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Defying the odds: Sweet Success at Sixty

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Contributed by: Nancy Mayerson on 11/21/2007

Defying the odds: starting over and sweet success in your sixties

Myrna Alpern's success story provides inspiration to anyone starting over and has special meaning right now in California. Alpern, 68 and her husband Philip, 76, lost everything in 1998. There was a lot to handle that year and the next: two bouts of cancer and the loss of two thriving businesses - a successful San Fernando Valley military services company and Alpern's more recent BOOKBUDDY enterprise.

Now a nine-year cancer survivor, Alpern has a new focus: handling the success of Amanda Crawford Designs (www.amandacrawford.com), the BOOKBUDDY business she reinvented in 2000. With renewed energy and a commitment to repay their debts, they got on the phones and started calling Alpern's old BOOKBUDDY customers.

Named after her grandmother, Amanda Crawford Designs was built on the BOOKBUDDY Reading Pillow and now includes other elegantly-designed upscale reading related products. The BOOKBUDDY was originally created to assist Alpern's mother continue her passion for reading when advanced arthritis made it difficult to hold her books. The lap pillow features designer fabric, ribbons to hold the book and a polished acrylic desktop great for books, writing or laptops. (The acrylic desktop provides the safety of heat insulation - an important health factor for men.)

The Story:
• 1994 - First BOOKBUDDY created for Alpern's mother
• Has additional pillows made for friends and neighbors
• First year: $50,000 in sales
• 1995: Second year: receives $100,000 SBA loan; Tops $500,000 in sales
* Exhibits at L.A. Gift Show & L.A. Times Book Fair - first contracts: Vroman's Books
• 1996: Third year: Almost $1 million in sales
* Chosen for Smithsonian catalogue and more
• 1998: Loses all after cancer and electronics company failure (BOOKBUDDY was part of the larger firm)
• 2000: Relocates and re-starts business
• 2007: Success building again and manufacturing products out of Oxnard facility
• Products include: BOOKBUDDY, Glittermark Book Marks, Elegant BookWorm PageWeight, a variety of "Classy" paperback and hardcover BookCovers, elastic easy-to-hold-the-page bookmarks (great for bible study and reference), an adjustable book tote, children's book-related products and more
• Specially designed pink ribbon BOOKBUDDY pillow:
for cancer survivors. Percentage of sales donated to cancer support organizations.

For information contact Jeanne Feder at 805-373-1100

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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Nancy Mayerson

Westlake Village , CA

Nancy Mayerson has posted 214 stories and 0 comments since joining on 3/3/2006. Nancy Mayerson 's average story rating is 3.42.

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