NFIB

Lawn Ranger
03/ 27/ 2002

by Ivan Sylvester

Tacky. Kitschy. A piece of Americana.

Lawn ornaments of the plastic animal variety have been called many things, but rarely are they thought of as a replacement for flower bouquets.

Betty Jo Houck is out to change that. Her 4-year-old company http://www.WeMailSmiles.com , does just what it says: mails lawn ornaments ranging from the traditional pink flamingo to a spotted dog. Her hook? The lawn ornaments come unwrapped, with no box, adorned with only a priority mail sticker and festive bow. This guarantees them maximum attention in an office, hospital or school.

"I've sent hundreds all over the country and even to the U.S. Virgin Islands," says Houck, who charges $19.95-$22.95 per mailing. Sales are online and by telephone, at 1-800-386-2473. Delivery takes two to three days. "It's a little known secret that items can be mailed this way."

Houck hatched the home-based business while vacationing in Key West, Fla. She mailed a coconut to her nephew in Nebraska, without a box or wrapping. "I thought, if you can mail a coconut, you can mail a flamingo!" she says.

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