Susan Fowlers’ comforter, sized for use by an individual and foldable into a pillor or travel pillow. (Photo by Alexis Orlacchio. Click to enlarge)
By ALEXIS ORLACCHIO
Window Shopping the Green cozied up at Down To Basics in The Galleria Red Bank with the 4-in-1 Travel Comforter created by store owner and Rumson resident Susan Fowler.
Originally from Wisconsin, Fowler moved to New Jersey 35 years ago and has owned Down To Basics for 22 years. She’s been selling the white, goose down comforter encased in a white striped duvet cover for 15 years.
What’s a travel comforter? “You can use it as a personal comforter, a crib comforter,” Fowler said. “It can be folded in half as a standard pillow, or folded into the case for a smaller travel pillow.”
Folded into its travel case, the comforter becomes a pillow. (Photo by Alexis Orlacchio. Click to enlarge)
Reminiscent of luxurious hotel bedding, the plush pillows have been ordered by hospitals all over the country, including Yale-New Haven and Stamford hospitals. She added that Stamford ordered 1,500 of the blankets for their VIP patients.
“It is ideal for travel – planes, long car rides,” said store employee Jane Arai. “We have sold it to students going away to college. It’s a gift for a new baby, for an older person in a wheelchair. You can put it behind a bad back to make the seat more comfortable.”
“ItÂ’s a comfort item,” Fowler said. Her goal in creating it, she said, was to have “something practical and usable for all ages.”
The comforter and case are both machine washable. The pillow comes with folding instructions; there’s even an instructional “how-to” video on the Down To Basics website.
The Travel Comforter is sold in two sizes, priced at $69 and $169. For $15 extra, customers can add a personalized monogram.
