BED-ER-SIZER

About three years ago Brent Taylor was watching a late-night " infomercial" when a question popped into his mind: Why weren't there more fitness products out there for senior citizens? Following some brainstorming, Taylor and his wife, Kathy, came up with a concept and a name. Their creation: the Bed-er-Sizer, a stretching and strengthening device that uses a bungee cord with an adjustable tension control. Today, the couple is busy promoting their product everywhere from fitness expositions to physical therapy centers to churches, with the hopes it will catch on. "We'd like to get it out to as many people who would like to have it," said Taylor, 34. The couple has received positive feedback from several area physical therapists, including Tricia Mahoney, director of physical therapy at the Shriners Hospital for Children, Erie. "It does appear that it could be a useful piece of exercise equipment, especially for use in the home, for upper and lower extremity stretching and strengthening," Mahoney said. The couple has also managed to get their $29 product into area sports and medical products stores including Erie Sport Store, Black- burn's Rehab Specialties Inc., Villa Medical Supply, Great Lakes Home Healthcare, and The Exercise Store, he said.

​

Erie Center on Health and Aging, they said. They've sold about 100 Bed-er-Sizers in all, they said. While the couple said promoting the Bed-er-Sizer is hard work, they pointed out that they've already made it through the initial challenge: turning their idea into a real patented product. They spent several months trying to find people to make parts for the product. They eventually ended up working with several local companies, including Matt's Shoe Repair, The Embroidery Shoppe, Precise Plastics Inc., and Precision Bolt Inc. They also were helped by a friend who loaned them money to start their company, Day & Night Inc., and received counseling from the Gannon University Small Business Development Center and Service Corps of Retired Executives. Looking ahead, the couple hopes to expand promotion of the Bed-er-Sizer to people other than seniors, including athletes, they said. But even if the Bed-er-Sizer doesn't become a big seller, it won't be for lack of effort, Kathy Taylor said. "That's what everyone says, they admire our spunk," she said.

​

-Kathy Taylor developed a fitness product called Bed-er-Sizer with her husband Brent.