Welcome to Princess Canopy Beds

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Thanksgiving Sale
















We are having a great Thanksgiving sale. We hope that customers who have been saving up can now afford this treat for their daughters. 

We know that times are tough with the economy yet, sometimes the tough times can be made somewhat easier when we help each other out in what ever way we can. That is why we, at Princess Canopy Beds are making an effort to help you relaize your little ones dream!

Have a very happy Holiday season!!!

Monday, November 24, 2008

Key elements of our bed design










When we designed our bed system. Some of the priorities were safety and accessibility for our 18 month old princess Miriam.  We knew that at that age, falling of a tall bed would be an issue.  So I developed the safety lip that was about a four inch lip around the perimeter of the bed. This insured that any rolling to the left or to the right would be met by a lip that would stop her from falling down.

The other element was that I cut a 20 inch gap in the center so that she could easily enter her princess chambers without having to climb over any walls.  The next thing that I designed was a formidable yet elegant stepping stool that helped my daughter to reach her mattress. 

With these design elements established on her sleeping area, we knew that she would be safe from any accidents at night.

Concerns about the design of our beds

















When we build beds for kids, it's with an understanding that the beds will be safe and dreamy.


With that said, Princess Canopy is committed to using materials that are "green", in an effort to contribute less to the depletion of our natural resources.


We use MDF an engineered wood by product, that is a smart easy to use product, that enhances the lines and contours of our canopy beds.


On top of that, we Powder Coat our beds which is not the typical way of painting that we grow up with. This new revolutionary process is baked on to give the finish a scratch proof resistant surface that is impenetrable to wear.


it doesn't end there, we added an agent to the paint which kills 99% of bacteria on contact!

The design and set up is easy, as we have added European cam system that is fool proof, but sturdier than screws.


We want to make your experience with our beds a pleasure, knowing that so much thought and care has gone into the ultimate Princess Bed experience.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Very cool news

Please visit us at www.princesscanopbeds.com

We just received some actual news coverage from Omaha's Fox 42 News that show cases our Beds!

Please check it out at http://www.projectnightlights.org/KPTM_9pm_031007_NightLights.wmv

We donated a beds to Abby a little girl suffering from health issues. The making of Princess Canopy Beds is so that little girls can have a dream come true, and as this video shows, it works!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

We are pregnant!

Good news everybody!!
I am pregnant and expecting in May!

My body is contorting and demanding more food and rest.
lol We are hoping for another Princess, my current fav "Princess Miriam" is hoping for a sis, so we'll see, what Hashem brings us this next spring.

Thank you
Jo

What happened to children's furniture II?

Please visit our web site: www.princesscanopybeds.com
The quitting the day job didn't happen overnight, and it hasn't been a cake walk either. In fact, many people who own their own companies attest to the fact that having your company is at best difficult and at worst impossible. Yet for Jo and I, it has been a series of lessons that are invaluable.

The challenges started when we couldn't find furniture out there that was like what we envisioned. Not to say that Bombay Kids, doesn't have some cool things available. However, at the time it seemed impossible to have the "princess bed room suite" available that didn't look cheap and gaudy.

We are happy to provide a cool alternative, to the typical girl's twin bed with dresser bedroom set. My daughter Miriam has the coolest bedroom, she is spoiled because she becomes the "guinea pig" to all our new prototypes. She has a revolving bedroom set every time my wife thinks up a new fabric choice for our bed line.

When we first started designing and building prototypes for our company. We started visiting furniture stores and department stores. I'm telling you, their is almost nothing interesting, and it seemed as if the designs were repetitive, and boring.

After a while of dead ends, I made an attempt to research children's furniture makers in our industry. The fact was that the Industry was wide opened because, the designs for kids furniture was a continuum of what was designed in the 70's with very little change. Designers just weren't paying attention to children's bedroom furniture. The Chinese weren't going to do it either, they lack the Western design element, and for the most part, they were busy turning out obsoleted children's bedrooms at Penny's to a dollar, which flooded the market.

However, In my research, I also discovered children's furniture Industry articles relating to a new crop of designers. Wouldn't you know it, those new designers were mom's and dad's, who were fed up with the lack of diversity in children's bedroom furniture! People like yours truly, who took it upon myself to make furniture in our garages.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

What happened to chidren's furniture?

Please visit our web site at: www.princesscanopybeds.com

The reason for this entry is that when we first started with our company about 7 yrs ago, ran into a complication with what my wife Jo (Joanna), calls "cute" kids stuff. Her concept of cute obviously is more refined than mine, especially when it comes to kids stuff. Nevertheless, we were stumped when trying to find that right "transition bed" for our little princess Miriam.

side note: My beautiful daughter Miriam, who happens to be our model for our web site www.princesscanopybeds.com , is our inspiration for our children's furniture business.

Anyway, that perfect "transition bed", that is-the bed that proceeds a crib-which usually for kids means twin size, couldn't fit in our daughters room. Our first house was a 40's home that had the smallest rooms known to man kind. My daughters room, the smallest of all the rooms, couldn't accommodate a twin size bed without hogging all her limited room space. This meant that all the cool bedroom sets that are available at places like Rooms To Go, coundn't fit her room.

