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Keepsaker’s Korner
Next Meeting is Thursday September 12 at 7:00 pm OKCC meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month (except for this month!). We meet at Becky’s Hallmark, 11109 E 41st (northwest corner of 41st & Garnett, next to Furr’s). Next month’s meeting will be October 10th. At the September Meeting…. In honor of the new American Girl collection coming to Hallmark, this months program will be on dolls. Alice Sandkuhl, an antique doll collector and fellow club member, will be sharing some of her dolls. She would also like you to bring your favorite dolls for show and tell. Community Service Domestic Violence
Intervention Service – This month DVIS needs towels, washcloths,
kitchen towels, potholders, and oven mitts. Food Bank – remember to bring your food items. They will go to Broken Arrow Neighbors unless someone volunteers to bring them somewhere else. (This will be the last month for our contest so this will be the last time you will be able to get entry tickets to the drawing.) It’s dues time again It’s a new club year and it’s time to pay dues
again. If you are receiving you
newsletter on the internet, I will email you a membership form. If you get a hardcopy newsletter, the form
is enclosed. Happy September Birthday to ….
Okie Keepsakers Meeting Minutes August 8, 2002 Meeting called to order by Rita Randall. Visitors to the meeting were Keri Beach and Jeana Kelley. There were no additions or corrections to last month’s minutes. Condolences were expressed to Sally Turner, Jackie Henley, and Earline Kennon. Rita talked about organ donation myths and statistics and passed out organ donor cards to anyone who wanted one. Member rosters & Collectors Couriers are on the table for those who want them. Dana Blando reminded everyone about the sign-in sheet, name tags, and entry forms. The raffle for the color change Santa’s Deer Friend will be in December, but giving out tickets for bringing in donated food ends this month. Sally Turner read the Treasurer’s Report: Beginning Balance $817.67 Deposit (dues) 165.00+ August Postage 8.88- 14 Gift Certificates 350.00- Ending Balance $623.79 Sally then discussed and passed out copies of the Budget for 2001-2002 (Projected vs. Actual). Rita noted that Mark Dickson would be performing in the Chorale for Breast Cancer to benefit breast cancer research. Go Mark! Teresa Pattison has updated the club phone list and provided copies for anyone who wants one. She’s looking for Disney 100 Years of Magic figurines on gold base from McDonald’s. There are 100 of these figurines, so if you find any in garage sales, etc, please pick them up for her. Sponsor news: Aug 17, 2002 Department 56 Event 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Darryl Ingmire will do a workshop & demonstration on how to construct mountains and waterfalls from different materials. Treats by Becky. Aug 24, 2002 Precious Moments Event. Only received 4 “Carry A Song In Your Heart” ($35.00). Let Becky know if you are interested in purchasing it. Sept 21, 2002 American Girl Event. There is going to be a special American Girl doll. Becky’s is giving away a charm to the first 50 people in the store. Register to win a doll. American Girl products are ornaments, figurines, and paper products. Becky passed around a brochure and order sheets for Spring Ornaments for club members to fill out. This will give her an idea of what to order. Some ornaments are out of stock at Hallmark, but Becky doesn’t know which ones. Teresa asked if Becky’s would give us a list of the names of people who indicated on the Ornament Premiere form that they were interested in joining a local club. Teresa will send them a newsletter. We discussed Ornament Premiere, who won what ornaments and the differences in the way different stores handled the event. Debra Kirk thanked everyone for bringing this month DVIS donations of school supplies. In September bring towels, washcloths, kitchen towels, potholders, and oven mitts. Terri Legrand reported that she sent sympathy cards to Sally Turner, Jackie Henley, and Earline Kennon (and accidentally sent a sympathy card to Rick & Becky – oops!). Cris Converse announced that Jeannie Draughon will be co-chairman of the Hospitality Committee with her again this year. Teresa Pattison, Sally Turner, and Alma Wilson will bring treats to the September meeting. Finds. Terri Legrand found a 1987 yarn Angel Tree Topper. Old Business Dana Blando wants to trade one of the color change Willows she won at Ornament Premiere for a color change First Snow. Rita Randall said that someone in Claremore is looking for the #1 Puppy Love if anyone in the club has one for sale. Teresa Pattison volunteered to be the club’s contact for Madalyn’s to call if they have a customer who is looking for a special ornament. If you have not picked up your 2002 Club