How many times have you sat around with a group of buddies brainstorming great business ideas? Usually those evenings end with an “ah well”, a little more vino being consumed…nothing more. Not so when Angie and Robbie Cook brainstorm together. They sat around with friends one evening looking for a vintage door knob for an old door and Robbie grabbed the knob and said, “Hey, this would make a great wine stopper.” And seriously, the rest is history. This is a story of a couple who looked adversity in the eye and kept going to create a successful company…as well as a foundation to help sick kids.
Angie and Robbie started Knobstoppers in 2005 and found a market ready and waiting. They have been featured on a number of national shows like CNN, the Today Show and Oprah — all touting Knobstoppers as one of the most innovative, creative gifts of the year. Knobstoppers incorporates all types of antique door knobs giving them a clever vintage look. To appeal to men, Knobstoppers now has added vintage golf balls and pool balls to adorn your manly man’s wine bottles. Since all the antique door knobs are found at flea markets and antique stores, no Knobstopper is ever the same. Did I mention that most Knobstoppers sell for under $40? Add affordability as just one more reason to buy one.
Move over Knobstoppers, your sister company Cake Vintage Table & Home is here. Once again, Angie and Robbie put their heads together and thought, “Everyone loves beautiful things and everyone loves cake.” Voila! The birth of Cake Vintage Table & Home, a company that carries linens, tableware and gorgeous custom-made chandeliers. Each chandelier is unique and weaves antique silverware and door plates into the design. If you love those Martha Stewart pictures of the arrays of fabulous cake stands, you’ll love the Cake Vintage Table & Home company: both evoke that same feminine and nostalgic feeling from within.
Angie and Robbie can tout double-digit growth in their companies and a brand new retail location at 1707 Broadway. While companies across the USA are struggling, sales at Knobstoppers and its sister company, Vintage Cake Table & Home, are going through the roof. What’s the secret? Honestly, I must say Robbie and Angie Cook. I’ve met them in another life when I was doing marketing for Volkswagen and they are the real McCoy: determined, creative self-starters who look challenges in the eye and say “Bring It On.”
You may notice on their website a link to their Wonderful Life Foundation. Their son was diagnosed with a brain tumor as an infant and happily I can report his tumor is in remission. The experience left them feeling blessed because they had the resources and support to make it through. However, they saw many who did not. There were scores of families at Monroe Carrell Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt unable to pay their house note, put food on the table or even afford to be with their child during his or her arduous treatment. The Wonderful Life Foundation has raised over $25,000 for families in need in just 3 years. Every Christmas, this Foundation rents the Belcourt Theater to show the movie It’s A Wonderful Life. Afterward, the Cooks host a party to celebrate and thank their contributors. With each screening of It’s A Wonderful Life, I hear a different message about the importance of family and community as well as giving back to those in need.
A percent of every on-line purchase at Knobstoppers and Cake Vintage Table & Home is contributed to brain tumor research at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.
Nashville, be proud of Robbie and Angie Cook; their entrepreneurial and philanthropic spirit marches on!
For your next gift consider a Knobstopper or gift from Cake Vintage Table & Home. Available online or at their retail store as well as gift stores throughout the Southeast.
Cake Vintage Table & Home
1707 Broadway (where Porter Paints used to be)
Nashville, TN 37203
Open Monday-Saturday 10A – 5P
Knobstoppers
Missed a post earlier this week? Click below to see what we’ve been posting about:
- Monday: Summer Camps
- Tuesday: Turks and Caicos: paradise found, surprisingly accessible
- Wednesday: Simplify and Organize: your jewelry
- Thursday: Tween dressing…it’s harder than you think
- And be sure to find out about our High-End Women’s Consignment Sale
