At re:form, Sarah C. Baird surveys the increased attention product designers have been giving to the approximately eleven percent of the world who is left-handed.
From re:form:
Lefty's — which originally opened in 1978 — was the first outlet devoted specifically to left-handed products in the United States. The store shuttered in the 1980s, but reopened after a 30-year hiatus in 2008 and has since witnessed rapid expansion and growth. Today, Lefty's has a thriving online business, a satellite location in Kissimmee, Florida and kiosks throughout Disney World hocking left-handed notepads to miniature, Mickey Mouse-loving southpaws.
"For 30 years, there would be calls from people who said, 'I need to get my left-handed notebooks for school! I need my scissors! Please bring it back!' From the moment we opened the doors [in 2008], it was wall-to-wall lefties or people buying presents for lefties. It was really astonishing to see how appealing it was to lefthanders to finally have a place that was just for themselves."
