Mannequin Madness

Many people may think of mannequins as stoic figures, whose only function is to model the latest clothing fad in department stores. While these lifelike models may have a great "career" ahead as long as they are in good condition, as soon as they become damaged or are no longer needed, stores often retire them to the landfill. However, Judi Henderson, owner of Mannequin Madness in Oakland, California, saw a much greater potential for used and unwanted mannequins, to the extent that she built an entire business around salvaging them.

Henderson's unique business began when she noticed an advertisement of a mannequin for sale and considered purchasing one for a garden art project. Upon visiting the seller, she was overwhelmed to see his collection of more than 50 mannequins. The seller informed her that as a former window dresser, he had started collecting mannequins as a hobby, but as friends starting asking to borrow them, he started a mannequin rental business with just a small listing in the Yellow Pages.

He mentioned to Henderson that he was moving to Maine because the dot-com fever was making it too expensive for him to live in the Bay Area, and consequently, there would no longer be a mannequin rental service in the Bay Area. Henderson was convinced the Bay Area had enough creative talent to warrant at least one mannequin rental service.

At the time, Henderson was working at a rapidly failing dot-com. She had just completed a 14-week business planning class at the San Francisco Renaissance Entrepreneur center to develop tools to start her own business. While she had never considered a mannequin business, she knew enough from her training and the Internet marketing skills she developed at the dot-com to make the business work. Henderson decided to purchase the entire inventory and started Mannequin Madness.

Henderson chose the name Mannequin Madness because she felt that either it was going to be a crazy business niche, or else she was crazy for thinking it could be a business. She operates the business on a full-time basis with assistance from her boyfriend, Jay Townsend. When they were only renting mannequins, business was slow. However, once they began selling mannequins they purchased from department stores, their revenues increased fivefold. The enterprise attracted a loyal following of buyers who appreciated the bargain prices and central location.

Mannequins require a great deal of storage space. Fortunately, Henderson's home, a 1908 former Panamanian consulate, has a large basement and other storage areas that she converted into a "mannequin showroom." While this keeps their overhead low, she admits customers sometimes feel a bit uncomfortable when they first enter the basement and see so many sets of eyes peering at them-not to mention the fact that some of the mannequins are headless!

Mannequin Madness hires many independent contractors-haulers, carpenters, graphic designers, bookkeepers, etc.-to assist in its operations. They do all of their packing themselves. Since their client demand requires out-of-state shipments, their shipping costs are quite expensive. Townsend is the president of shipping operations at Mannequin Madness, who utilizes the experience he gained while working in the shipping department at the now-defunct Gimbel's department stores in New York City during high school.

Henderson claims that the Internet has been by far their greatest advertising resource by allowing them to reach customers to whom they never would have imagined marketing. These include people who travel from other states to the Bay Area for trade shows.

Mannequin Madness also advertises in the Yellow Pages, the SF Bay Guardian, and trade publications for the trade show and film industries. Many special interest groups such as sewing clubs, window dressers, and costume guilds will include a link to the Mannequin Madness site on their Web sites. Alameda County Recycling Board's Web site, www.stopwaste.org, also lists them. Fortunately, because their business is so unusual, they received a great deal of free advertising when various local and national print and broadcast media outlets profiled them.

Mannequin Madness targets three key groups: special event/trade show planners, retail stores, and artists. They contact large chains to purchase discarded merchandise from stores, and they contact independent stores and small chains to sell their merchandise. The artists they target include theatre groups, film, video and photography professionals, art schools, and students who often purchase mannequin parts (arms, legs, hands) to construct art projects. Henderson makes frequent cold calls to small retail outlets, and she always posts signs on community and college bulletin boards.

Henderson states that department stores are their best source for receiving mannequins since they have the highest quality and largest quantity. If a store has a large quantity of unwanted mannequins due to store closure or remodeling, it is extremely expensive for the store to dispose of the mannequins because they must rent large dump bins to haul them away. Then there's the cost of labor involved to place the mannequins in the bins. Some stores will give Henderson the merchandise because they are grateful she is taking it off their hands; others will charge her a nominal fee. Boutique chains will also contact Mannequin Madness when they have unwanted mannequins, but Henderson cannot usually afford their prices.

