Tender Heart Catalog's treasured customers lead this cataloger to success.

President and CEO Pamela Watanabe-Gerdes knows that fresh products, provided on a continuous basis, is the only way to keep customers buying.

Catalogers today are being faced with many changes including postal reform, fluctuating paper prices and increasing interest in the issue of privacy.

As a result, many of them are rethinking their strategies and considering on-line services. And while some catalogers feel that going online is the next logical step and a key to their growing success, this cataloger feels that customer service is, and always will be, the key to success for her company.

Tender Heart Treasures, Ltd. is a company which has experienced phenomenal growth throughout its short nine year life. This success can be attributed to several reasons:

* Capturing a catalog niche that was virtually non-existent

* Building a base of 2.5 million satisfied customers

* Experiencing fifty percent growth in revenues annually

* Hiring talented management at the right time necessary to propel the company forward

* Establishing a retail market and wholesale market

Other keys to it's success include the use of an in-house agency and having the Tender Heart Treasures catalog photographed and digitally prepared on the premises. This system has been particularly advantageous for Tender Heart Treasures. Everyone from stylists, photographers, and graphic artists understand the look and feel that must be captured in the catalog. This eliminates a very big step when working with outside agencies who may or may not understand the company's concepts.

Another key to Tender Heart Treasure's success is their staff of product designers. Pamela Watanabe-Gerdes, president and CEO, realized early that she had to differentiate herself from other mail order catalogs. The first catalog she launched in 1987 included a wide variety of merchandise, from jewelry and desktop accessories to Victorian and country style giftware. The problem was that the merchandise was "open merchandise," meaning it could be purchased by any cataloger.

Once Watanabe-Gerdes found that her country giftware was extremely popular, she knew fresh products, on a continuous basis was the only way to continue. Since then, Tender Heart Treasures has increased its design staff. Today, there are artistic designers developing unique items for the catalog. These designers are the creative geniuses behind the company's success.