diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 4f65481..34c65e7 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -162,23 +162,20 @@ impl AsciiTable {
         self.format_inner(self.stringify(data))
     }
 
-    fn format_inner(&self, data: Vec<Vec<String>>) -> String {
+    fn format_inner(&self, data: Vec<Vec<SmartString>>) -> String {
         let num_cols = data.iter().map(|row| row.len()).max().unwrap_or(0);
         if !self.valid(&data, num_cols) {
             return self.format_empty()
         }
 
+        let header = self.stringify_header();
         let data = self.square_data(data, num_cols);
-        let has_header = self.columns.iter().any(|(_, col)| !col.header.is_empty());
+        let has_header = header.iter().any(|text| !text.is_empty());
         let widths = self.column_widths(&data, num_cols);
 
         let mut result = String::new();
         result.push_str(&self.format_first(&widths));
         if has_header {
-            let default_conf = &DEFAULT_COLUMN;
-            let header: Vec<_> = (0..num_cols).map(|a|
-                self.columns.get(&a).unwrap_or(default_conf).header.as_str()
-            ).collect();
             result.push_str(&self.format_header_row(&header, &widths));
             result.push_str(&self.format_middle(&widths));
         }
@@ -189,7 +186,7 @@ impl AsciiTable {
         result
     }
 
-    fn valid(&self, data: &Vec<Vec<String>>, num_cols: usize) -> bool {
+    fn valid(&self, data: &Vec<Vec<SmartString>>, num_cols: usize) -> bool {
         if data.len() == 0 {
             false
         } else if num_cols == 0 {
@@ -205,27 +202,35 @@ impl AsciiTable {
         ((num_cols - 1) * 3) + 4
     }
 
-    fn stringify<L1, L2, T>(&self, data: L1) -> Vec<Vec<String>>
+    fn stringify<L1, L2, T>(&self, data: L1) -> Vec<Vec<SmartString>>
     where L1: IntoIterator<Item = L2>,
           L2: IntoIterator<Item = T>,
           T: Display {
-        data.into_iter().map(|row| row.into_iter().map(|cell| cell.to_string()).collect()).collect()
+        data.into_iter().map(|row| row.into_iter().map(|cell| SmartString::from(cell)).collect()).collect()
     }
 
-    fn square_data(&self, mut data: Vec<Vec<String>>, num_cols: usize) -> Vec<Vec<String>> {
+    fn stringify_header(&self) -> Vec<SmartString> {
+//         let default_conf = &DEFAULT_COLUMN;
+//         let header: Vec<_> = (0..num_cols).map(|a|
+//             &self.columns.get(&a).unwrap_or(default_conf).header
+//         ).collect();
+        todo!()
+    }
+
+    fn square_data(&self, mut data: Vec<Vec<SmartString>>, num_cols: usize) -> Vec<Vec<SmartString>> {
         for row in data.iter_mut() {
             while row.len() < num_cols {
-                row.push(String::new())
+                row.push(SmartString::new())
             }
         }
         data
     }
 
-    fn column_widths(&self, data: &[Vec<String>], num_cols: usize) -> Vec<usize> {
+    fn column_widths(&self, data: &[Vec<SmartString>], num_cols: usize) -> Vec<usize> {
         let result: Vec<_> = (0..num_cols).map(|a| {
             let default_conf = &DEFAULT_COLUMN;
             let conf = self.columns.get(&a).unwrap_or(default_conf);
-            let column_width = data.iter().map(|row| self.count_characters(&row[a])).max().unwrap();
+            let column_width = data.iter().map(|row| row[a].char_len()).max().unwrap();
             let header_width = conf.header.chars().count();
             column_width.max(header_width).min(conf.max_width)
         }).collect();
@@ -266,7 +271,7 @@ impl AsciiTable {
         widths
     }
 
