Q&A: Jamie Getzwiller

 Yoga-Paws

February 20, 2005

Jamie Getzwiller, 25, is the vice president of Yoga-Paws in Carlsbad. Jamie and her mom, Gail Getzwiller, run the company, which sells yoga props and Yoga-Syz instructional videos.

What are Yoga-Paws?

Yoga-Paws are gloves that go over the palms of your hands and feet. They're made from perforated yoga mat material. There is a mesh material on the back with a Velcro strap for sizing, and there is a safety strap between the first and second finger on your hand to help keep them on. They do the same thing that a yoga mat would do but without the entire mat.

What prompted you to think consumers need something like this?

We did them because it allows people to not have to lug around a huge yoga mat. Also, when you use a yoga mat over and over again, it gets really dirty. So there is a whole hygienic aspect to it. Also, they are really easy to travel with, so if you are going to be on a business trip, you don't have to take your yoga mat.

How did you get into this business?

My dad has Navajo rugs. He's been a dealer for, well, it's going on 30 years. We were going to shoot a Yoga-Syz video and he was the one designing the set. We wanted to be able to show these rugs in the video because it was kind of like two advertisements at once. They were putting the yoga mats over these rugs so they wouldn't slip, and it just wasn't working. So we just started thinking of ways we would be able to show the rugs at the same time. And somebody was like, "Why don't we make some gloves?" So we made them. We ended up shooting the video with them and pitching the paws within the video.

How much do Yoga-Paws sell for?

$29.95

Are they made for and marketed primarily toward females, or can men use them also?

We have a male size also. The females' come in a maroonish color, and the males' are in gray and black.

Where can people buy them?

You can get them from our Web site. It's www.yogapaws.com.

Are they sold at any retail locations or gyms?

You know, everybody keeps asking me if we've put them in gyms yet. I guess I should really look into that. But, they are also on eBay and Amazon.com. And we are in the middle of wholesaling them to different stores in the area.

Do you sell any other yoga accessories besides Yoga-Paws?

We are getting ready to sell meditation pillows, and we are also going to be selling this great mat that just came out from Hugger-Mugger Yoga Products. It's like a fuzzy blanket that you lie on. But you can't do yoga on it without Yoga-Paws, because you'd slip since it's so soft. It's really nice when you get down to do floor poses; it's a nice feel.

Do you plan to concentrate more on marketing yoga videos or Yoga-Paws in the future?

We're really pushing Yoga-Paws into the limelight. Because there are so many videos out there, it's really hard to compete. The Yoga-Paws, they're the only one of their class. We're just hoping to take them to the moon. We've been in business for about 2 1/2 years, and we're just trying to break through the top, which is the hardest part when you have a small business.

-Nicole Reino

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