Adding to the "O" media score, InStyle and Shop Etc. magazines will feature Meyer in their August issues, and she will appear in Honolulu's Smart magazine in July.

Not bad for a little home-based business that started out a year ago as a class project for her masters program at Hawai'i Pacific University.

Her project-turned-business is Closet Fetish, a line of stylish color-coordinated closet organizers that can turn a mishmash of closet mess into a sleek, sophisticated storage system of matching boxes and hangers.

Born and raised in Hilo, Meyer's passion for shoes sparked her business. She owns more than 200 pairs of stilettos, pumps, mules and slides — more than enough to qualify her for shoe-fetish status.

To identify the shoes in her closets, Meyer takes photos of each pair and tapes them to the outside of a shoe box. The sloppiness of the mismatched, hard-to-stack boxes is what inspired Closet Fetish.

Closet Fetish boxes are constructed from sturdy, bookbinding cardboard and feature a four-by-six-inch frame on the outside where a photo or list of the contents can be inserted. Boxes come in three colors: light blue, beige and chocolate. In the works are cherry red, ballet pink and lavender.

Also coming are boxes double and quadruple the size of the current containers, so they can hold more things (hats, handbags, belts, games or whatevers), but will still stack neatly together.

To make an even more coordinated closet, Meyer added matching wood hangers. She also makes Baby Fetish, packs of five mini-hangers tied with pink or blue ribbons.

Of course, the boxes can also be used to store other things. Videotapes fit perfectly, for example.

Meyer's marketing strategy has been simple. She sells Closet Fetish through www.closet fetish.com and she has held "Fetish Parties" in her home to show off her "before" and "after" closets and demonstrate how her system works.

Perfect gifts

Julie Brooks of Makiki attended Meyer's May 7 Fetish Party and bought boxes for her mom's Mother's Day gift, as well as gifts for friends. "It was so cool to see what she had done with her closets. The hands-on, see-how-it-works approach really worked for me," Brooks said.

Pamela Maeda has always struggled with the tiny closets in her Hawai'i Kai home. "The system enabled me to maximize my space. They (the boxes) can stack so neatly next to each other," she said. After reorganizing her shoes and handbags and placing photos on all of her boxes, "I went ahead and 'fetish-ized' my husband's closet. I even put on photos of his 'ugly shoes,' which he got such a kick out of. He loves it. It's the most awesome invention."

Sommer Meyer's Closet Fetish starter set includes six boxes and six hangars and costs $105. Individual boxes are $15. Boxes come with a 4-by-6-inch photo frame on the outside for easy identification of box contents.

Where to Find Closet Fetish • Meyer's storage system is available only through www.closetfetish.com. A starter set of six boxes and six hangers costs $105. Individual boxes are $15; three adult hangers are $12. • Baby Fetish is sold at Ohana Daze in Mililani and Kahala Kids in Kahala Mall at $20 for five hangers. • Write Meyer at closetfetish@yahoo.com or call 282-1867.

Not Giving Up Day Job

Meyer's business background is in liquor sales and she's not ready to give up her day job yet. She began working for a microbrewery as an intern at University of Colorado-Boulder. After graduating, she moved to Denver with Miller Brewing, but when they learned that she was from Hawai'i, they sent her home to oversee Miller sales here. She recently became the Bacardi representative for the Islands.

Meyer partners with Hagadone Printing to have Closet Fetish products made in Hong Kong. She and her mother, Carol Helekunihi, a history teacher at Parker School on the Big Island, handle all the distribution from her home. However, she is looking for warehouse space because the boxes of boxes are taking over her house.

And, yes, after the summer media blitz, Mom might have to retire from teaching to help her daughter full-time.

Whether or not the Closet Fetish boxes will protect shoes from mildew is uncertain. It hasn't been an issue for Meyer in Mililani. Perhaps an acid-free version for those who live in Manoa, Nu'uanu, New Orleans and Savannah will be needed?

LIFE After "O"

Meyer is gearing up for the media bonanza. However she can't clearly map out a supply strategy as there are so many uncertainties. A nod from Oprah has been known to launch — or should we say skyrocket — more than a few small businesses into the stratosphere.

"In the years I've spent taking things to market, I've learned that you do the best you can and make decisions as you have to," Meyer said.

"It's sort of ramping up progression at this point," as the product gets introduced locally, then nationally in major magazines, she said with a shrug and a head shake.

Meyer said she would "Like to design attractive organization systems for other rooms in the home to build on the Fetish name. I think there's a broader application than just closets ... I don't know where this is going to take me, but I'm here for the ride."