Business: rooms4kids
Address: 650 S. Route 59, Naperville
Phone/website: 630-453-5730, www.rooms4fkids.com
Owners: Ken and Jennifer Eggert, of Plainfield
Years in business? Five
What does your business do? “We are known for mid- to high-end good, quality kids’ furniture,” Ken said. “What we’re known for is having the nice furniture, a five-year warranty and (furniture) in stock.”
Why did you do before this? “We’ve been in business in Naperville for 25 years,” Jennifer said.
“Before this, we had Cribs To College. That’s real well-known out here. We owned that for about nine years,” Ken said.
“And, we had Beds Beds Beds before that,” Jennifer said.
Why did you start this business? “When we had the mattress business, we always had children’s beds. We realized that seemed to be the trend here in Naperville. A lot of customers asked about children’s beds,” Jennifer said.
Do you get along as married business partners? “Clearly, we must because we’ve been in business for so long,” Jennifer said. “He’s more on the business end and I’m more on the decorating.”
What defines kids’ furniture, a smaller scale? “Not necessarily. For some reason, a lot of the stores don’t have a good kids’ selection. We hear that a lot. It’s a small niche we have,” Ken said.
“Our style is mix-and-match because we have a lot of options. Stairs. Ladders. Drawers. No drawers. Trundles,” Jennifer said.
Which manufacturers do you use? “It’s our own brand. When we were at Cribs To College, a friend of ours, Brad Moriarty, opened rooms4kids in Chicago. We decided to use the same name. We kind of share the name, share the website,” Ken said.
Where does your furniture come from? “It comes from Vietnam,” Ken said. “We don’t do any custom.”
Do you get many repeat customers? “We get Cribs To College customers (here) all the time,” Jennifer said.
What’s the best part of doing business in Naperville? “I think it’s the people. We love our customers,” Jennifer said. “I’ll say (to a child), ‘Oh, I remember when you were in your mom’s tummy.’ … Our son, Karson, goes to school here at North Central College.”
“We enjoy watching the kids and families grow. It’s a lot of fun,” Ken said. “It’s always been a great area.”
Is there a busy time of year? “If you could predict that, we would be millionaires,” Jennifer said. “The busiest time is when you get lunch and you’re short-handed.”
“Why is that August high, that August low? Christmas is always slow,” Ken said.
What do you like about owning your own business? “Being your own boss,” Jennifer said. “There have been a lot of bumps along the way, but we’re glad we’re on our own.”
“My mom, Jeanne, helps us out a ton,” Ken added.
Any negatives? “Because of the pandemic, we transferred the (business) phone to our cells,” Jennifer said.
“It’s hard to turn if off sometimes,” Ken said.
How has the virus impacted your business? “We had to be closed. We actually remodeled the back (of the store) when we were closed … We used to give out lollipops to the kids, used to high-five them when they came in. But it’s the sign of the times,” Jennifer said.
“We still can’t get inventory like we used to. A container a year ago cost $5,000 to ship it in. The last two we bought were $22,000 apiece,” Ken said. “It’s sad. It’s happening everywhere.”
What misconceptions do people have about your business? “Everyone always wants to buy the accessories,” Ken said.
“We only (sell) the furniture and mattresses. But they want the rugs, pillows, everything. It’s too hard to keep up with the accessories,” Jennifer said.
Any favorite stories? “Vince Vaughn bought a glider at Cribs To College. … I made the delivery. He wasn’t there (but) his wife let us park our truck in Vince’s (parking) spot when we went to a Bulls game. After the game we came back, she had put two or three cases of Budweiser in the truck and a note that said something like, ‘Thanks again,'” Ken said. “Of course, at the Bulls game, we told people, ‘Our truck is parked in Vince Vaughn’s parking space.’ They were, ‘Yeah, right.'”
Any plans for the business? “Just to keep enjoying the ride as long as it’s good,” Ken said.
What’s your advice for someone starting a business?
“You have to oversee everything. … Sign every check yourself,” Jennifer said.
“You have to stomach a lot,” Ken said. “One thing no one ever talks about is it’s harder to close a store than it is to open one.”
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
