OUR HISTORY
So Many Years, So Many Milestones
DANIEL AND MARYANN acquire a struggling small business selling one style of baby crib in Los Angeles, thus creating Million Dollar Baby! They focus on the Specialty Store market and launch by sending thank you gifts to all their new partners, covered with early slogans of “Quality Products, Reasonable Prices, Exceptional Service.”
SISTER JULIA AND BROTHER-IN-LAW JOHN SOON JOIN IN AS EMPLOYEE #3 AND #4.
John drove the delivery truck, and Julia did about every other job (taking and processing orders, warehouse, customer service). They are both still here today!
OPENED DALLAS WAREHOUSE.
One of MDB’s earliest strategies was our investment in warehousing. While retailers would have to wait 12-16 weeks for a competitor to ship, Daniel told them, “use my warehouse as your warehouse”, promising to ship in-stock ready product within a few days.
1990
1991
1992
OPENED OUR OFFICE IN HONG KONG.
The team there helps Daniel with our factory sourcing and are still a huge piece of our family today. By using wooden parts from Asia but American hardware, MDB gains a competitive advantage in quality over other crib manufactures.
OUR FIRST TRADE SHOW!
OPENED A WAREHOUSE IN GEORGIA.
1994
1995
OPENED NEW JERSEY WAREHOUSE.
HELD OUR FIRST EVER QUARTERLY MEETINGS to reflect on the company's first five years and to plan for the next 90 days. The company has held these meetings every quarter since.
1999
2004
Sold our 1,000,000th crib!!!
TRACY, Daniel and Maryann’s daughter, joins the family business as an Account Manager in the Los Angeles office. She’s still the head of sales today!
Just a few babies selling baby cribs.
2005
SOLD OUR FIRST CRIB ONLINE ON EBAY.
We were one of the first manufactures to start 'drop-shipping' cribs directly to homes across America.
2006
To celebrate hitting $1M in sales in a single month, the whole company went on a cruise! Tracy planned the whole thing.
After college, TEDDY JOINS as an Account Specialist and the gang is all back together. He travels the country getting to know our hundreds of retail partners personally.
$1M IN SALES!!
2008
INC. 5000 LIST
We make the Inc 5000 list for the 1st time! No. 4526!
Eyeing a gap in the market for modern, accessibly priced cribs, Teddy creates Babyletto. The first design was a doodle.
(We now use CAD.)
MDB ACQUIRES NURSERY WORKS, a luxury children furnishings brand. Though it looked a little different than it does today.
UPDATED THE LOGO AGAIN!
2010
WE CREATE FRANKLIN & BEN, a brand that caters to the Specialty Store market with thoughtful designs and details inspired by Teddy's time at college on the East Coast. (Teddy really likes starting brands.)
ANOTHER LOGO REFRESH, this one stuck for a while because we put it on the wall.
2011
2012
TRACY IN BLOOMBERG
BUSINESSWEEK!
2014
2015
OUR FIRST CATALOG:
OUR FIRST OFFICIAL LOGO
Featuring the spindle design of our first crib, the classic Jenny Lind.
The company is RANKED #188 IN INC. MAGAZINE'S 500 FASTEST GROWTH PRIVATE COMPANIES in America for 1994.
INC. 500 LIST
DOUBLED the square footage of the Georgia warehouse!
LOGO UPDATE, with a tagline!
We also came up with a new mission statement with everyone's input:
2000
To celebrate, we hosted a big party at the Dallas Aquarium during the JPMA tradeshow. All four locations came, along with our top 10 retailers whom we thanked for their continued partnership and friendship.
1 0 Y E A R S !
Still selling our favorite Jenny Lind Crib.
Handing out retailer awards!
A group photo! Say cheeeeese!
OPENED A NEW SOURCING OFFICE IN CHINA.
The LA office team at Q2 quarterly meetings.
(Our quarterly meetings have come a long way.)
