I sold my steakhouse in 1997 and went briefly back into the corporate world, but decided to re-enter the hospitality industry in 2001, this time from the other side of the counter. I decided to rather supply to the industry - my first products being the legendary self-stabilising StableTable bases, which have now evolved into the even more efficient Stabiliza range of self-stabilising bases, for which I am the principal distributor in KZN.

It was a natural progression to add chairs, barstools, other table bases and table tops to my product range, the result of which has today led to Calen Chairs & Tables becoming one of the leading suppliers of furniture into KZN's hospitality industry. Apart from the Stabiliza range of products, the decision was taken to not be an agent for any particular supplier as this would affect my independence and my ability to source products from across the whole spectrum of suppliers, from importers to local manufacturers, in order to meet my clients' requirements. Accordingly, I set my own prices which are among the most competitive in the industry, due to me having no employees and working from my home in Durban, thus operating off a very low overhead base.

The success of Calen Chairs & Tables is based on a total commitment to service excellence and professional attention to satisfying the client. Calen's client list reads almost like a Who's Who of the KZN hospitality industry, due to becoming a "One-Stop chair and table shop". It is not unusual to supply one client with chairs from Supplier A, barstools from Supplier B, table tops from Supplier C and table bases from Supplier D. Further all logistics are co-ordinated to ensure timeous delivery to site of each item when it is needed. Clients only need to make one call to ascertain the status of their orders, as opposed to calling several different suppliers for the same job. (They also only need to make only one payment!)