February 11, 2009 9:07 PM
Tomboys Turn To Home Improvement
Father's Day might be just around the corner, but dads aren't the only ones coveting the latest power tools. CBS News Correspondent Gretchen Carlson reports on how women are tapping into their tomboy spirit.
Single, 45 and right at home with a power saw, Robin Tyler is part of a growing trend.
"When I came to this house, I had a hammer and a screwdriver that I bought at Gennardi's. That's all I ever had," she says.
Today, single women like Tyler are the largest group of new homebuyers. Home owning brings with it a whole new set of responsibilities as well as problems.
"There was water damage up here. I wanted to put in new cabinets, paint the ceiling after I fix this," Tyler says.
Learning to do it herself has made a big change in her attitude.
"I want to do so much now. It's empowering, is what it is," Tyler says.
And that empowerment is something manufacturers and retailers have been quick to respond to.
The tools are mostly the same for women as for men, but the approach to marketing them is very different. For example, at ladies night at Home Depot, there is music, dancing and a partylike atmosphere.
Women now make more than 50 percent of the purchases at the nation's largest home improvement stores, places like Home Depot and Lowes.
Tony Lemma, a Home Depot store manager concedes, "It's a lady, a woman's world. And we realize that women in most relationships are making most of the purchases. I mean, my wife dressed me tonight"
So, why doesn't Home Depot have a man's night?
Tony says, "Everyday is a man's night at the Home Depot."
Which is why some companies are still working to change the equation.
Remember the Tupperware party? Well, welcome to the Tomboy Tool party.
A few years ago, Leshaun Williams was bitten by the home- improvement bug. Now she enthusiastically hawks a line of tools made specifically for women.
Leshuan says, "We have the party so that women can learn how to do things the way it feels comfortable to them, in our turns, the way we speak to each other, it's just a whole different world."
Sales for Tomboy Tools have increased over 70 percent a month since the Web site was launched last spring.
Single, 45 and right at home with a power saw, Robin Tyler is part of a growing trend.
"When I came to this house, I had a hammer and a screwdriver that I bought at Gennardi's. That's all I ever had," she says.
Today, single women like Tyler are the largest group of new homebuyers. Home owning brings with it a whole new set of responsibilities as well as problems.
"There was water damage up here. I wanted to put in new cabinets, paint the ceiling after I fix this," Tyler says.
Learning to do it herself has made a big change in her attitude.
"I want to do so much now. It's empowering, is what it is," Tyler says.
And that empowerment is something manufacturers and retailers have been quick to respond to.
The tools are mostly the same for women as for men, but the approach to marketing them is very different. For example, at ladies night at Home Depot, there is music, dancing and a partylike atmosphere.
Women now make more than 50 percent of the purchases at the nation's largest home improvement stores, places like Home Depot and Lowes.
Tony Lemma, a Home Depot store manager concedes, "It's a lady, a woman's world. And we realize that women in most relationships are making most of the purchases. I mean, my wife dressed me tonight"
So, why doesn't Home Depot have a man's night?
Tony says, "Everyday is a man's night at the Home Depot."
Which is why some companies are still working to change the equation.
Remember the Tupperware party? Well, welcome to the Tomboy Tool party.
A few years ago, Leshaun Williams was bitten by the home- improvement bug. Now she enthusiastically hawks a line of tools made specifically for women.
Leshuan says, "We have the party so that women can learn how to do things the way it feels comfortable to them, in our turns, the way we speak to each other, it's just a whole different world."
Sales for Tomboy Tools have increased over 70 percent a month since the Web site was launched last spring.
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