They originally received four to five mannequins every month from a national retail department store, but when the store decided to change their store policy and virtually eliminate the use of mannequins, Mannequin Madness received more than 500 mannequins within a three-month period-with the promise of more to come!

Periodically they will receive a call from someone who has a mannequin in their garage or basement and they will give it to them if Mannequin Madness will pick it up. Henderson enjoys these calls because they often yield some real unusual finds, and the price is right. She is still trying to develop a relationship with the transfer stations at her local waste management facility so they will contact her if mannequins are retired there.

One reason that many small independent retailers enjoy working with Henderson is that she is always willing to trade merchandise with them. For example, if retailers desire dress forms or torsos (items Mannequin Madness always has in excellent condition) instead of the old, beat-up mannequins they are currently displaying, they may trade with Mannequin Madness. Broken mannequins are still valuable for Henderson's market, but most clothing stores do not want a mannequin with a broken hand or finger in their window display. Also, if the store sells a product that Henderson can utilize, she often barters with them, the store will sometimes pay her half in cash and half in store credit.

Since Mannequin Madness is a new business that is just getting its name out, the owners cannot yet determine how many mannequins they will receive on a yearly basis. In September 2002, they sold 75 mannequins and 35 rentals. They are currently conducting more out-of-state sales, shipping as far as Bermuda to meet a customer's request to purchase a mannequin that resembled model Tyra Banks. Mannequin Madness has also had inquiries from Brazil, Denmark, England, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Pakistan. Henderson imagines that the stagnant economy will result in more store closures or mergers, so it is likely that more mannequins will be available for them to purchase in the near future.

Henderson has observed many unusual uses for the mannequins they sell-the most unique being a pair of women's legs used to make a table. Three of their mannequins were posted on a billboard in Union Square in San Francisco. The Discovery Channel store in the Sony Metreon used one of their mannequins in a bathtub (this is displayed on the Mannequin Madness Web site). Mannequin parts are also popular for "Burning Man" exhibits at the annual summer festival held in the Nevada desert.

Mannequins have worn all types of costumes-hula skirts, vintage historical clothing, scuba gear-for trade shows and parties. Mannequin Madness has supplied headless female torsos for art pieces that people like to display in their homes. Phil Carbella, of San Francisco's Funk Yard store, constructs light fixtures from mannequin arms and hands. Henderson was surprised when attorneys occasionally contact her to rent a mannequin to display or re-enact a scene in a courtroom.

People rent mannequins for many reasons: to display original bridal attire at wedding anniversaries, to display jewelry or clothing at craft shows, to serve as accessories at conventions, and to serve as dress forms for aspiring seamstresses of all ages. Non-apparel retailers also rent mannequins for seasonal displays. One florist rented a mannequin and every week displayed her wearing a different wedding gown surrounded by complementary wedding floral displays.

Their bella donna mannequins (silk flowered floral displays), which are also displayed on the Mannequin Madness Web site, are a beautiful example of creative reuse. The dress forms used to construct them were originally dilapidated and water damaged, and the business owners were going to discard them until they discovered they could create art sculptures from them.

Henderson was recently named "Entrepreneur of the Year" for an emerging business (less than three years old) by the San Francisco Renaissance Entrepreneur Center. She received an award at their annual fundraiser on October 10, 2002. State Senator Jackie Spier presented Henderson with the award for "Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year," and the office of State Assemblyman Kevin Shelley, 12th district, also gave her an award at the fund-raiser.

Mannequin Madness accepts credit cards, checks, and cash. Clients are seen by appointment only, but the hours are flexible-appointments may be made for weekends and weeknights, as well as normal business hours.

Mannequin Madness
430 Orange Street, Suite-B
Oakland, CA 94610
(510) 444-0650
sales@mannequinmadness.com 
www.mannequinmadness.com

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Last updated: August 01, 2008