Today we’d like to introduce you to Gary Heege.
Hi Gary, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Stable the Table is a father and son team that was started several years ago from an idea to solve wobbly tables after a visit to one of our family’s favorite restaurants.
One afternoon while sitting in the backyard, my 9-year-old son Winn came to me with an idea to solve the wobbly table that we had recently experienced at one of our favorite restaurants. He thought that if we filled a balloon with sand, it would be spongy enough to fill irregular gaps between the ground and the leg of a table. The solution would also be firm enough to stabilize the table and not shift from underneath the table’s foot as people used the table.
We quickly found a party balloon, some play sand and a funnel to test the idea. It seemed to work well on our backyard table, but the real test was returning to that same restaurant’s outdoor patio. By luck, we got seated at the very same table from the week before and it still had a wobble. We slipped our sand balloon device under the short leg and it worked like a charm!
After our success, Winn wanted to figure out how to manufacture these so we could sell them. While it was easy to buy balloons and lots of sand, it would require a lot of work to fill balloons with just the right amount of sand consistently. We also did not know how well it would last, especially outside on patio decks. So we started to think of ways to design a new product that had the same performance qualities but easier to manufacture and would be durable and attractive.
This led us to experiment with different silicone rubbers that had different hardness and material qualities. We purchased a 3D printer and Winn taught himself CAD and designed different molds so we could create multiple test products. We took the prototypes to local restaurants for their feedback.
Finally, when we felt like we had the right combination of material, hardness, shape, size and thickness, we engaged with a local product development firm that specializes in helping start-ups get their product manufactured cost-effectively.
One important piece that was missing was a name. We needed a simple name that would describe what the product does. One day while discussing names, Winn said that he thought “Stable the Table” would be a good name. And from that point, we launched our company to forever solve the annoyance of wobbly tables.
Stable the Table is made in Georgia and is currently launching at True Value Hardware stores and is available on Wayfair.com, as well as at www.StabletheTable.com. We are looking to expand into additional retailers so that everyone can easily find a solution to fix annoying wobbly tables.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Starting a new business with a unique new consumer product will always experience challenges. The biggest challenge Stable the Table faced was in finding cost-effective manufacturing. It was important to find out how to manufacture cost-effectively so that the product could be offered at retail at a reasonable price point to the consumer. Most product consultants that we spoke with insisted that the product could only be sourced from overseas. Having previous experience in overseas manufacturing, I disagreed with this strategy. Making the product in the USA (and even better…in our hometown state of Georgia) would allow us to easily control product quality, cost and reliability of supply while also creating jobs in the USA from a product invented in the USA.
As you know, we’re big fans of Stable the Table LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Stable the Table, LLC was founded to illustrate how one young person’s idea to help solve a simple problem can turn into a commercially viable reality. The company is dedicated to supporting young people in gaining the educational skill set and confidence to make their future ideas and solutions become reality. The company is a sponsor for a local Marietta-based high school robotics team that just finished a very successful rookie year in the Peachtree District to Georgia FIRST.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
In my opinion, Atlanta has an entrepreneurial spirit that is unique for a city of its size. I have met and have worked for many entrepreneurs since moving to Atlanta in 1994. It seems relatively easy to find people that are constantly inventing and creating, which gives Atlanta a uniquely positive, can-do spirit.
Contact Info:
- Email: gheege@stablethetable.com
- Website: www.StabletheTable.com
- Instagram: stable_the_table