2009
A new tradition is born -
THE ALL STAR OF THE YEAR!
The winner gets an overseas trip to see our factories in person.
2013
TIME FOR A MAKEOVER! Million Dollar Baby gets a new look under Million Dollar Baby Classic, catered to the mid-priced traditional market.
We meet the founders and FELLOW FAMILY- BUSINESS OWNERS OF UBABUB (pronounced über-bub) at a tradeshow and soon become their North American distributors.
LAUNCHED BEDDING BY BABYLETTO.
Some photoshoot behind the scenes action, that’s Teddy’s wife Tiffany!
LAUNCHED VOLO (later Capsule Home), our start-up within a 20-year-old company, using our existing factory relationships to sell modern adult furnishings at amazing prices.
BABYLETTO'S FIRST BIG COLLABORATION,
a line of cribs with The Honest Company.
STARTED OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH VISTAGE,
the world’s largest executive coaching network, bringing more formal training opportunities. Honorary “Uncle” Richard becomes our coach, helping prepare the company to transition leadership from 1st generation to 2nd generation.
Photo shoot at the iconic Stahl House in the Hollywood Hills, featuring the Gradient Crib by Nursery Works and designer Matt’s daughter Hesper! We love using MDB babies in our shoots.
Nursery Works at the Wanted Design show in NYC.
BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK AGAIN! Daniel and Teddy this time.
2 5 Y E A R S!
We turn 25! We celebrate by taking the entire company to the happiest place on earth- DISNEYLAND!
Celebrating 25 years of growing together at the ABC tradeshow in Las Vegas.
TEDDY TAKES OVER AS A CEO.
Daniel transitions to his new role as Teacher.
2016
BABYLETTO LAUNCHES IN AUSTRALIA.
Did you know Aussies call cribs “cots”?
Here is our Lolly collection at a pop-up in Sydney.
WE RAN OUR FIRST STORE, a pop-up for Capsule Home at the Row in downtown LA.
2017
LOGO REFRESH!
BABYLETTO SPONSORING THE BABY BALL GALA supporting Adopt Together.
Hey Vanessa and Nick Lachey!
ON THE ELLEN SHOW!
Showcasing new products at Wanted Design in Brooklyn.
LAUNCHED OUR COLLABORATION WITH CARTER'S, America’s favorite baby brand.
We officially hit the big time, with the largest tradeshow booth at the ABC Kids Expo. 50’ x 60’ to hold more than 30 team members, including 4 from Hong Kong!
2018
MSNBC popped by to film a feature on family businesses, some behind the scenes action!
LAUNCHED BABYLETTO AND NURSERY WORKS WITH Pottery Barn Kids’ new sub-brand PB Modern Baby.
OUR FIRST SHOP-IN-SHOP, the Babyletto room at Juvenile Shop in Sherman Oaks, CA, one of our long-time retail partners.
We throw one last holiday party in the original warehouse, 90s themed for when we started in 1990.
MILLON DOLLAR BABY CLASSIC GETS A NEW LOGO that better represents the brand’s mission: to give their families a sense of home.
2019
WE MOVE! For the first time in nearly 30 years of MDB history, all US teammates are together in the same location with a big warehouse and a beautiful new office, just down the street from our first location.
OUR FIRST RETIREE! After 25.5 years, Linda (employee #10) is ready to put up her feet and relax. Thank you Linda for all your years of service!
2020
INC. 5000 LIST, AGAIN!
Made the Inc 5000 for the 7th time!
A respectable 4559th place.
CREATED THE DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND EQUITY COMMITTEE (DIEC). With everyone working from home due to Covid-19, we start our Speaker Series via Zoom.
Our first speaker was Joe Davis:
NOW
WOW! Time flies when you’re having fun. With our team of about 100, including our teams in Hong Kong and China, we are ready for the next leg of our journey. We’d love to have you join us for all the new milestones along the way.