Actually, it all began with car trading. In 1946 I sold my renovated Ford 1930 which was the car I bought in exchange for my beloved Nimbus motor cycle. It all happened because of the desire to start my own company, that is "Vestergades Materielhandel". The trade-in of the car brought in an amount which, together with a loan of 8,000 dkr. from Den Danske Bank and two solid guarantors, constituted the working capital of the newly established company. The association with Den Danske Bank is very beneficial to both parties and I am honoured to be a member of the Bank's local neighbourhood council. So, to everyone's surprice, on the 1st of April, 1957 I sold the business in Vestergade.This |
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was the beginning of a whole new venture into camping which, at that time, was not considered a business at all and was an unknown concept. During that first year, besides selling and hiring out my own tents, I purchased and sold other small tents and camping equipment, and I found there was tremendous interest in my ideas. Also, having become entranced with the outdoor life, quite a few customers bought the tents they had hired. The following year I joined forces with a local saddler and, in 1959, purchased a redundant building at the "Vandel" railway in Grejsdalen where I started my first production line. The innovative house tents continued to grow in |
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popularity and, by 1961, production and a large Showroom on "Nørremarken" - the present Isabellahøj - were fully operational. During the sixties, the business developed rapidly. Caravans became fashionable and it was increasingly clear that caravan AWNINGS were in demand. Always quick to seize an opportunity, Jydsk Camping Industri went into production with its first models. In the end of the sixties the first real large production hall with a canteen and kitchen was build. From 1973, tent production ceased and the business concentrated on awnings |
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and other caravan accessories. To cope with the ever increasing demands for Isabella awnings, we have constantly expanded our buildings and are now the largest awning factory in Europe. In 1994, Isabella bought the Telt Larsen factory in Odense. This has considerably increased production space to enable Isabella to cope with the ever growing demands for Isabella awnings both now and in the future. Søren Odgaard |
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