Local firm shoots for the stars
BEAN’STOCK INVOLVED IN AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS
By BRIAN BOLT
The Observer

When Movreen Collins first started making scented soaps in the basement of her home in 1998, little did she know that her fledgling business would one day take her to Hollywood to mingle with the stars at the American Music Awards.

Collins and her husband Tom, along with another Canadian couple, attended last month’s awards show and were able to go backstage at the program rehearsal because baskets loaded with their products were part of the “gift bags” given to awards show presenters and performers.

It all started when Collins, owner of Bean’Stock Inc. in Sarnia, received an e-mail from a Hollywood firm asking if her company wanted to participate in the gift bags presented to the stars. Thinking it might be a joke, Collins contacted the firm and found that Bean’Stock was on a list of preferred suppliers provided by Dick Clark Productions, the producers of the American Music Awards.

Collins has “not a clue” how her company got on the Dick Clark list, but it’s clear evidence of the growth Bean’Stock has enjoyed since it’s humble beginnings. The Business has long since abandoned Collins’ basement and now operates from a production facility on Evett Street in Sarnia, where scented soaps and matching bath products are manufactured for distribution at over 2,000 retail outlets across North America.

Collins said she attended U.S. trade shows with her products, and they have been distributed by a California chain of stores, so perhaps the products came to the attention of the Clark people that way.
In any case, she was happy to participate in the opportunity, making up 120 gift baskets for shipment to California. The were included with all the contained in the hefty gift bags, worth about $31,000 each, that were presented to the stars as perks for their participation in the show.

Collins could have left her participation at that, but there was an opportunity to travel to Los Angeles, attend the show and go backstage at the rehearsal – for a fee of a mere $25,000 U.S. Collins said there was no way she could afford that, but decided to try a partnering with Karen and Peter Northgraves of Country Home Candles in Delhi, whose candles were also included in the gift baskets. Together, they offered $5,000 U.S. for the right to get into the show and were accepted.

The Ontario foursome flew to L.A. on the Friday before the show. The trip got off to an inauspicious beginning when, right out of the airport, they were involved in a four-car pileup on one of the city’s infamous freeways (no one was hurt) and spend the first three hours sitting on the highway.

But things went much better Saturday when they arrived at the Shrine Auditorium where the American Music Awards were being held and were amoung the privileged few allowed backstage during rehearsals.
Collins said they had the chance to see singers like Kid Rock, Pink and country star Alan Jackson rehearsing their songs.

“ We could just sit or walk around wherever we wanted while they were rehearsing,” she said.

They also had the opportunity to meet a number of the stars – Kid Rock, the band Metallica, J.C. from the ‘N Sync, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, actor Larry Campbell of According to Him, rapper Sean Paul – and personally present them with their gift baskets.

They also got to see what the stars were driving. Alan Jackson’s huge touring bus was “incredible,” said Collins. Most of the stars arrived in chauffeur-driven SUV’s with dark tinted windows; Pink was the only one who drove herself.

They also met Dick Clark in person and had a chance to chat with Jewelry designer Scott Kay, who was interested in the Bean’Stock product and said he would show it to Saks Fifth Avenue.

The Ontario couples were in the audience for the awards show itself on Sunday, and returned home Monday.
Collins wasn’t too impressed with L.A. as a city, but said it was interesting to see landmarks like Rodeo Drive and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The trip was “totally worth it,” she said. “It was really neat going there but it’s a whole different world…it was nice coming back to my normal life in Sarnia.”
Now, it will be interesting to see if there is any respons3e from the stars who liked her products and want to order more, said Collins.

And the brush with fame may not be over. There is a chance to participate in other Dick Clark Productions events, like Rockin’ New Years Eve and the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic golf tournament.

In the meantime, for those who want to live like the rich and famous, at least a little bit, gift baskets exactly like those presented to the stars are available for purchase in Bean’Stock’s Christina Street store.