Linda Calvert recognised this need to make everything as simple as possible when she founded the company 14 years ago. 'To maximise creativity, young children need to play when they feel inspired and not have to struggle with clothes they can't get on without help. It was when I was helping at my son's playgroup that I realised how shoddily made most role- play clothes were and how difficult the children found them,' Linda says.
She had already made a few outfits for her own two children and began to make them for the playgroup, too. The tabard clothes were so successful that soon they were in demand from other playgroups and nurseries in the area.
This was the impetus Linda needed to set up her own company, making playhouses as well as clothes, as she had noted that these, too, tended to be too flimsy for group use. After the birth of her first child she returned to her job in Newcastle, but its distance from her home began to take its toll on family life.
Setting up her own business close to home seemed the ideal solution. Linda already had some knowledge of how business worked. 'I didn't have a firm plan,' she says. 'I think a business can run in a completely different direction from the one you planned.'
This is borne out by the fact that she originally envisaged selling mainly to parents, but it soon became clear that the main demand would come from early years settings. She sent out a catalogue to schools and nurseries all over the UK. She also visited schools to demonstrate her products.
A former Congregational church in Rothbury, Northumberland, is where Three Bears' clothes and play covers are now made by a sewing team, all of whom live in the village and whose hours are flexible to fit around family commitments. The tooling for the playhouse frames is carried out in factories in Nottingham and Derbyshire and then sent on to Rothbury for assembly and packaging.
Linda believes it's important to have contact with her customers, so most of the selling is managed directly by the company; Three Bear Playthings are only available through one major catalogue. She also finds exhibitions of immense value, not only to promote her products, but also because she can meet face-to-face with customers and get feedback and suggestions.
There are currently more than 150 role-play costumes and 24 play covers available, all designed by Linda and her colleague, Linda Herron. The possibilities seem limitless, but one thing is sure - everything the company produces will always be simple and inspirational.
Telephone 01669 620315 www.threebearsplaythings.co.uk
