Document text
Another use for duct tape AP Photos Ben Haverlandt, 21, above, of Transformed Trash, shows off a chair made of recycled plastic that looks like granite. Salem man used it to make wallets -- and then a business The Associated Press SALEM -- With his pink faux fur cowboy hat and multiple body piercings, Ben Haverlandt doesn't look like the owner of a successful startup company. But the 21-year-old has parlayed a camp craft and a knack for talking with street teens into a thriving business. "Transformed Trash" started in a tiny upstairs room selling wallets made entirely from duct tape, a craft Haverlandt learned at camp and later taught as a camp counselor. At $5 each, the duct tape wallets are still popular sellers, Haverlandt said. But he's since expanded his line to include studded belts, hair dye, blacklights, rubber wigs, posters, vintage clothing, body jewelry and other merchandise designed to appeal to the 15- to 20-year-old set. Three months ago, Haverlandt moved into a larger, ground floor storefront on Chemeketa Street -- expanding from 200 to 1,500 square feet of retail space. Not many 20-year-olds start their own successful businesses, said Moe Mowery, of the U.S. Small Business Administration's Portland office. Though no one really tracks the age of startup business owners, Mowery said, "From what we see at our business resource center, most are between 30 and 40 years old." The street punk look used to be the "person your Mom doesn't want you to hang out with look," Haverlandt said. "Now, it's getting into the mainstream." Belts, left, are recycled car seat belts. Haverlandt's business started with wallets made of duct tape. To stay on top of trends, Haverlandt scans the Internet and travels the West Coast, checking out competitors. His most recent finds: Nunzilla ($4), a windup toy nun that spits sparks as it walks. Growing tongues ($2), that expand when dropped in water. Hand chairs ($130), plastic chairs shaped like a cupped hand. But Haverlandt doesn't credit merchandising for his success. Instead, it's an interest in his customers' lives that's helped his business grow. Haverlandt was a college student studying adolescent psychology when he decided to take a year off to run the store. Half of his first store was given over to couches and tables where street kids hung out, playing video games, watching TV and talking. "I wanted them to loiter," he said. "It was fun because I could hang out with them. It was like outreach." But the success surprised him. Now, he plans to stick with it until the business is large enough to hire a manager, then return to college. He'll go back to studying psychology, not business, he said. "It might take a little longer than I'd planned. But I'm still going to do it," he said. Today's Business Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA