Text Box: TABLEWARE TODAY INTERVIEW WENDY KVALHEIM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
Text Box: Let’s start with the difficulty the formal end of the dinnerware business has faced the last few years. It has been a challenge and we won’t be going back to the way things were. We have to think of business in a new way regardless of a company’s history. It seems like we’re playing a game of ‘The Last Manufacturer Standing Wins’. The companies that endure have a strong design sense and manage their business in a focused and efficient way.  Many dinnerware companies have a strong design sense and manage business in a focused and efficient way, but are still struggling.                                                                                                                    One thing that’s been so negative is that buying has become so broad and so blanket. The individuality and creativity that used to be evident when there were many buyers has disappeared taking many brands with it. I think buyers with creativity find a way to bring individuality to the table. How many white plates can you have? I think it’s time to pay less attention to following others and pay more attention to personal likes and dislikes.  So buyers are like lemmings, choosing the same-old, same-old as everyone else?                          Some buyers are independent thinkers while others are followers. People just want a hit. Design is an art form and artists represent different styles. We should concentrate more on expressing ourselves and leading the market rather than following the market. Few people want to or are able to think outside the box anymore. It’s all about the bottom line.        I’ve called it the dumbing down of America. People are not confident in their own point-of-view to take a risk; some retailers are doing our industry a great disservice. The only way consumers can see the great variety of product is if retailers are willing to put it in. If a retailer only buys what’s safe, they’re editing for the consumer who might be buying a lot more if they only got to see what’s out there. So what’s the solution?                                                                                                                                           The solution is not to design and buy from a position of fear; do something beautiful you believe in. What’s Mottahedeh doing to help in that?                                                                                                           We have a consignment program where retailers pay for the product when it sells, but they agree to take in a substantial amount to display as well. This increases our visual space and allows retailers to choose items they wouldn’t normally buy like large bowls and special items that carry some risk. Has the program been successful?                                                                                                                          It has been a worthwhile program. More than 100 of our stores participate and it’s been a good way to get our beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces in front of the customer. It’s been successful selling the more unusual pieces that we do so well and that retailers don’t usually buy.    
 

 

Text Box: spend on other things and the dinnerware category has suffered. Another reason the category is hurting is inexpensive items can have very strong design and color, so the low-end disposable market is affecting the mid-range market. Is this a new reality or just a stage?                                                                                                                         I think the world has changed. We’ll get over this tough patch, but it’s a new reality that won’t change with the election. These are endemic situations, and it’s not a matter of who’s in The White House.  How important is it to be a green business?                                                                                                          I think it’s a complicated issue. Production of ceramics requires fuel and packaging which may not be green, but we’re addressing several of these issues. How is Mottahedeh weathering the times?                                                                                                     We’ve become smaller and have reduced our showroom spaces. We have to make our expenses match our ability to pay the bills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

          

Text Box: Mottahedeh is known for its product development and I know this area suffers during economic downturns. We have some nice new designs, but, yes, there is a slowdown in design. You have to produce fewer things that are great or make more things and hope one hits because of the diversity. When the market is down that’s no time to go soft on your design. But to be fair, it’s not just in-a-rut buyers complicit in the fortunes of formal dinnerware. This market has been waning for years and now the luxury market, long seen as recession-proof, is facing its own challenges.                                                               I think what changes is peoples’ perspectives on how they’re spending their money. If they’re spending $4 on a gallon of gas , there comes a psychological tipping point affecting what they'll                                                                                                                                                          

 

Home                                                                                                                                                              ...continued  

 

 

 


All Contents © 2002-2008 Bobecca Publishing, Inc.
58 Seven Oaks Circle, Holmdel, NJ 07733  
phone 732 332-1130
fax 732 332-0850
amy@tablewaretoday.com 
___________________________________________________________________________