Ornaments, please pick them up. The remaining six 2001 Club Ornaments are for sale for $5.00 each. Heather Murphy made a motion to give club members until the November meeting to come to the meeting to pick up their 2002 Club Ornament. Terri Legrand seconded. Motion passed. Bobbi Tessandori has Hallmark ornaments, Beanie Babies, and Precious Moments for sale. If you don’t have her e-mail, call her, or give your request to someone who has e-mail. New Business Teresa Pattison talked about the October 19 artist signing with Sue Tague at Cedar Park, TX (which may be near San Antonio). There will also be a secondary market show there. Congratulations to Joanie Hueitt (formerly Owle) who was married last month. Sally Turner has club T-shirts for sale. Kay Schwartz – The program next month will be about Doll Collecting by Alice Sandkuhl. We are looking for volunteers to open their home for this year’s Annual Christmas Tour. Debra Kirk volunteered. We need several more people who would like to show off all their hard work to an appreciative audience. Hallmark would like to know what our favorite ornaments are. Give Teresa a list of your 10 favorite ornaments. She will compile a list and send it to Hallmark. The $25.00 Gift Certificate drawing winner was Larry Kirk. Dana Blando donated an assortment of items to be given away. Winners were: Robert Wilson - Peppermint Surprise ornament Alma Wilson - Writing to Santa ornament Alice Sandkuhl - Easter Tree Sally Turner - Christmas Centerpiece Connie Poppe - A Musician of Note Teresa Pattison, Sandy Guinn, Cris Converse, Lynn Turner, Jeanna Kelly, Debra Kirk Brother ornament, Doris Vivian - Muppet Decorations Joanie Hueitt - 1998 Grandson ornament Donna Lundy, Terri Legrand, B.K. Dreyer, Sallie McBrier - 1979 Precious Moments Postcard Calendar Kay Schwartz - Tennis Anyone? Ornament Linda Hogue - Holly Centerpiece Jeannie Draughon - Eggs in Sports ornament Gaye Lynn Sanders - 1999 Granddaughter ornament Heather Murphy - Book of the Year Dessie Howard - Olympic Spirit ornament Jackie Henley - 1999 Child’s Third Christmas ornament Meeting adjourned for participating members to play the Mystery Gift Exchange.
Hallmark News No news yet on next year’s events. There will be no announcements until all contracts are "signed, sealed and delivered". We do know that events next year won't begin until after Premiere in mid-July and there will be five events. KOCC Members will be able to purchase a set of 3 Stars that were featured on page 19 of Keepsakes for Keeps. A postcard will be in the next issue of Keepsakes for Keeps with all the info. The 3 on the cover will not be any of the 3. The American Girls collection will be launching this month: September 21st & 22nd. Check out http://www.josonline.com/ for pictures and information. For those of you not online, here’s some of the info: 11/10/02 -- 12/24/02 Holiday National Write in and Win Essay Contest - Girls write an essay about their favorite American Girl experience for a chance to win one of eight Grand Prize trips to American Girl Place. Entry forms will be available at your local Hallmark Gold Crown store, in American Girl Catalog inserts. They must be hand delivered to Hallmark Gold Crown stores only, by Dec. 24. One selected winner in every store receives a gift bundle of The American Girls Collection from Hallmark product ($20 value!). Store level winners selected at random Dec. 26th are then eligible for Grand Prizes. Store level winner's essays will be judged and eight Grand Prizes-a trip for a family of four to American Girl Place in Chicago* -will be awarded 4/12/03 - August "Circle of Smiles" Badge Program - The "Circle of Smiles" Badge Program provides a variety of fun, relationship building activities for girls to complete on their own and with their moms, grandmothers or aunts to earn badges associated with each American Girl Character. Activities give girls firsthand opportunity to live, learn and discover how they can make a difference in the world, based on the same lessons experienced by the American Girl Characters they know and love 4/12/03 - 4/13/03 National "Circle of Smiles" In-store Event - Hallmark American Girl Collection consumers will receive a postcard enabling them to purchase an American Girl Mini Doll for $15.95, with any $10 purchase from the American Girls Collection from Hallmark Here are some of the items that retailers could order: Deluxe Stationery Set, Memory Book, Snapshot Album, Friendship Signature And Message Book, Sliding Pens, Thank-You Notes, Kirsten's Postalettes, Note Cards W/Box, Address Book, Rubber Stamp Set, Stickers, Purses W/Notes, Jewelry Box, American Girl Charms, American Girl Charm Bracelet W/Medallion, Kaya Decorative Pillow, Samantha's Tea Set, Samantha's Purse Bank, Molly's Hot Chocolate Mugs, Bookmarks W/Charms, Books, Bookends, Ornaments, And Figurines. From the KC Star… Posted on Fri, Aug. 16,