There's a cliche that goes,"necessity is the mother of all invention", and to us at that time it was more than true. Therefore, with some freebe wood that I had taking space in my garage, I embarked on what has morphed into www.princesscanopybeds.com, but at the time it was just a needed bed for my daughters small room. The coolest thing about our humble beginnings was that the design of our first princess bed, again being humble, was perfect. What I mean is, that the initial design from the first prototype to what we sell today has changed very little.Needless to say, I have quit my day job to oversee operations in our company, and much to our surprise it has been astonishingly successful.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Princess Canopy Beds

Visit: www.princesscanopybeds.com

Here at Princess Canopy Beds we pride ourselves in creating the Princess Suite for your Royal Highness! Princess Canopy Beds creates 99.9% GERM FREE Bed frames! Our revolutionary design is finished by a wood powder coated surface in which a germ free additive is mixed into the powder paint. You have never seen anything like it! Our quality bed frames are totally GREEN and MADE IN THE USA

We have a full range of coordinating Princess children's furniture, from the most darling Nightstands and dressers, to a dreamy Armoire! Our Royal Toy Chest and Princess Costume Rack are sure to complete her fantasy Bedroom!

Our New Dream Media Center is sure to be a hit! Have her relax in her new Princess Canopy Bed while listening to her iPod or fall asleep watching her favorite movie on her new pink DVD player.

Since 2003 we have been shipping quality children's beds all over the world! No matter what her desire Princess Canopy Beds is sure to have a product just right for her or her doll!

We are looking forward to creating a Princess Canopy Bed for your Royal Highness, order today and make her Dreams Come True!

Why buy Chinese?

visit: www.princesscanopybeds.com

My company was interviewed by an Oregon Newspaper the Bend Bulletin

The article was in response to a friend who thought we should get some exposure by our company being showcased in the local paper. In the interview, the Interviewer raised a million dollar question about manufacturing in the USA, How do we compete with the Chinese?


After all, almost everything we buy in the USA is made in China. It's absurd, just how much is manufactured over there. The other day I bought my son a MLB baseball with the Braves insignia on it, an Official American baseball, for the Major Leagues. Well, in small letters the "Made in China" logo was printed on the ball. You can't escape the fact that we are an outsourcing country and almost all of our outsourcing form Chevy car parts to Major league baseballs are manufactured in China.

So, to ask the question how do you compete with China?, is a pertinent question for American manufacturers. As Americans we need to be realistic and truthful about our commitment to keeping jobs here in the USA, especially, when the bottom dollar is concerned. Is it feasible to have a commitment to the American dream of making a living here while prices skyrocket on everything from fuel to real estate?

My answer is YES, as long as we have an edge, and that edge is a commitment to quality, safety and longevity in products that are made in the USA. Everyone has read of the gross neglect of safety regulations that the Chinese have perpetuated on goods that are brought into the USA for consumption. How lead in the paint of baby toys are common place. There are no strict manufacturing regulations in China hence sheer neglect is evident when millions of dollars of toys are recalled, because in China negligence is common place, but in America we care!

How wood powder coating works

Visit: www.princesscanopybeds.com

The wood powder coating industry is relatively new in the States. The first to use this manufacturing process I believe is Finland? Anyway, here in the USA, we have a few plants that are using the process to create unbeatable surface finishes.

The color variations are unlimited and you can add texture to the finish as well. The first time we ran into this process was at the AWFS show in Las Vegas, NV http://www.awfsfair.org, a state of the art show, that showcased the newest developments in the wood working industry. What really stunned us about this painting process was the durability of the finished surface.

My wife and I, were busy checking out all the new tools of the trade trying to figure out how we could finish our bed's edges. It was the last day of our stay in Las Vegas and we were burnt out on walking the huge floor layouts. Suddenly, we noticed some cool products that had very interesting finished and seamless edges. Also, the rep was walking around with a hammer encouraging potential clients to take a swing at the finished pieces.

We were totally shocked with our new discovery. First, the surface paint was brilliant, the edges were seamless, and "finished". Then, to add to our amazement, the paint could take some damage without chipping or paint loss. This was the answer to two of our existing challenges.

The first one was durability, at the time we were using a paint called durapoxy which was to our knowledge the best water soluble paint on the market. However, as with all paint it wasn't impervious to damage, nicks or scrapes. Second, the problem with edging was difficult to incorporate into a manufacturing process because, it was always a three cycle operation: cut the wood, paint the wood, put edging on the wood.

With wood powder coating, the edging was incorporated into the cutting of the wood stage, and the painting was an all over effect that eliminated the need for an extra edging cycle. Which in manufacturing is a huge bonus in time spent and money saved. Add to that, the quality aspect of the finished product, and you have a win win situation.

What is wood powder coating? check it out: http://www.powdercoating.org/benefits/