6/3/2008 - al.com DormSuiteDorm
Article by Hannah Wolfson Birmingham News Photo by Beverly Taylor Birmingham News
Mountain Brook mom designs dorm bedding, accessories Posted by Hannah Wolfson May 22, 2008 7:19 AM Categories: Home & Garden 
Beverly Taylor / The Birmingham NewsMountain Brook based seamstress Sheri Corey aims to make dorm rooms more homey with her Dorm Suite Dorm bedding collections.When Sheri Corey, a Mountain Brook seamstress, started getting requests from clients to make custom bedding for their daughters leaving home, she had an idea: Why not start a line of dorm accessories made just for teenage girls?
Now, after 15 years of making curtains, slipcovers and other items, Corey has launched her own business called Dorm Suite Dorm. She has six collections of coordinated linen sets, bulletin boards, laundry bags and even lamps in bright colors and patterns. They're definitely girly -there are ruffles, ribbons and plenty of pink - but also are designed to hold up to the rigors of college life.
"These girls leave from wonderful, beautiful houses and go to these dingy little rooms and have to make them cute and fun," Corey said. "I didn't have anything cute and fun when I went to college, so I get to do it for everyone else."
She's selling the collection on her Web site, dormsuitedorm.com, and through trunk shows around the Birmingham area and at Alabama college campuses.
She could cash in on a trend in dorm decorating. National retailers like Target and Pottery Barn Teen have focused on furnishings to appeal to college students, and, according to the National Retail Federation, spending for such items was expected to hit $5.43 billion last year, up from $3.8 billion in 2006.
"We're trying to make it more homey for these kids," Corey said. "They need to have something that's comfortable and cute."
Dorm Suite Dorm's basic bedding sets, which include extra-long sheets, a dust ruffle, coverlet or duvet cover, a king-sized pillow sham that subs for a headboard and a smaller accent pillow, cost $445. A deluxe set with both a coverlet and duvet cover, is $710. The items are also available separately.
The sets are pricey, but Corey said they include several touches that make them practical. Everything's cotton and easily washable, even the coverlet. The duvet covers and coverlets are reversible, the top sheets are fitted at the bottom for easier bed-making and the dust ruffles are extra-long so they work on loft beds or top bunks.
At the same time, everything comes in trendy fabrics in a combination she calls "preppy with a bohemian twist." For instance, the "Island Girl," line, which she said is the most popular, combines mod blue-and-white flowers with green and blue polka dots and bamboo green gingham.
Many pieces can be monogrammed with initials or Greek letters. And one of the collections, City Girl, lets buyers select an accent color to go with the basic black and white design. Corey said she figures that one will let roommates coordinate with each other.
The accessories are coordinated to match each collection, down to the fabric-covered buttons. The cloth bulletin board ($45) holds mementos with strips of ribbon; some of the cylindrical cloth lamps ($27) and window valances ($55) have a bright tassel fringe. There's also a laundry bag ($25), garment bag ($55) and even matching pajama bottoms ($27).
Corey said making the accessories helps her use up more of her fabric scraps, one of the goals of the business. She hopes to eventually replace plastic packaging with fabric and may add organic sheets.
Corey expects the lines to change each year and the number of options to expand, with shower curtains and towels among the possibilities. She may even branch out to boys' bedding when her own son heads off to college in 2009.
She also plans to start donating a portion of the proceeds to the Linly Heflin scholarship program, which helps send Alabama girls to college.
For now, she's been thrilled to get e-mails from people all over the country, even as far away as California and Massachusetts. And she just hopes her collections make college a little more like home.
"I'm inspired by wanting these girls to have a warm and easy-to-clean room, something that's inviting, easy to be in, and where they don't mind studying," Corey said.
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