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From Sleepless Nights to Startup Success: The Journey of Quiet Town Founders

For Lisa Schulner-Fine and Michael Fine, the path to entrepreneurship took shape over a decade ago in New York. It all began when they faced the challenge of getting their newborn son to sleep.

“I would find myself in his dimly lit room, holding him at odd hours, and daydreaming,” Lisa, who co-founded the lifestyle brand Quiet Town with her husband Michael, recalls. “Interestingly, my thoughts would often drift to shower curtains.”

Lisa had long been dissatisfied with the available shower curtain options. With a background in design—she served as a styling director at Madewell and he worked as a freelance fashion photographer—both struggled to pinpoint aesthetically pleasing and sustainable bathroom accessories. The available items were primarily made of inferior plastic materials.

“At Bed Bath & Beyond, we’d find ourselves loading up on poorly made plastic products that didn’t represent our style,” Lisa reflects.

To Lisa, bath accessories appeared to be an overlooked market ripe for fresh ideas, especially in sustainability and design. She dedicated her evenings and weekends to conceptualizing shower curtain designs, balancing this new pursuit with her demanding job and family life.

Initially, Michael found it difficult to grasp his wife’s enthusiasm for this venture. “I thought to myself, ‘This seems a bit out there. Who really cares about shower curtains? Why would you start a business around this?’” he admits. Yet recognizing her creative vision, he offered to assist in any way he could, not fully aware of where this side project would lead.

“I said, ‘Alright, I’ll help you get this started,’” Michael remembers. “We had no blueprint; it was just a side hustle to explore.”

Lisa opted for canvas fabric to manufacture their shower curtains, carefully considering each stage of production from dyeing to finishing. They aimed to create a product that would age gracefully, similar to a favorite pair of jeans, as she describes.

For their first product launch photoshoot, Michael, along with his photography assistant, brought samples of the canvas curtains to the beach. They creatively showcased the curtains using ropes and natural lighting, contrasting traditional bathroom settings with unexpected locations. This innovative approach was reflected in their launch strategy, utilizing social media to communicate that something new was on the horizon.

“We’ve never done anything conventionally,” Michael says. “Instead of staging in a bathroom, we’d seek unique environments, such as beaches or vibrant city walls. Our focus has always been on evoking a certain mood rather than adhering to specific norms.”

Both Lisa and Michael envisioned Quiet Town as more than just a label for shower curtains; they intended it to blossom into a broader lifestyle brand. Their initial products were even named after serene locations like “Ojai” and “Mendocino,” which also inspired the brand’s name.

As they continued to innovate, Lisa became resourceful with production materials. She collected every scrap generated during the process, aiming to minimize waste. This led to the creation of Re:Canvas, a project designed to utilize fabric remnants and transform them into new, stylish products through collaborations.

The couple partnered with the Brooklyn-based Textile Art Center for their inaugural Re:Canvas project, crafting rag rugs inspired by Portuguese designs. Quiet Town has since collaborated on various products, including hand-quilted pillowcases and placemats with West Elm and an apparel line with designer Alex Mill.

“It’s challenging and costly,” Lisa acknowledges when discussing the difficulty of initiating sustainable products within a small business context.

Initially reluctant to produce liners for their shower curtains due to environmental concerns, they later recognized the need for a sustainable solution. The result was the “sun shower curtain,” crafted from non-toxic EVA vinyl that is free of harmful chlorine, PVC, and BPA. This versatile product can serve either as a standalone curtain or a liner, alongside a recycling initiative aimed at reducing ocean waste.

Quiet Town’s founders are mindful that creating a sustainable brand is an ongoing journey. They have spent years working towards circularity for their products, collaborating with Precious Plastics, an international recycled plastics program, to tackle plastic waste.

The “sun shower” category has seen exceptional growth, particularly during the pandemic, when home products became a priority for consumer spending.

“Many people re-evaluated their living spaces during lockdowns,” Michael explains. “With more time spent at home, they looked for resources to enhance their bathrooms, leading to increased interest in our sun shower line.”

Quiet Town transitioned from a side hustle to a full-fledged business by 2020. In just one year, they grew their revenue to approximately $300,000, skyrocketing to more than $3 million annually today.

Amidst these changes, the couple contemplated their living situation, having previously spent a year in San Francisco in 2001, where they felt a connection but never fully settled. The decision to move back was driven by a desire for a lifestyle that included nature and community.

“The Bay Area offers everything we were looking for: mountains, beaches, a vibrant urban environment, and an excellent environment for raising children,” Michael states. “Our past experiences led us to envision the world as our backdrop for photo shoots.”

“The West Coast culture has always influenced our design philosophy. Now it feels like we’ve truly come home,” adds Lisa.

As they reflect on nearly a decade of entrepreneurship, Lisa and Michael emphasize the advantages of partnership in navigating the complexities of business ownership. Michael advocates for the synergy of combining diverse skill sets in a business partnership.

“The best advice I can offer is to find a partner to create a business with,” Michael asserts. “Going solo can be immensely challenging. Ensure that your partner’s expertise complements your own, especially if you’re more creatively inclined—pair with someone who has a knack for finance or operations.”

Michael also recognizes the significance of personal well-being, often discovering inspiration during hikes or leisure activities.

“To truly succeed, you need an unrelenting passion for your business,” Lisa insists. “You must be prepared to defend your vision from the start, as it will likely dominate your life in many ways. If your heart isn’t in it, it may be wise to reconsider the venture.”

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