ELEPHANTS IN YOUR MAILBOX

by Roger Horchow ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 9, 1980

The Horchow Collection catalogue has lots more pizzazz than this resumÉ of its founder's life. We first meet Roger Horchow in 1973, spending $7,000 on a postal meter and thus realizing he is on his own, having dissolved his contract with the Kenton Corporation. He says his interest in mail order began back in Zanesville, Ohio, poring over his grandfather's catalogues (he also provides the high-points of his grade-school years, including the name of his first teacher); but his decision to enter retailing came after Yale, as a trainee at the Lazarus store in Columbus. Horchow learned about expensive merchandise at Neiman-Marcus, spent two problem-ridden years as president of Design Research (a brief mention), ran Neiman-Marcus' catalogue, and finally joined Kenton. Properly buried in all this are Horchow's 25 ""best mistakes,"" listed as warnings to other would-be entrepreneurs, and ranging from the prosaic--""don't hire friends""--to the quasi-philosophical: ""Don't expect greatness until greatness comes near."" As for the current catalogue, we are told that most of its customers are women whose favorite magazine is Better Homes and Gardens (""we are clearly not just an upper-class catalogue,"" Horchow concludes); that the biggest ""bummer"" was a pumpkin-shaped leather icebucket for $150; and that, because of inflation, the catalogue will only be mailed to the 600,000 most recent customers. Even the most loyal among them are liable to be disappointed in this.

Pub Date: July 9, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Times Books

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1980

Categories: NONFICTION