Mother-daughter tandem turn to a library to design a new career path for themselves.

Mother-daughter tandem turn to a library to design a new career path for themselves

Laura Scott was about to graduate from a local interior design college, so she decided to accept an entry-level position running a nearby shop's research materials library.

That library, like those of most other design firms across the country, consisted of an unorganized heap of carpet and fabric sample books, product binders, brochures, etc. -- all crammed into a tiny room, Scott remembers.

The bulk of the materials were sorely out of date and dubious value to designers in need of up-to-date product information.

The fledgling designer, throughly frustrated, ended up quitting that job. She has now joined forces with her mother, Jeanne Scott, to launch what they claim will be the nation's first design research library.

With financial backing from Newport Beach realtor Ron Tomsic, the mother-and-daughter team has leased about 30,000 square feet at 5777 W. Century Blvd., near LAX.

They're now assembling thousands of product binders, samples, price lists, etc., from manufacturers around the world.

"I knew zero about this industry prior to this," admits Jeanne. "But this library has the ability to change the entire way this industry does business, and it opens up a whole new marketing avenue to manufacturers."

The Scotts are depending on support from product manufacturers, charging them $33 a month for a single inch of shelf space in the new library.

The mother and daughter both declined to specify last week exactly how many manufacturers have committed to "rent" library space, or how much space remains unrented.

But they did proclaim, in general terms, that the response has been "tremendous."

"This is not a venture looking to get off the ground> it's far beyond that," insists Jeanne, a former real estate agent.

Only registered trade professionals (designers, architects, plumbers, carpenters, etc.) will be admitted to the library, she explains.

"We've already issued 5,000 library cards to trade professionals," Jeanne says. "And a mass mailing of (library card) applications is going out next week."