The Newport Beach keeper of the John Wayne brand hopes to introduce home furnishings and accessories under the late Western movie star’s name in one to two years.

Wayne Enterprises, which is owned by the star’s children and grandchildren, recently hired RWG Licensing. RWG is a strategic marketing and licensing consulting firm that will help the O.C. company find licensed product and endorsement partnerships in the home furnishings and acessories categories.

“Given his sustained popularity, we’ve always thought such a collection would be embraced by American consumers,” said Sherry Leysen, Wayne’s licensing director.

For the last 10 years, Wayne, who died in 1979, has been among the top ten in the Harris Poll for America’s Favorite Movie Star. In 2006, Wayne, whose nickname was Duke, held the No. 3 spot in that poll, according to the company Web site.

A John Wayne-branded line of home furnishings and accessories “inspired by Duke’s reel and real life is a natural fit,” Leysen said.

Between films — more than 175 — Wayne loved deep sea fishing and cruising from the Pacific Northwest to Mexico. He also enjoyed spending time at his working cattle ranch. He also was an art collector and had a collection of Kachina dolls, Leysen said.

At 6′ 4″, John Wayne understood the importance of comfortable furniture that was meant to be lived in and not displayed, she said. Masculine and western elements will be a part of the collection’s style.

Wayne Enterprises’ licensing portfolio includes Duke’s Place Restaurant at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort in Newport Beach and John Wayne holiday ornaments, calendars and saddles.

Is Wayne Enterprises worried about getting into home furnishings when the current housing market is weak?

“In an increasingly competitive market, the values and American ideals that John Wayne represents — strength, courage, commitment and honor — speak to people,” Leysen said.

She added: “Our homes are our havens as well as reflections of our personalities. John Wayne himself recognized this. On his home in Newport Beach, he was quoted as saying, ‘I find things that appeal to me, and I try to blend them in here. I don’t give a damn whether anyone else likes them or not. But I think I’ve done a pretty fair job.’”

(Photo from Wayne Enterprises Web site.) 

Related links:

• Furniture store in O.C. closing after nearly 30 years
• Living Spaces Furniture to open first store in O.C.
• Linens ‘n Things has just weeks to save itself from bankruptcy
• Rags to riches: tale of O.C. entrepreneur
• $1.35 million Tiffany ring bought by O.C. resident
• First Playboy surfboards will come from O.C.
• Chic bowling centers coming to O.C.

For more O.C. retail stories, see list of links on right-hand side of this blog.

Posted in: Celebrities |

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.