Satisfied Customizers
Shoppers want to design their own stuff, and businesses are happy to oblige
Mail. Stamps.com tested PhotoStamps last year, a program that let people put their own pictures on postage. Some jokers submitted shots of the Unabomber and Monica Lewinsky, so since PhotoStamps launched for real in May, the company has had tougher censors. Other than that, the deal's the same: 20 stamps for $16.99. New competitor Zazzle (zazzle.com) charges the same for ZazzleStamps .
Odds and ends. Why tool around town on an off-the-rack Huffy when trained dealers of Serotta Competition Bicycles (serotta.com) will put you through a diagnostic to craft the perfect bike for your body? Come to a shop and they'll gauge your flexibility, core strength, abs, and back muscles to determine how you sit, just as they did for John Kerry, who famously toppled off his Serotta cycle during the 2004 campaign. The newest model, the Mei Vici, boasts a full carbon fiber frame and a price that starts at $7,000. Those Valentine's Day hearts aren't the only candies that talk to you. Custom Printed M&Ms ( m-ms.com, from $38 for four 8-ounce bags) come in 15 colors, and you pick two messages, up to 16 characters each. Just enough to say: "Melts in your mo . . . " Dishware got funky this summer with the introduction of Pfz (pfz.com) , a brand that let customers pick shape, color, and design for their plates and bowls. The company was just sold, so the dishes aren't being manufactured right now, but you can play on the site. Cartography fiends who want a wall map of their neighborhood can live their dreams with Rand McNally's CustomView Wall Maps (from $99, randmcnally.com ). It's an atlas to your house; you give your map a name and choose whether you want a street-level view or a highway one. The center point, like your address, will be marked with a purple star. Thus, you can make yourself the center of the universe--just like everybody else.
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