Ever Wanted to Be a Superhero?

It started with a birthday wish: The year he turned 4, Holly Bartman's son, Owen, now 8 1/2, wanted a superhero party.

"I made all of his buddies capes as a take-away," said Bartman, a Farmington resident. "One of the moms said, 'You should make them and sell them.' "

Bartman, a former special education teacher at Redford Union High School, had planned to go back to teaching when her children reached school age. Instead, this turn at making and distributing custom superhero capes through PowerCapes.com has become her life's work.

In the first few months, Bartman sold a few capes here and there, largely through word of mouth.

"I bought one bolt of fabric, thinking I would never need that much," she said.

She did a few trade and craft shows, sold capes through eBay, the online auction site, and etsy.com, a Web site for handcrafted item sales. She was doing well but readily admits marketing isn't her thing.

Enter marketing and business development specialist Justin Draplin, a Plymouth resident who has played a large role in moving Power Capes forward. Draplin and Bartman met when they each occupied offices in Farmington's historic Power House/Winery building.

"We were the only ones on the floor," Draplin said. "I asked if I could build her a website, and she wholesaled me the capes."

Draplin said he saw something special in the business. "It's a super-cool product. At first, I was kind of surprised that somebody could be making superhero capes and that's all they did. But that's what Holly was doing," he said.

The key to Power Capes' success, Bartman believes, is that "for boys, there isn't a lot of dress-up (clothing)."

The polysatin capes are not only cool, they're customizable. Children can go online and pick the color of their cape, the emblem and even preview the design before they order.

If something isn't quite right when the order arrives, Bartman said, "We offer a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee."

Not just for children

Youngsters aren't Power Capes' only customers. Power Capes has made capes for several nonprofit groups, including Heart Heroes, a Nebraska organization that gives capes to children born with congenital heart conditions, and Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children with terminal illnesses.

Capes are also popular gag gifts and are even popular in the business community. Power Capes sent 25 custom superhero outfits to Mopar, the parts and service arm of Chrysler Corp., and sends capes to the Miami Ad School, which gives them to visiting professors.

The company is also sponsoring "Endorphin Dude," a runner who was once obese and now runs marathons throughout the country. Power Capes has done custom capes for him based on themes, such as Mardi Gras, and he, in turn, promotes the business when he runs.

Power Capes' staff has grown from two people to nine, and the company has moved into a Livonia office. Zookie the dog greets visitors at the door, and moms will occasionally bring their children.

"We all work flexible schedules," Bartman said, "and we have a quarantine room if kids have to come in when they're sick."

The future of Power Capes, both partners say, is virtually unlimited. As Draplin points out, "There's something like 30 million kids in the U.S. under the age of 7, which is our target market."

The company plans to sell more to retailers and hopes to continue expanding: Power Capes have already sold in Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, China and Korea.

"This is way more than I ever expected it to be," Bartman said.

"I don't see an end," Draplin added. "The supply (of customers) is kind of never-ending."

Power Capes doesn't have a retail store, you can order on-line; for more information, visit powercapes.com.