Like the other girls at Central Catholic Middle School, Sarah Buckel spent considerable energy each year decorating her school locker.
Like the others, she dreaded the possibility of being caught at the end of the school year with the gummy residue from decorative contact paper still clinging to the locker walls.
But unlike the other girls in Du Bois, Sarah’s dad runs a company that manufactures magnets. And unlike any other 16-year-old girl, Sarah came up with the idea for magnetic locker wallpaper — she now has a patent and $1 million in sales to prove it.
“I’m really surprised that it would go that far,” she said. “It still hasn’t really sunk in.”
In 2006, at the end of Sarah’s last year in middle school, she watched as a friend of hers had to stay after school on the last day, forced to scrape away the sticky residue of the contact paper from her locker before she could leave for the year.
To decorate her new locker at Du Bois High School — and avoid the sticky contact paper — Sarah asked her father, the chief executive officer of a company called MagnaCard, which started out manufacturing business card magnets, if he could make some magnetic wallpaper for her.
“As soon as she told me, I thought that it was going to be great,” said Mr. Buckel. “I just knew it was going to be something.”
They’re selling six different wallpaper patterns, from flowers to dots to leopard print, and a variety of accessories for the lockers, from heart-shaped dry-erase magnets to decorative words such as “laugh” and “dream.”
Target, Staples, Rite Aid and other major chain stores all placed orders — more than $1 million worth.
Photo by Michael Heater.
Magnetic Wallpaper Attracts Teens
July 28, 2008 by Rich | 9 Comments
In Invention, School, Teens
Angela on July 28th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
In school I used to decorate my locker with magnets too. If only I could have bought something like this back in the day. That is a brilliant idea! Almost makes me wish I could go back in time.
cassy on July 28th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I wonder how this magnetic wallpaper done. Im sure lots of students will surely love it. With the magnetic wallpaper you can easely change the design of your locker if you want.
mick on August 5th, 2008 at 5:52 am
Good idea! but did you hear about Homepage Wallpapers?
I found it on this web site:
http://www.theluckylinks.com
Tonya on August 11th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
I would like to know where I can purchase this. I can’t find it anywhere!
u a loser on August 21st, 2008 at 10:29 am
were do u get magnetic wallpaper
Diana Cochran on August 23rd, 2008 at 10:29 am
You can buy the magnetic locker wallpaper at Target, Staples, Rite-aid, Office Depot, and Hy-Vee Stores.
Thanks for you great comments and feedback! Look for new patterns and designs coming for fall 2009!
Diana Cochran on August 23rd, 2008 at 10:31 am
Also, Sarah has developed a line of Birthday locker kits that can be applied and reapplied. The paper is electrically charged and sticks to just about anything. This is coming in late 2008-2009.
Kim Vigilia on September 30th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
This is really great - Sarah is actually going to speak at our Youth Power 2008 event in December! It’s going to be so exciting. :)
Winning Startups on September 30th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
This girl’s a genius. I had to pay big fines in high school for decorating my locker with stickers that didn’t come off. If only she’d come up with this in the early 90’s!