How Did Trina Spear Sell Scrubs Out of a Car?
Trina Spear says Heather Hasson told her that working together meant selling scrubs out of the car. Spear was still at Blackstone and came to Los Angeles on weekends. The two of them stood on the sidewalk outside emergency rooms at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., when doctors and nurses changed shifts.
Hasson wanted a product she called technical comfort: tops and pants with stretch, soft enough for a long shift, in colors she thought healthcare workers should have, including graphite and the heather gray of business slacks. Spear used those mornings to learn what people loved about their scrubs, what they hated, where they kept tools, and which pockets they needed. They also sold a lot of sets. Before the early shift they picked up coffee and hot cocoa at Starbucks and gave both away to people coming off a night.
Hasson did not want a partner at first. Manufacturers were already paying for production, and she thought she did not need anyone else. After they worked side by side she changed her mind. She says the two of them are different and both competitive, and that Spear would take the work Hasson did not want.
