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 and 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 and Lines, 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 and Home company: both evoke that same feminine and nostalgic feeling from within.

Gorgeous Table Setting by Cake Vintage Table and Linens

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 and 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.”

Cake Vintage Linen and Table has fabulous aprons

These napkin rings, made from old silverware, are perfect for every occasion.

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 and Linen 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 and Linen. Available online or at their retail store as well as gift stores throughout the Southeast.

Knobstoppers

Cake Vintage Table and Linen

1707 Broadway (where Porter Paints used to be)

Nashville, TN  37203

Open Monday-Saturday 10A-5P

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
  

Project Paper Doll is a super cool way to own an original piece of art and help support Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.  To see this Ebay hosted auction, goto: http://members.ebay.com/ws2/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=vch-benefit Check out the wooden version of the familiar Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital logo that has each been decorated by various national and local celebrities.  This is just the coolest gift idea-  one to proudly display and will be a conversation piece for many decades.  It the perfect answer to the question “They have everything, what do I get them?”  It will also be their answer to the question “what is the coolest present you received this past Holiday?”

I love everything about this campaign.  It combines awareness of Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, celebrity creativity, art work at a reasonable price point and charitable giving on all sides.  There are different artists’ paper dolls going up each week between now and Christmas.  Go to Ebay, bid high and feel good!  59 celebrities from around the country are participating!

Here is the copy from the site:
Through PROJECT PAPER DOLL, The Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt reminds us that tomorrow can be a better day – every day – when we all work together to combine inspiration, innovation and knowledge to “Make Something Happen.”

In its second year, PROJECT PAPER DOLL has enlisted “A-list” artists and celebrities from around the country to create one-of-a-kind pieces of art using wooden “paper dolls” – the signature of the Children’s Hospital logo. The dolls will be auctioned on eBay starting November 28, concluding December 17, 2008.

PROJECT PAPER DOLL is about making children smile, helping families succeed, turning lives around and ensuring that tomorrow will be a better day, every day.