The ‘60s furniture icon has become a practical solution for space-constrained apartment dwellers.
But for Byron Young, his future could be changed by his beanbag development.
Young, a 43-year-old UF alumnus and president of CordaRoy’s Beanbag Beds, will appear on ABC’s reality show, “Shark Tank,” on Friday.
Young’s patented products are beanbags that convert to beds. He runs his business at his northwest Gainesville store, located at 5310 NW Eighth Ave.
On the show, Young will ask the five investors, also known on as “sharks,” for funding toward his product.
Although Young couldn’t reveal the results of the show, he described how he felt being in front of TV cameras.
“It was the most terrifying experience of my life,” he said, “not just actually speaking in front of the ‘sharks,’ but the months leading up to it.”
In October, Young went to Orlando for an open casting call to get on the show. He said he waited in what seemed like an endless line.
“It felt a lot like the ‘American Idol’ auditions you see on TV,” Young said.
While in line, Young was performing a demonstration for a potential customer when a casting staff member noticed his product and asked him to take his turn for an audition right then.
Young’s business isn’t the first Gainesville establishment to be featured on the show.
Representatives from How Do You Roll?, a sushi franchise opening inside the Stadium Club complex on West University Avenue, also made an appearance in front of the investors Feb. 15.
Matt Aschenbrener, chief financial officer of the sushi chain’s Gainesville location, said the show had a positive impact on the business.
“Since ‘Shark Tank’ aired, we actually did get a million dollars in investments but also over 300 phone calls in Florida alone from people who wanted to open their own franchises of the company,” he said. “And across the country, there have been hundreds and hundreds of calls, too.”
There will be a watch party for Young’s episode at Cymplify Central and CYM Coffee Company, located at 5402 NW Eighth Ave.
CordaRoy’s Beanbag Beds owner Byron Young will be featured on ABC’s “Shark Tank” in an upcoming episode. The show includes a panel of investors who receive sales pitches for new products.
