Description: The U.S.marketers of Razor scooters, made by JD Corp.
Started: June 2000
Sales: More than 3 millionscooters sold in stores last year, at approximately $100 each
Got a history: Calvin'spast products include Pogs, Finger Boards, mini-bikes andsnowboards.
Razor invasion: Razorscooters were huge in Japan but unknown here when Calvin became oneof the product's U.S. distributors. When they caught on quicklyin Los Angeles, Calvin went nationwide immediately by marketing tothe media and using retail connections.
The edge: Calvin has ageographic advantage, with a lot of hot products first hittingAmerican soil via Southern California ports. "I get asix-month head start on what happens around the rest of thecountry. There's also an advantage to being relatively smalland hungry-you're keeping your eyes open to what might seemkind of crazy, like Finger Boards. If I approached Mattel with anidea for a teeny finger skateboard, they'd probably sayit's not worth their while. But I can see when kids are pickingup on a trend. And then I move fast."
What's next? "Razorwas last year's biggest [product], so now everybody'sasking me, 'What's next?' If I do know, I'm nottelling anybody."
