With a clear vision of the retail store they wanted to create and a first year start-up investment of only $35,000, the first challenge was to find products to sell. In 1978, most of the products The Container Store sold came from commercial or industrial manufacturers, and had never been sold in a retail environment. Kip and Garrett often had to persuade commercial manufacturers to supply them with retail merchandise. Mason’s tool bags as overnight bags, egg baskets as carryalls and wire leaf burners as toy barrels were just a few of the original products that debuted in the 1,600 square foot store. The store outgrew its space within a year, and by 1980 had expanded twice. Eventually, the company’s first store would have to move across the street to find room for an ever-increasing inventory…more