Farmington Woman's Business Takes Flight

, they had moved their fledgling Power Capes business from a small office in the historic Power House/Winery building to a larger space on Farmington Rd. in Livonia.

Now Power Capes is on the move again, into a 4,500-square-foot warehouse on Schoolcraft Rd. The business already occupies 1,000 square feet and will move into the rest of the space in early 2012.

The company makes customizable, polysatin capes that are sold at powercapes.com and sent all over the world. Recently, Power Capes owners said they did a set of 500 custom capes for late-night TV talk show host Conan O'Brien, and provided capes for a birthday party for one of actor Kevin Costner's children.

The move is all part of the plan. "We've been stuck in the small space, and now that we're getting more space, we can add more accessories and gear," said Bartman, a Farmington resident.

They've already created a kid-friendly, cloth belt, that's fastened either with Velcro, easier for smaller hands, or a D-ring for older children. The belts are made to be worn either as a superhero "utility belt," with pouches and a loop to hold rope, or with a child's regular clothing, Bartman said.

"We researched it, and the only (belts) out there are plastic, and they come with the Batman outfit," she explained. "Belts are generally hard to find I've found in trying to outfit my kids."

The company is also creating a line of tutus, to create the "princess hero" look.

This year, the business has added two employees. "We have the potential to grow so much more," Bartman said. "If we had 10 more people and 10,000 more square feet, we'd been in good shape. Managing it all is a little difficult."

However, Bartman and Draplin, a Plymouth resident who is a marketing and business development specialist, made the commitment to having a debt-free business. "It can only grow as fast as we can fund it," Bartman said.

As the company has grown, operations have become more efficient. Instead of cutting hundreds of capes at a time, it's 1,000, and there's a constant flow of fabric coming in.

The partners have a babysitter who comes into the store; moms who work there sometimes bring in their children. When the summer's over and school starts, though, "the big hours will kick in," Bartman said.

Learn more about the company at powercapes.com