Holiday Sales Lag Behind Retailer's Hopes

It's been a long three years since the economy went berserk. For retailer's it's meant a really bumpy ride to the bottom; or at the very least dozens of months of doldrums. It feels allot like being becalmed. Where did the people go?? Or when they do come in the door, why is it so hard to connect with their wallets? It seems they want the experience of shopping without the monetary consequence. I'll save that rant for another day. Now I looked up the results of the season on Tiffany's and on the artfulhome.com site (where some great hand crafted works are showcased) and I see that the dreary sales we've experienced in our gallery are likewise being experienced by the "big guys" in our industry.


Luxury goods is our realm. Sounds kind of highfalutin' but that's the case. Nourot makes glass that is a luxury item. Unless you have been nurturing your contemporary art glass collection and funding it's acquisition regularly, you just are damned reluctant to splurge now on a new important work.
Any who, the Tiffany chain reports that the Holiday sales last month were weak. Even though 50% of Tiffany sales come from outside the USA, the outlook is "anemic" according to the web's Financial Times website. The Tiffany stock has recently fallen 10.5 percent to $59.94. To be honest, what does it say to give something from Tiffany's in the current economy? Hey, money is no object to me, I am a master of the universe. This year that sentiment was held in check. Forget you, Santa Baby.


Nowhere could I find a similar report on the exact outcome of the craft-business site artfulhome.com. But there is evidence that it's hurting, too, because they had a 50% off sale last June and ran another one early in 2012. Can't be a stock reduction, I don't think they stock items. They just get the vendors (artists) to promise to hold stock for drop shipment when the site makes a sale for them. The margin there has to be pretty small.
Come to think of it, is Tiffany stuff made in America? Likely it's assembled in America from foreign made components? Anybody who knows drop us a line and let us know.
Future prediction is this: anybody still in business in 2012 knows how to cut costs. And how to make a sale. Look for more great deals everywhere until the banking and housing markets stabilize. Can't say how long that'll be. Perhaps now is the right time to look for deals on the luxury market.
Information taken from Bloomberg.com and FinancialTimes' FT.com

Award Winning Gallery in Dallas

With pleasure and pride we announce that Kittrell-Riffkind Glass Gallery has been awarded two prestigious awards for excellence recently. Nourot Glass has been doing business with this Addison, Texas fine craft gallery since 1999.

The Niche Top Retailer Award for Best Art Glass Gallery was given at the Summer Buyer's Market in Baltimore, Maryland this last July. Barbara Kittrell accepted on behalf of the gallery. Thanks to all those who voted for our friends.

Locally, the Kittrel-Riffkind Gallery was again named Best Art Gallery in a reader's choice poll at Addison, Magazine of the North Dallas Corridor. They have received this designation for the last 3 years running.

With the state of the art way they do business, the great openings they have, the wonderful staff and the great web presence it is not surprising. This Dallas gallery is well deserving of these accolades. Our best to Michael and Barbara at the gallery and David in the classroom (they even do classes). Thanks for all your hard work.

The Kittrell-Riffkind Glass Art Gallery has works by a wide variety of glass artists from large one of a kind piece sculptures to delicate glass bead jewelry and flame worked pieces. Their business model never sleeps. Everything they are showing is carefully photographed and put up on their website so out of town people can shop at a distance. People have fun and feel welcomed when they visit, we know because Nourot Glass had a show there a couple of years ago. Very important, too is they give equal attention to displaying and selling each kind of work. The jewelry cases are custom made and each drawer showcases a big selection of like style work. This makes shopping easier for people. In the gallery areas are designated for new works, works in an current exhibition and pieces that get rotated from "the front" to the stock room. This makes the look of the gallery constantly changing. Also the web keeps all items up and showing at their best for a second look when you get home.

People sometimes get anxious about picking art for a certain space or even their own home, and need that extra validation to trust their instincts. The fun staff at Kittrel-Riffkind help people discover what will work for them. It's a win-win situation all around and we couldn't be happier that they have been rewarded for a job well done.