Local woman says biz
will fill puzzling void
Inability to find
crossword-themed items
prompts new business
BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

JEFF GRANIT staff Gladys Sommers of East Brunswick has set out on a unique path — to sell merchandise for fans of crossword puzzles.

EAST BRUNSWICK — For Gladys Sommers, crossword puzzles aren’t just something to help pass the time on a Sunday afternoon.

Sure, they’re a way to have fun, but now they’re also a potential money maker.

Sommers has just opened a business that she says fills a void for crossword lovers by offering them crossword-themed items or souvenirs. Puzzle Prezzents sells magnets, computer mouse pads, mugs, tote bags and T-shirts, all with a crossword slogan superimposed on a crossword grid.

Sommers, who has lived in East Brunswick since 1985, sells the items from her Web site at www.puzzleprezzents.com and out of her home. She said she got the idea for the home-based business after realizing the dearth of items out there for crossword fans.

Last March, Sommers participated in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, and to her dismay saw that no one was selling any kind of souvenirs. When she got home, she searched on the Internet for crossword-themed items but found nothing.

She said she decided "one sleepless night" to sell the items herself.

"It’s gift items for people who like to do crosswords," she said. "People can order them in a choice of two slogans, one is for puzzle solvers and one for puzzle constructors."

The slogan for solvers is "Puzzle Solvers See Things in Black & White," while the slogan for constructors is "Puzzle Constructors Think Inside the Box." Both are contained within a crossword grid.

"Basically, all the products look the same," she said. "It’s a slogan within the outline of a puzzle," though there is nothing to solve.

Given the number of people who love crossword puzzles, she knew there would be a market for her products.

This year, she plans to return to the same tournament, being held March 12-14 in Stamford, Conn., but this time as a vendor, with the blessing of its organizer Will Shortz, the New York Times crossword puzzle editor.

Sommers points to the tournament as evidence of the crossword puzzle’s popularity.

"The tournament has increased in recent years, and last year’s was the biggest ever," she said. "Also, the book stores are filled with crossword puzzle books."

A crossword fan since college, Sommers said she feels a sense of accomplishment after completing a puzzle, especially if the puzzle had a theme. She also finds the games to be relaxing.

"I think it’s also a healthy addiction," Sommers said.

The puzzles are good memory builders too, she said.

As for those who can excel, she feels people with musical or mathematical minds tend to do well with crosswords, and she saw many such people prevail at the tournament.

"It also helps to have a knowledge of trivia," she said.

Sommers said the business has impressed her sons, Lloyd and Craig, a former and current business student, respectively.

"Both of them told me they were proud of me, which is a rare thing for a parent to hear," she said.

She credits her husband, Howard, with being instrumental in getting her to attend the tournament last year and start the business.

"I couldn’t have undertaken this project without the help of my husband," she said. "He has been my sounding board, legal advisor and moral supporter every step of the way."

Sommers started the Web site in January.

"My goal is to manage a successful business based on my passion for solving crossword puzzles," she said.