The Oopseat: Interview and Review with Mompreneur and Autism Advocate Lisa Goodman
Lisa sent me a square Oopseat and placemat to try out. These colourful Canadian chair covers come in a variety of cute prints. Ours is a zoo print called animals. There are six different patterns from race cars and a sweet graphic of the months of the year to a plain ivory print.
My children love the matching set. The Oopseat is available for either a square seat or an oval seat. It attaches easily with velcro to your chair and it comes with an extender piece that works for oversized chairs too. The chairs we sit at in our dining room have extra wide seats and at first I was concerned the chair covers wouldn’t quite fit, but the extender makes it work nicely.
The cover itself is $49.99. The placemat that matches is $11.99. Or buy the matching set together for $54.99. The matching set together is not a bad deal really as it lasts for a long time and there is quite a lot of material involved here.
OOpseat INTERVIEW with Lisa:
Q: Your child has autism, correct? Is that how you came to the idea of creating this? What year did you come up with the product?
Lisa: Yes my son has Autism. I came up with the idea because I needed to find an at home business so that I can be available to him. However, this is not a “special needs” product. It is for all kids and adults as well. I came up with TheOopseat in 2008. It has taken a quite some time to get it right, and being a single mom, life has gotten in the way quite a bit since I’m on my own.
Q: Is the Oopseat (chair cover and placemat) your only product so far?
Lisa: TheOopseat cover and placemats are my only product. They were designed with a specific purpose in mind.
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| The cover we got attaches nicely around the back of the chair like an apron |
Q: I read that you donate a portion of your chair covers sales to autism and biomedical research. Tell me why? Also can you tell me what portion of sales?
Lisa: The crucial and much needed therapies and interventions are very costly and taxing on families. When my son was diagnosed, it was very overwhelming. I am trying to do my part. 10% of all sales from TheOopseat chair covers is given to foundations and biomedical research to help families offset these costs and gain hope for recovery.
Q: How do you clean the Oopseat?
Lisa: You can wipe TheOopseat with a damp cloth. It is not safe for a washing machine.
How long do these chair covers last?
Lisa: My son and I have been sitting on ours for the last 2 ½ years and are still in great condition.
Are there any other products in the works?
Lisa: I am always trying to come up with new and innovative ideas that will complement TheOopseat, but as of now it is my only product.
Thriftymommastips gives this a $$$$ out of $$$$$.
Final Thoughts:
I love that Oopseat chair covers protect my furniture nicely and I really love that Goodman donates part of the proceeds to Autism foundations and research. This is a Canadian product, made by a Mom. Some may find it a bit expensive, but if you consider also that comparable items selling in special needs medical equipment catalogues cost even more then the price is quite good.
The placemats are fantastic. Longlasting and really cute. Visit http://www.theoopseat.com/ for more information
As noted I received a matching set for consideration here. This in no way impacts my opinion.
