Domesticating design

Michele Mangiacotti

Michele Mangiacotti started Mangiacotti Florals in 1998 in Attleboro, Mass., after spending 14 years in the advertising business. The company, headquartered in a 110-year-old renovated Victorian house, is named after her dad, whom she describes as "a street-smart person with a scrapper mentality." Michele describes her mother as an innovator and the Martha Stewart of her day.

Michele combined the business acumen and work ethic she learned from her father with her mother's innate sense of display and attention to detail when she struck out with husband Mike to form her company. She was looking for a way to better combine her work and home life and spend more time with her two young sons.

"Regardless of what business my dad was in through the years, he took pride in his craftsmanship and instilled in us that we're in control of our own destiny," Michele said. "I have that same scrapper mentality and wanted to express myself as a woman and as a mother in a way people could understand — and build a company that embraces the everyday mishaps that shape our imperfect lives."

Michele's focus is on high-end personal care, aromatherapy and homekeeping products like liquid and glycerin soaps, air fresheners and soy candles. She's kept her product line simple with four main scents — green tea, lemon verbena, lavender and the newest offering, ocean — and she plans to roll out a holiday/cranberry scent in January.

"I've kept the line simple because I realize we can't be everything to everyone," Michele said. "We're in a huge category, and to distinguish our product from the rest we've really focused on presenting it in a way that tells a story and, our brand's soul permeates every aspect."

She not only put her heart and soul into the company, she's also the inspiration for the Mangiacotti Girl on all the packaging. A graphic artist friend used Michele as the model for the whimsical, carefree icon that brings the brand to life. Her advertising background taught Michele the importance of packaging, and she thinks this is one thing that makes her products special.

"It's all in the details," she said. "The pewter charm and ribbon that adorn each product make the packaging attractive. The whimsical, carefree Mangiacotti Girl gives it relevance in the marketplace. The contents of this beautiful package make it addictive."

Her products are carried by more than 2,000 department, specialty gift, kitchen, garden/florist centers and bath and body stores nationwide at a medium to high price point. Michele's advertising background also comes through in the importance she places on merchandising and display ideas for retailers. She has a retail package full of visual display ideas on everything from lighting and color to props, signage and store layout.

"The major influence of this line is my life," Michele said. "The ability to embrace our everyday world with all its imperfection can give you such an incredible sense of power. I am that vertically challenged girl that finds her way on each and every product."

"Most products are inspired by things that cause me angst," Michele said. "I hate doing laundry, so I decided to make it more enjoyable by adding my favorite fragrances. What's the cure to taking the smell of smooshed Cheerios and old sippy cups out of my Volvo wagon? A car air freshener that doesn't smell or look anything like a tree."

Once a decision is made of what to create, Michele researches the category thoroughly then does the exact opposite of what everyone else is doing.

"I always make a point to look down the path less traveled to make our products look and feel original," she said.

Managing growth.

"We're a small privately held company," Michele said. "It's hard to strike a balance between keeping the line fresh and growing. We strive to broaden the line with new products rather than flooding it with new scents. And we try to have something at every price point."

The packaging for the soy candles, the latest addition to Mangiacotti Florals lineup, is Michele's favorite design. She commissioned a sculptor to design the pewter knobs, which she considers its best design feature.