Entrepreneurial Playthings
Eric Anderson Discovers Gold at the End of Rainbow Systems

by Heidi Thomas

Visiting Rainbow Play Systems in Burlington can literally bring out the kid in you. Bright, rainbow-colored accessories atop sturdy redwood and cedar multidecked clubhouses or castles send an invitation to young and old alike to come and play.

The modular backyard play systems, visible from Interstate 5 just north of Cascade Mall, are designed for children two to 12 but are made strong enough for adults, too. You can start with a basic treehouse type of design and add up to 110 different accessories and options, such as slides, ladders, picnic tables, swings, trapeze bars, tire swings, steering wheels and telescopes.

“They’re like large, wooden erector sets,” describes manager Eric Anderson. “All you have to do is provide your own kids.”

The Burlington outlet sells about 100 units annually, says Anderson, the store’s manager and only employee since it opened three years ago at 489 Andis Road, next to Outback Steakhouse.

Living in Skagit County since 1978, Anderson has a strong entrepreneurial background, mainly in the outdoor industry, having owned Cascade Sports in Mount Vernon with his wife, Laura, for 20 years. He and his brother, Gary, also started Anderson Appliance in Mount Vernon.

Eric Anderson says he doesn’t miss owning his own business, except for the people he employed, the sales representatives and his customers. The outdoor sports industry is a tough business to be competitive in, with the larger corporations moving in, he explains, and now, a small- to medium-sized store might find itself competing with its own vendors. “We saw the changes coming, and it made sense at the time to get out of the business,” he states.

He doesn’t dwell on the past, but tries to think about going forward, he says. His hope for the future is to become sales manager for the commercial side of Rainbow Systems, in which he is already becoming involved.

 

Opportunity arose

With his interest in outdoor activities, Anderson says that when the opportunity came up to work for the company, he was very attracted to the product. “It’s a fun business, selling things people want, rather than what they need,” he says. And while he enjoys watching kids try out the units, he says “parents (or grandparents) get as excited, or more so, than the children.”

His interest also was piqued through experience. In years gone by, he designed a backyard play system from peeler logs for his own children. “I had a ball building it,” he remembers.

Anderson quips that he has “lots of business philosophies, all learned the hard way,” but the most important one is: “The customer is always right even if he’s wrong. If you follow that, things seem to work out right.

“I like to take ownership of my customers, to take their side,” he adds.

Rainbow Play Systems, a 20-year-old manufacturing company based in Brookings, S.D., has 250 outlets throughout the United States. A basic design of a double-deck clubhouse with a slide, ladder, a sandbox or a picnic table and colorful covering, starts at $1,200. The Burlington outlet also is a distributor for a new ADA-approved surfacing material made from recycled tires, as well as trampolines with safety netting and Goal Setters basketball systems. Call 707-2804 for more information.