bedrooms has shown me why lag screws don’t
work and why triangular shapes are used in structures like
bridges, airplane wings, and endless other applications where
stress requires extra support beyond the square box approach.
This is why my beds have been purchased for adult use by a
local police department, the Catholic Community Services,
Youth hostels in Idaho, fish processing boats in Alaska, and
ski lodges in Aspen and Idaho. My design has evolved over
the years. Rounder edges on the wood, lacquer finish, triangular
supports, optional headboards, optional footboards, more space
between the upper and lower bunk, and so on. Over the years
I have gained a lot of opinions on bunk beds. I have kept
on working to perfect my beds, which is how I was taught to
play the cello.
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