Would-be Marthas eye throne

The race is on to be the next nearly Martha.

Chris Casson Madden, the author of 16 books on the home, is trying to do for J.C. Penney what Martha Stewart did for Kmart. In May, Penney will introduce over 1,700 products -- everything from bath towels to furniture -- that Madden and her staff designed and that will be called the Chris Madden With J.C. Penney Home Collection.

B. Smith, the restaurateur, and Katie Brown, an author of decorating books, who have both put in their time on cable television, say they have been barraged by calls from networks, venture capitalists, furniture companies and people from Hollywood scouting the contenders to Stewart's throne as America's domestic queen.

Now that Martha Stewart's conviction on criminal charges has at least temporarily dethroned her as the diva of domesticity, the would- be heirs to Stewart have begun measuring that throne very carefully.

Few can hope to completely fill the void. After all, Stewart spent two decades building her empire, and for many of those years she had the field largely to herself. And yet, with television producers, magazine publishers, book editors and product developers calling by the hour, others in the lifestyle business are all looking for opportunities to grab -- if not all, then a bigger slice of her homebaked pie.

For now, each wants to promote himself or herself as the best positioned.

Brown, a host of an A&E television decorating show, was walking out the door of her apartment last Friday afternoon when the television began blaring the news about Stewart.

"My phone's been ringing off the hook," she said "Branding, branching out -- how can we bank on my name. Everyone's trying to second-guess what will happen next, and how to capitalize on it."

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