From Owner: Lyle (Buzz) Shabram, Jr
My background is in engineering and design. I have experience in product development, machine fabrication and manufacturing. I have been issued about a dozen US patents and one European patent.
After buying an RV in 2000 , I realized the small outside compartments didn’t allow a lot of room for tables and chairs. It occurred to me that a table that folds up like a small suitcase might be useful for RV’ers, at home, and more. The concept was intriguing to me, so I started working on a design with the objective of creating a new folding table that is portable, attractive, stable, easy to store and very easy to set up. Spiderlegs was born.
My first prototype, with its spindly legs, was the inspiration for the name, now a registered trademark. Some trial and error and a few prototypes led me to design my own locking hardware. We now hold patents that include the table design, the folding system (which includes a broad number of variations), and the hardware.
In 2002 I started producing one size table and selling them at crafts shows. At the shows I received many request for other sizes and started adding them to my product line. The Cafe Table, Picnic Table, Puzzle Table and Coffee Table all resulted from buyer requests.
In 2003 I teamed up with my son Patrick Shabram and formed Spiderlegs Tables, L.P. We started attending more crafts shows, other consumer shows and some wholesale shows. In 2004 we added our TV/Laptop Tables and our new folding Benches, and ?I completed the double Folding Chair in 2005.
Then, in 2005, we attended INPEX in Pittsburgh, PA (an invention and new products exposition) and won a gold medal for our design. This led us to the 2006 International Housewares Show in Chicago, which got us some exposure on HGTV, and introduced us to many of our current retailers. In 2007 and 2008 we were able to find some overseas manufacturing for our hardware and some of our products. Many of our most popular wood products we still produce here in the US.
In 2009 focused our efforts on distributors and retailers, mostly internet retailers, and we formed Spiderlegs Tables, Inc (formerly Spiderlegs Tables, L.P.) located in Carmel Valley, California. Most of our sales today are from a growing number of catalogs and internet retailers. Other officers of our family corporation are Amy Compton (Secretary) and Cathi Shabram (Treasurer) and Patrick Shabram (President).
Thanks for taking time to read our story and taking a look at our Spiderlegs furniture. You can always find us on the web (pun intended) at spiderlegs.com.
My Collapsible Portable Folding Table With Folding Legs Patent
