By Leyna Krow, Assistant Editor, JTNews
Myra Rothenberg’s new business venture grew out of a common Hanukkah frustration.
“I used to watch my mother put tin foil under our menorah and I thought, what a waste to have a nice menorah, but then put something under it that looks like yuck. I always thought there must be something better,” Rothenberg said.
The Eastside resident and grandmother of three tinkered with a variety of substances for years, including plastics and wax paper, until she finally hit upon the idea of using something silicone-based to protect countertops from dripping menorah wax.
“I went out and bought a silpad, spilled some wax on it, and it popped right off,” Rothenberg recalled. “That was what I was looking for.”
Silicone baking pads aren’t necessarily the most aesthetically pleasing items to leave around the house, however. So Rothenberg set about creating something that would stop wax and look cute at the same time.
The result is a product that Rothenberg has named Decormates: Thin silicone sheets, rimmed with a lip to prevent spillage, and decorated in a variety of colors and patterns. They can be used not only for catching menorah drippings, but also for other candles, and as trivets for hot kitchen items or pet food bowls. Rothenberg added that they are great for as non-slip mats for boats and RVs.
“A number of people in my neighborhood just leave them on the counter. They’re great for setting wine bottles on, or drippy juice containers,” she said.
But once Rothenberg had found the perfect substance for Decormates, she knew she’d need help getting her business off the ground, so she enlisted her longtime friend Tami Rudnick Rabin.
“I called Tami up and said, ‘I have an idea. I’m going to make some stuff, do you want in?’ And she said, ‘yes.’”
According to Rabin, who has 38 years of retail experience under her belt, Rothenberg handles the creative side of the Decormates enterprise, while she handles the business end.
“God bless Myra, she’s so creative. But she can’t add a column of numbers to save her life,” Rabin joked.
Rothenberg and Rabin launched their Web site, decormates.com, at the end of October. So far, Rothenberg said, she’s been pleased with the amount of enthusiasm Decormates are generating.
She attributes her products’ early popularity to both their simplicity and practicality. Decormates are 100 percent food-grade silicon and come in several sizes. Rothenberg also pointed to the environmental benefits of the Decormate.
“It’s kind of a green product,” Rothenberg said. “Yes, it is made of silicone, but you buy one and use it over and over.”
Although Rothenberg said she hopes Decormates will eventually end up in all sorts of homes, her target audience is, first and foremost, Jewish households.
“People put the weirdest stuff under their menorahs. Someone told me she was using a quilt,” Rothenberg said. “So it’s really a safety thing. We want everyone to have one of these so they don’t burn don’t their houses down.”