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Twenty-one years and 15 prototypes after first visualizing how to organize bedroom dresser drawers, Lanham resident Karol Logan is busy marketing a retooled version of her product she hopes will line the shelves of major retail stores.

Her original solution for her three daughters' rooms in 1989 was 15 hand-sewn, red, yellow and blue vinyl and fabric drawstring bags, five per daughter.

"I wanted to make chores easier and so they could help," said Logan, 60. "I needed the ideal product to help me. What would it be? A bag with a window on it."

But it was not until the winter of 2007, when Logan was late to a meeting because her dresser was unorganized that she decided to redesign the drawstring bags — this time for herself.

"I thought that if I was having this issue, other people are having this issue," she said.

Logan redesigned the early version of the organizer, which resembled a namesake small duffle bag, into the Duffy Organizer, a canvas, collapsible container with see-through front and top.

Logan began selling the redesigned product in June to mid-Atlantic-area retailers and in November at retail shows to the public.

Logan, a retired teacher who now markets and sells her product as a full-time job, said the time and effort she puts into her business is rewarding.

"I feel that I really probably didn't focus on my career while I was raising my children because I felt the most important thing I was doing was raising my children," she said. "[Now] just the joy of seeing something I've been working on for so long, although not steadily, the joy of seeing that blossoming is very, very fulfilling."

The Duffy Organizer comes in two sizes, one about the size of a shoebox, which is sold for $14.99, and one half that size, which is sold for $9. The organizer is made by a Pennsylvania-based company that ships the product to Logan's to be sent to customers.

The product fits into most dresser drawers but can also be placed in closets and on shelves.

When her daughters were young, they each folded their clothes fresh from the dryer, then placed the items in the bags and carried them to their dresser drawers, Logan said.

One of the biggest challenges of starting her business is figuring out which step comes next, she said. She has taken about 12 non-credit classes — including accounting and bookkeeping — mostly at Prince George's Community College in Largo.

Logan said she is in the process of securing a patent for the Duffy Organizer and hopes to see her product on the shelves of major retailers within five years.

Karol Logan's husband, Thomas Logan Jr., 60, who helps with the business, estimates that in 2009 they sold about 500 organizers.

One of Logan's three daughters, Jina Simons, 31, of Brooklyn, N.Y., said the drawstring bags kept her and her sisters organized.

"My mom is not naturally overly organized — she's a free spirit, she's an artist. She was trying to inspire us to keep some semblance of order in our bedrooms. Her being an artist, she first thinks about, ‘What can I make?' rather than going to the store," Simons said.

Customer Erin Flaherty, 28, of Odenton said The Duffy has made her more creative.

"I think the people who are organized will get greater benefit from it, spice up their organization a bit," Flaherty said. "It's great for someone who is organized — it gives them more places to store things."

Carla Thomas, 39, of Suitland said The Duffy has made her more organized.

"It seemed like a good product because I can't close my drawers," Thomas said. "It's durable, hasn't fallen apart — it fits right in your drawer. The drawers I have those [Duffys] in are the only drawers I can close all the way."

E-mail Liz Skalski at eskalski@gazette.net.