Building Sweet Dreams for Children

In the quant seaport town of Wilmington, where the famous Brandywine River flows, two entrepreneurs embarked on a mission to fulfill not only their own dream but that of every child and parent. This dynamic couple creates stunning beds for kids that are truly distinctive and inspired. Every little girl and boy envisions a bedroom that is uniquely their own, whether that dream materializes into a castle on a cloud or a fortress to defend against enemy forces, Sweet Dream can build it and make your child’s wildest adventures a reality. Does your little one imagine being a princess who waves to her admirers from the highest tower; does your prince pretend to be a pirate who is the captain of his very own ship? Just describe what it is your child wishes and this duo can make those dreams come true.

The Sweet Dream began in January of 2006 when John and JoAnn Means realized that it was time to invest in a bedroom set for their own child. After searching far and wide for the perfect bed and not finding exactly what they were looking for, John decided to use his considerable carpentry skills to build one himself. The result of the final product was so exceptional that soon friends and family were encouraging them to launch their own business. Soon after, the couple took this advice to heart and set out on the often rocky road of entrepreneurship. They were encouraged by their near immediate success, as orders for their beds quickly began rolling in; in their first five months of business they earned over $30,000.00 and were becoming a bedroom name in their home town. This revenue was promptly re-invested into the company. With the profits from their first few months of sales they opened a wide open and roomy shop in Philadelphia PA and purchased the many tools required for building craftsman quality furniture. The couple also hired an exceptional faux finish artist. The artist takes Johnny Means’s quality built finished furniture and custom paints them to perfection. Whether a customer desires a fantastical faux finish or their child’s name emblazoned on the piece for a personalized final touch the artist can accommodate them.

Joann Means wasn’t surprised by the high call for the beds her husband makes. Before deciding to take the plunge into making Sweet Dreams a full-time endeavor, she did her homework. What she found was that two-income and professional parents were increasingly desirous of unique items for their children’s bedrooms. Parent’s such as these were, and are, spending in excess of $9 billion annually on children’s furnishings. She also discovered that Baby Boomer grandparents who had invested wisely in retirement funds—and who have large disposable incomes—each spent in excess of $2,400.00 per year on their grandchildren.

Indeed, several recent social changes make a business like Sweet Dream very desirable to parents. With the advent of TV shows focusing on home improvement on HGTV, Discovery channel and the Style Channel consumers are putting their money into home décor in the range of billions of dollars per year. Add to this trend the growing numbers of older—and thus more finically secure—couples having children, and the market for custom made children’s products is becoming big business indeed. Consumers are on the hunt for unique, one-of-a-kind items that will set their children’s rooms apart from everyone else’s.

Celeb and high salaried professional parents certainly have the ability to pay for these exclusive items and are actively seeking them. Gone are the days of cookie cutter furnishings, why buy a plain old sleigh bed for your child, when you can have a castle bed that doubles as a play house? Although the price tag is high for such well made and extravagant furnishings, even the thriftiest of parents can’t argue with the triple duty some of these up-scale items serve. The Means’s beds serve as bed, playhouse and storage center all in one fanciful package for under $7 thousand dollars and, in some styles, as low as $3 thousand. Several specialty furniture makers create beds for pure frivolity and the price tag can run in the range of $20 thousand or more!

With regular folks spending less on items such as designer clothing, jewelry, handbags and shoes and investing that money into their homes, beds such as the kind the Means’s create become an obtainable dream even for middle income families. When one factors in the spending of grandparent’s and relatives around the holidays, a play bed like this can easily become an extra special “chip-in” Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza or birthday gift that won’t be soon forgotten by the family’s favorite tot.

Whether you’re in a position to make your child’s bed dreams come true or you can only hope to be able to someday do so, you can’t help but to gaze in admiration at the fine craftsmanship of these sets. In 2007 Sweet Dream will be adding smaller, additional pieces to their line such as toy boxes, table sets, step stools and chairs, which will be more reasonably priced. So, if you can’t afford the King or Queen of all beds you might just be able to swing a smaller piece of the dream for your special tot next year.

You can get more information about Sweet Dream from their website at www.SweetDreamBed.com or by calling Joann Means at 302-655-1845.