Julia Knight has a philosophy about entertaining – call it the zen according to Fernando (It’s better to look good than to feel good!). Knight cares little if the host caters food for a party, family holiday, or intimate social gathering, but when that food is served it better look good using pieces that guests OOH! and AAH! about. And that’s where Knight’s self-named enterprise comes into the picture. “I want Julia Knight to be a venue for what I stand for and believe in: beautifully hand-crafted designs using only the best natural materials and the highest style,” Knight says, her crisp Minnesotan accent reflecting the two decades she’s spent there. “I strive to make my pieces timeless with an element of elegance and a fresh twist.”

Julia Knight, Inc. – after three years in operation – is currently undergoing a few growing pangs. As the business grows in scope – product assortments, management team, and retail accounts – Knight is cautious to faithfully implement well thought out principles, not solely about entertaining. “Our winter markets were three times better than last year and with a growing business you want to make sure you manage your inventory,” Knight acknowledges. “We’ve had to bite the bullet by having enough inventory to satisfy our customers.”

Knight’s no neophyte when it comes to running a productive business. The intuitive Brown grad spent almost a decade in marketing in the cosmetics industry before starting a boutique line of baby foods inspired by the Diane Keaton flick, Baby Boom, as well as a few years living in Paris where she cottoned to the idea of buying things made totally from scratch. The seven-year, several million-dollar Minnesota operation (by this time the New Yorker had moved to the North Star state to marry) fueled by a back-to-nature movement fared rather well and provided a strong foundation for her current venture. “As the CEO of a start-up,” Knight proffers, “I learned everything the hard way, from the ground up.” Two key lessons the entrepreneur reveals: choosing the right management team and understanding how to run an efficient operation.
Knight left the baby foods business in 1995 to concentrate on raising her own two young children, but the stay-at-home mom role didn’t last long; Knight grew antsy and figured she could parlay what she learned as a successful self-starting CEO into a consulting job which she did for a time.
But a budding creative muse was beckoning. In 2001, whilst traveling through Cheyenne, Knight got the idea to fashion cowhide onto home accessories pieces. Armed with a hot glue gun, Knight affixed the hide onto a tissue box for the family’s vacation home in Colorado. “I’m totally not crafty,” she protests with a laugh, “but everyone loved it.” Knight’s innate business sense convinced her she had the makings of a new enterprise. She found a saddle maker who supplied the cowhide which she used to cover everything from napkin rings to cocktail shakers. “It was Ralph Lauren goes Aspen,” Knight chuckles, and within months the products were on display in rep showrooms.

But Knight’s charmed business life was about to hit a speed bump; her first ship date was September 12, 2001, not a great time to launch a new company.

“I never knew an up market,” sighs Knight. Still the enterprise found fast favor with a roster of accounts including Neiman Marcus for a growing assortment of mostly high-end bar items covered in the fashioned leather. “The line struck a chord and found a niche market,” Knight relays. “I thought it would be a fun little business. I wasn’t in the market to be running a $20 million company.”

While that sales figure was down the road, she was well on the way. With Neiman Marcus on the radar, other stores signed on and Knight, unwittingly, had a real business to suddenly manage. “People were taking me seriously,” she says, still a bit bemused. Knight quickly expanded into colored leather, like red and hot pink, which propelled the business to a whole new level. Tommy Bahama generated enormous sales with Knight’s pink croc-styled barware which also made its way into the Academy Award gift bag. And as fast as the Academy orchestra plays off a rambling Oscar winner’s thank you speech, Knight’s U.S.-made collections were knocked off left and right by significantly lower-priced Asian copycats.

continued . . . .