Since 1987, Spartacus Inc. has enjoyed a hard-earned reputation for quality and distinction in the adult product industry, so when the Oregon-based manufacturer and retailer invited us to Portland for a personal tour of its factory and flagship store, we gladly accepted. It was a unique opportunity to celebrate Spartacus' 20th anniversary on the company's home turf and learn how this family-owned business with a healthy grasp of its niche has grown and where it hopes to go in the future.
We arrived at the 14,000-square-foot offices in the Portland suburb of Milwaukie on a brisk, wet day in early
December and were greeted by company President Stephen Bergquist, Senior Vice President Laurie Bergquist, and Sales and Marketing Associates Alice Beckett and Ameena Lacey. After enjoying a cup of hot tea and opening our goodie bags, which included a wonderful leather-clad teddy bear, we set off to tour the facility.
Spartacus historically has manufactured and assembled all of its products domestically, but recent competition in a market flooded with Asian imports has made for a very challenging commercial atmosphere. However, the husband-and-wife team of Stephen and Laurie Bergquist found a way to keep up with the competitive market without sacrificing quality. Many of the metal parts (like clasps, buckles and chains) found in Spartacus products now are manufactured overseas and shipped to the Spartacus facility for assembly. Leather products that are dyed or manipulated abroad are first shipped from Spartacus' U.S. supplier to its assembler overseas. Seventy-nine percent of the company's product line is manufactured entirely in the U.S., and 100 percent of its leather comes from a U.S. supplier, regardless of where it's put together. It's a clever way for Spartacus to get the best of both worlds.
Spartacus' attention to detail is phenomenal. We watched as collars were custom-stamped out of large bolts of high-quality leather, and whips and fetish items were handmade by a skilled craftsman or sewn by the in-house seamstress, then finally packaged with loving care. Frayed leather edges are painstakingly trimmed and polished, then individually dyed to match the piece. In order to avoid errors caused by the repetitiveness of mass production-and to keep their craftsman creatively challenged-products are regularly rotated between work stations. The various clasps, buckles, clips, studs and other small parts are carefully organized to be used for their specific projects. The detail on the design is just as meticulous, down to the tiny inscription of "Spartacus" on the clasps.
Spartacus also has remained a market leader through its innovative custom-designed packaging. Experience has shown the Bergquists that clamshell packaging is the key to providing retailers more products that take up less space on the retail floor, while maintaining the quality and integrity of the products. (We saw this in action at the company's flagship store in downtown Portland.) Many of the clamshells are custom-designed to fit a specific product; unique shapes like the Y-clamp nipple clamps and similar items fit super-snuggly into their cases. But clamshells alone do not a package make: It takes a creative force like a talented in-house graphic artist to create the eye-catching card-stock inserts that bring together the whole Spartacus look.
Appearance is so important, in fact, that one of the company's signature cock rings shot up in sales as a result of a new packaging design. That's no small feat: Cock rings are Spartacus' top seller by volume, while nipple clamps rank highest in terms of profit. Adding color to an already successful line also has shown huge results, as represented by the Crave line of bondage accessories in a vibrant purple hue, which has become the fastest-growing line in the company's history. A similar line in pink is quickly becoming a major success, as well.
But not all product lines last forever. When a line of lingerie turned out to not be cost-effective and was discontinued, Spartacus was left with an abundance of textiles that served no purpose. That's when Laurie Bergquist came up with the Collar Factory, repurposing the leftovers by allowing customers to design custom collars using a variety of colors, sizes and materials through CollarFactory.com. This kind of creative thinking has allowed Spartacus to find a new niche that, in turn, takes the company into a whole new demographic.
Later in the day, we visited the first Spartacus retail store, a 1,400-square-foot adult mecca in the heart of downtown Portland. It's a shining example of what a contemporary adult store can be, yet its roots in the area go back two decades. The store is brightly lit, beautifully laid out, well stocked and staffed with friendly, knowledgeable salespeople. The vast assortment of products in the front of the store ranges from scented candles to clothing to novelties for all ages. Through a curtain of metal beads, one enters the adults-only area of the store, which features a special section for high-end novelties; top-notch displays for leather straps, swings, suspension units and other bondage stuff; and a modest selection of adult DVDs and magazines.
In a world so often divided into manufacturers and retailers, our trip to Portland proved that with determination, creativity and quality, Spartacus has managed to have its cake and eat it, too.
