How one couple started their own business and became successful.

  After working long hours and getting an ulcer while managing a family restaurant near Utica, New York, Don Oberriter felt it was time for a change of lifestyle.

  In 1980, husband-and-wife team, Don Oberriter, 40, and Sharon Oberriter, 38, moved to a tourist-drenched village in Cooperstown, New York, to set up a small sandwich shop near the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Since the National Baseball Hall of Fame was economically prospering due to tourists, the Oberriters thought of creating a baseball theme at the sandwich shop in order to allure these tourists. “We wanted to start a bigger restaurant that would have a baseball theme and sell souvenir bats,” says Sharon.

Read more in Opportunities
« Can Your Brilliant Business Ideas be Turned Into Cash?
A Gold Mine Under Our Noses Can End the Recession »

  Although there wasn’t a building available for their restaurant, they concentrated on creating their souvenir bats. And, by 1983, through industry connections, the Oberriters created the Stadium Series–wooden bats with colorful, high quality designs of ballparks–for a small initial production run of $5000. They created enough bats to market their product, with their prices running under $50.  All bat designs are limited to 1000 editions, except for the first bat design, Doubleday Field, which marks the invention of baseball in 1839. “That’s our most popular and is still in production,” notes Don. They started selling them in local souvenir stores for marketing purposes.

  During their first year, they grossed $500,000, mostly due to the sales of the Doubleday bat. “People were paying record prices for stuff,” remarks Sharon. Sales of these bats proved successful not only among tourists, but collectors as well because of the early 70s baseball collectibles fad.  As designs become sold out, collectors profit off these one-of-a-kind, valuable bats by reselling them at ten times their original price, at collectors’ shows. Hence, collectors became their main target group. The Oberriters started advertising in sports and collectors’ magazines as well as mail order, sports collectibles shows and conventions.

  Their success with the Stadium Series, especially the Doubleday bat, encouraged them to create 45 bat designs in the Stadium Series, each design is also limited to 1000 editions.  As they started to enjoy the success of their commemorative baseball bat company, they decided to sell the sandwich shop and become the owners of The Cooperstown Bat Company in 1988. They believe that the secret to their success depended mainly on their prior experience in running a family restaurant as well as constantly creating innovative ideas and expanding their market by selling to tourists, collectors and local souvenir stores. Sharon adds that it also helps to be “…in the right place at the right time.”

  Sales figures for 1992 grossed over one million dollars. And, by 1994, they made $1.5 million because of the latest line–Famous Player Series–which features a drawing and a personalized autographed of a Hall of Fame player on the bats. “So far, we’ve produced two–Pee Wee Reese and Ted Williams,” said Don. These two bat designs grossed about $450,000, and each one ranging between $200 and $250.

  Future plans include negotiating with many baseball players in order to continue their Famous Player Series, and have twenty five or more baseball players featured on their bats. Also, there is a possibility for expansion into various baseball memorabilia. Sharon feels hopeful that their plans will succeed by concluding, “It’s great because the potential of this business is really limitless.”