Melanie Jacober is definitely at the head of her business. Of course, it helps that she is in the business of upholstering headboards.
When some people knit a blanket or sew together a quilt, Melanie found her calling in the world of bedding, reports Calgary Herald.
She started on her path to custom headboards as a child -Jacober loved crafts and learned to sew from her mother. When her first baby was born eight years ago, she made the bedding for his nursery and continued making blankets on the side after she went back to work.
After her daughter was born four years later Jacober chose to stay at home and grow the business. On a lark, she decided to create her own headboard as part of a master bedroom makeover. She had a particular colour scheme in mind -steel blue and chocolate brown -and couldn’t find what she wanted at a store.
Bolstered by how well it turned out, Jacober made one for her daughter when she moved from a crib to a bed. Embroidering her daughter’s initial on it offered a personal touch that tempted Jacober to learn more complicated detailing for headboards, like piping, button tufting and antique nailing.
Once Jacober had a business plan in place, she began by listing ads and photos online. Potential clients contacted her, but many were looking for crazy bargains, not necessarily $400 headboards. So she tried a new strategy -cold-calling designers and new builders to meet with them and show off her portfolio.
It’s paid off; Jacober has just started working with Cherry Four in Kensington and she’s landed several orders from builders, including a call for a queensize wingback crushed blue velvet headboard with diamond tufting and antique brass furniture tacks. Dubbed the “Dracula bed” by her sister, it’s one-of-a-kind, and is currently holding court inside a Beattie show home.
Photo by Head of the Bed