I've had several people ask me about Kiddie Kandids declaring bankruptcy. Let's just say it's not a surprise.
I worked for RWS Enterprises the parent company for 8 years. I started as their trainer, traveling all over the western US basically firing staffs and rehiring, training, and such. One person named me the "Untanned Terror". Another was shocked when I walked into her California studio to find that I wasn't 7 feet tall. Nice reputation, huh?
About a year into working for them, Scott and Wayne forced Rich (see where the RWS is coming from?) out of the company. Rich was the one who originally started Kiddie Kandids in Orem. Rich had no photography experience, so introduce Scott into the picture. Wayne had a photo development company, so he joined in. Between the three of them there were three divisions in the company; portrait studios(Kiddie Kandids), school photos (Scott Adams Photography), and the labs(Wayne Fox Pro Color Lab). When Rich left so did the general manager of the studio division. Jodi and I ran the studio division after that and eventually we morphed into me being the HR Director for the company and she the Training Director for the studios.
Boy, was that fun, working in a family owned business where some of kids thought they could do ANYTHING and you get to fight the lawsuits that come from it. I about went over the table and throttled one of them when we were in a arbitration meeting. I still think the guy's a, well, guess I shouldn't write that here. Really, for the most part I did enjoy my time there. Some of the most talented people I know I know from my KK days.
Anyway, I was their HR Director until 2001 when Roland got his fellowship to Cornell. I stayed in contact with both Wayne and Scott and some of the family. They sold the company to an investment firm in 2006 or so. (The school portrait division was sold off before I left). I knew it wouldn't be long after that that big changes would be made. In late 2008 a son and a son-in-law that had been running the studio division since the sale were gone. I went to lunch with one of them in January of 2009 he said the new owners would run it into the ground within a year. Wow, did he nail that time line!
I think it's sad that they have closed and locked the doors. But, no I'm not surprised. From what I'd heard the business plan was unsustainable. Let's face it, most moms have a digital camera now and can capture the personalities of their children just about anywhere.
Goodbye, Kiddie Kandids. I hope the best for those left without jobs. From what I've seen on facebook there are going to be a lot of entrepreneurs starting their own photography business.
Hello world!
2 years ago
2 comments:
I used to be a loyal customer with my first 3 kids but really now with digital cameras and all the amateur photographers in the neighborhoods doing great outdoor photo shoots for cheap--who needed them anymore? I was planning on taking Mia in for her 2 year old portraits but even then I wasn't planning on buying more than 1 8x10. I guess it's just really crappy how they shut down and aren't paying their employees for the past 2 weeks or letting people still order their prints online. Good memories at that place tho--lots of tears and threats to capture that perfect shot! :)
So sad, yet I have to admit that when I went to the one in NYC I was not impressed. I had to do more work with the kids to try and get them to smile. At the end we did buy quite a bit (it was only their second studio shoot in a year). I am glad that I bought the digital files. At the end I asked the person that worked with us if she knew Scott...the answer was Scott who?? I guess that small but growing place we used to run around in...is long gone...and now really gone. (I was kindly referred to as the "terminator")in my day and I still to this day tell many stories of when I was young (can't believe I did all that in my early twenties) and flew around firing and hiring and training! I am glad that I met you there! now a moment of silence...
Post a Comment