-    fn format_line(&self, row: &[String], head: &str, delim: &str, tail: &str) -> String {
+    fn format_line(&self, row: &[SmartString], head: &str, delim: &str, tail: &str) -> String {
         let mut result = String::new();
         result.push_str(head);
         for cell in row {
@@ -282,12 +287,12 @@ impl AsciiTable {
 
     fn format_empty(&self) -> String {
         self.format_first(&vec![0])
-        + &self.format_line(&vec![String::new()], &format!("{}{}", NS, ' '), &format!("{}{}{}", ' ', NS, ' '), &format!("{}{}", ' ', NS))
-        + &self.format_last(&vec![0])
+        + &self.format_line(&[SmartString::new()], &format!("{}{}", NS, ' '), &format!("{}{}{}", ' ', NS, ' '), &format!("{}{}", ' ', NS))
+        + &self.format_last(&[0])
     }
 
     fn format_first(&self, widths: &[usize]) -> String {
-        let row: Vec<String> = widths.iter().map(|&x| EW.repeat(x)).collect();
+        let row: Vec<SmartString> = widths.iter().map(|&x| SmartString::new(EW.repeat(x))).collect();
         self.format_line(&row, &format!("{}{}", SE, EW), &format!("{}{}{}", EW, EWS, EW), &format!("{}{}", EW, SW))
     }
 
@@ -296,7 +301,7 @@ impl AsciiTable {
         self.format_line(&row, &format!("{}{}", NES, EW), &format!("{}{}{}", EW, NEWS, EW), &format!("{}{}", EW, NWS))
     }
 
-    fn format_row(&self, row: &[String], widths: &[usize]) -> String {
+    fn format_row(&self, row: &[SmartString], widths: &[usize]) -> String {
         let row: Vec<_> = (0..widths.len()).map(|a| {
             let cell = &row[a];
             let width = widths[a];
@@ -307,7 +312,7 @@ impl AsciiTable {
         self.format_line(&row, &format!("{}{}", NS, ' '), &format!("{}{}{}", ' ', NS, ' '), &format!("{}{}", ' ', NS))
     }
 
-    fn format_header_row(&self, row: &[&str], widths: &[usize]) -> String {
+    fn format_header_row(&self, row: &[SmartString], widths: &[usize]) -> String {
         let row: Vec<String> = row.iter().zip(widths.iter()).map(|(cell, &width)|
             self.format_cell(cell, width, ' ', Align::Left)
         ).collect();
@@ -319,25 +324,29 @@ impl AsciiTable {
         self.format_line(&row, &format!("{}{}", NE, EW), &format!("{}{}{}", EW, NEW, EW), &format!("{}{}", EW, NW))
     }
 
-    fn format_cell(&self, text: &str, len: usize, pad: char, align: Align) -> String {
-        if text.chars().count() > len {
-            let mut result: String = text.chars().take(len).collect();
+    fn format_cell(&self, text: &SmartString, len: usize, pad: char, align: Align) -> SmartString {
+        if text.char_len() > len {
+//             let mut result: String = text.chars().take(len).collect();
+            let mut result = text.clone();
+            while result.char_len() > len {
+                result.pop();
+            }
             if result.pop().is_some() {
                 result.push('+')
             }
             result
         } else {
-            let mut result = text.to_string();
+            let mut result = text.clone();
             match align {
-                Align::Left => while result.chars().count() < len {
+                Align::Left => while result.char_len() < len {
                     result.push(pad)
                 }
-                Align::Right => while result.chars().count() < len {
+                Align::Right => while result.char_len() < len {
                     result.insert(0, pad)
                 }
-                Align::Center => while result.chars().count() < len {
+                Align::Center => while result.char_len() < len {
                     result.push(pad);
-                    if result.chars().count() < len {
+                    if result.char_len() < len {
                         result.insert(0, pad)
                     }
                 }
@@ -346,3 +355,48 @@ impl AsciiTable {
         }
     }
 }
+
+#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
+struct SmartString {
+    fragments: Vec<(bool, String)>
+}
+
+impl SmartString {
+
+    fn new() -> Self {
+        todo!()
+    }
+
+    fn from<T>(string: T) -> Self
+    where T: Display {
+        todo!()
+    }
+
+    fn char_len(&self) -> usize {
+        todo!()
+    }
+
+    fn is_empty(&self) -> bool {
+        todo!()
+    }
+
+    fn pop(&mut self) -> Option<char> {
+        todo!()
+    }
+
+    fn push(&mut self, ch: char) {
+        todo!()
+    }
+
+    fn insert(&mut self, index: usize, ch: char) {
+        todo!()
+    }
+}
+
+impl Display for SmartString {
+
+    fn fmt(&self, fmt: &mut ::std::fmt::Formatter) -> Result<(), ::std::fmt::Error> {
+        let concat: String = self.fragments.iter().map(|(_, string)| string.as_str()).collect();
+        concat.fmt(fmt)
+    }
+}