Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristofer Eriksson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kristofer. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My story with Hastens LA started about five years ago in Stockholm when I won the green card lottery. Just previously I had been over to Los Angeles for a year of studies after I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Business Adm and just fell in love with the city and the sun. After some research I found out that my only way to stay in the US as a Swede was by getting knee deep in student loans, getting married or applying for the green card lottery. The lottery was a long shoot that turned out successful, only about 1% of the applicants will get it.
At the time I was working as a Private label strategic buyer for COOP, one of Sweden’s largest FMCG retail chains, I had been there for about four years, and felt that it was time to move on towards new opportunities and challenges. I was fortunate at the time to know the owner of the world’s most successful Hastens store in West Hollywood, on Beverly and Robertson. He was also Swedish just like the company, so I decided to fly over for a weekend and discuss the opportunity of opening a second showroom with them in Santa Monica.
It all felt right and I was excited about the opportunity of doing something completely new, so we shook hands and I quit my job the next week to start a new life in a new city.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Life is never a smooth road, and there have certainly been some challenges along the way even though I consider myself very lucky. First of all, I had to quit my job and rent out my apartment in Stockholm in a very short period of time.
The training at the legendary Hastens factory in Köping was just four weeks away and after the completion, I was flying straight to LA without a home address. Fortunately, my very good friend Mattias Ramos had a room for me, not so much in his apartment that was crowded with roommates, but in his heart. He let me stay on his couch for the first months until I got up to speed with a car, license, insurances and everything else that you need in your daily life. Just starting new from scratch has been a great learning experience for me.
Then it was the infamous LA traffic, I was sitting in the car for three hours every day between North Hollywood and West Hollywood, working 10-7 six days a week to learn the business and prepare for the opening of Hastens on Montana, my current location. It was a big shift compared to the smooth public transportation in Stockholm and very draining of energy.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Hästens has a rich history running back through six generations starting off as master saddlers creating the most exclusive saddles, using the same all natural materials as for our beds; horsetail hair, cotton, wool, and flax.
Hästens started focusing solely on selling mattresses in 1852 and opened a factory in Köping –2 hours north of Stockholm, Sweden. Our beds are still to this day hand-crafted in our Dream Factory in Köping without any artificial materials. Hästens has had the honor and privilege of serving as an official purveyor to the Swedish Royal Court for three generations and the journey to where we are now is one filled with passion, skill and the pursuit of making the best-handcrafted beds in the world.
All our mattresses come with a 25-year warranty but are made to last for up to 100 years with the proper care. In Los Angeles, we even massage and flip the beds for our clients complimentary as a way to make sure that every single client loves their investment. My store was awarded as the winner of the Hastens sales league for highest growth in 2017, with a growth exceeding 100% year to year.
I’m very proud of our commitment to quality and customer service, we have yet to this day never received a return and our most popular mattress is $40,380.00. That means that people really get what they pay for.
What were you like growing up?
I have always been a quick learner and problem solver, I always wanted to understand how things really worked., and I did so by breaking electric toys and then putting them back together, I built model planes and Lego structures in my room before there were computers to toy with. I’m also kind of an introvert that learned how to work in groups by participating in team sports.
I always played soccer and managed to go all the way to the top with my club Tyreso that was ranked top 10 in Sweden for U18. I was never a talent myself but worked a lot harder than most to make up for it. I always tried to be kind and believed in karma, I was always on time and never skipped a class. I think that this has to do with my competitive spirit, I grew up with three younger siblings and always had to compete for my parent’s attention. It might have something to do with it.
Pricing:
- The entry-level Luxuria bed with mattress, base and top mattress starts at $15,000.00 in King size
- The Top of the line Vividus “The worlds most exclusive bed” is $159,000.00 in King size
- A king size mattress and top only starts at $10,000.00
- The most popular 2000T II bed with mattress, base and the top mattress is $40,380.00 in King size
Contact Info:
- Address: 1302 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403
- Website: www.hastensla.com
- Phone: 3102600020
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/hastensla
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hastensla/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hastens-santa-monica-2?osq=hastens
Image Credit:
Mikael Johansson
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