2002 Hot chocolate The Cowtown card colossus Hallmark appears poised to cross swords with another KC business behemoth, Russell Stover. Hallmark has inked a multimillion-dollar deal with Utah-based Alpine Confections Inc. to produce "millions of pounds of chocolates" starting this coming holiday season, according to a recent report in The Salt Lake City Tribune. Hallmark characterizes the new venture as "its most extensive foray into boxed candy sales," the story continues. "We wanted to work with a company that would get it right," Hallmark's Bill Birkins, Hallmark's VP of new business development, told the newspaper. So is Hallmark's bold new venture a threat to KC's perennial sweetheart? "There is constant change in our industry," Stover honcho Scott Ward tells me. "In the box chocolate industry there are still 50 manufacturers. So this kind of stuff in our industry is happening all the time." Not that Ward discounts Hallmark's might, or the card company's plans to market the new sweets in its 4,000-plus Gold Crown retail stores and also at other stores and discount retailers that carry Hallmark cards. And at $9 a pound, they'll be going head-to-head with Stover on price as well, it seems. "I have respect for them and I'm going to watch them," Ward says. "But it's (just) a business challenge like any other." Oh yeah, Ward says Russell Stover chocolates will continue to be sold in Hallmark stores as well. What ornaments did you love at Premiere??? This is the question I asked in last month’s newsletter and can you believe that not one of you shared your thoughts! Come on you guys – I need your input. Ty News Retirements: 8/09/02 Celebrations click here 8/12/02 Ted-e 8/15/02 M.C. Beanie click here 8/29/02 Beanie Babies: Gizmo, Smarter, Poofie click here 8/31/02 Beanie Babies: Bunga Raya (Malaysia) and Vanda (Singapore) click here 9/5/02 Beanie Buddies: XL Dotty, Trotter, and Addison click here Introductions: 8/8/02 Ted-e click here an old face bear who’s a Ty Store exclusive - he’s out of here! Retired on 8/12/02. 8/16/02 M.C. Beanie II click here 8/29/02 Here is the link to all the current product. Click here The newbies are: · Beanie Babies - Frankenteddie the bear (very cute!) Woody the bear and Rusty the panda, and October Birthday bear · Beanie Buddies - America (in all 3 colors!), Magic the White Dragon, and Haunt the Bear Meet Kaya, the authentic Nez Percé doll By Michelle Healy, USA TODAY08/12/2002 - Updated 12:47 AM ET After 16 years of introducing girls to American history through its collection of historically themed dolls and books, the Pleasant Company is finally telling the story of some of the first Americans. Kaya, a fictional 9-year-old character based on Nez Percé Indians and set in 1764 in what is present-day Idaho, Washington and Oregon, joins Pleasant Company's American Girls doll line when she goes on sale Sept. 3. With her six-book adventure series, written with the cooperation of the Nez Percé Tribal Executive Committee, Kaya takes her place in the award-winning doll collection, which includes: Felicity, a colonial girl living in Williamsburg, Va., in 1774. Josefina, a Hispanic girl living in colonial New Mexico in 1824. Kirsten, a pioneer girl from Sweden who lives on a Minnesota farm in 1854. Addy, an African-American girl who fights for her freedom from slavery in 1864. Samantha, an orphan living with her wealthy grandmother in 1904. Kit, a 9-year-old growing up during the Great Depression in 1934. Molly, a girl on the World War II home front in 1944. The $90 dolls, each packaged with a hardback book ($84 with a paperback), can be purchased only through the American Girls Catalog or online at www.americangirl.com. Kaya will be officially unveiled Thursday in Lapwai, Idaho, on the Nez Percé reservation. Her introduction also marks the American Girls Collection's first foray into product licensing. In a partnership with Hallmark, the historical dolls will be featured on cards and gifts sold at Hallmark Gold Crown stores beginning in September. It's a new path for Pleasant Company, founded in 1986 by former teacher and educational materials publisher Pleasant T. Rowland and bought by Mattel in 1998. The company says the venture does not conflict with its educational mission and that the products, including the American Girls series, are rooted in literature. "We're always trying new ways to transmit the content — the stories, the lessons — into new mediums, and believe it or not, greeting cards are a really natural place to do it," says Julia Prohaska, brand director for American Girls. Adding a Native American doll has long been a top priority, both to expand 7-to-12-year-old readers' cultural awareness and "to show them that our country's history did not begin with the American Revolution," Prohaska says. The project took about five years to complete, compared with three years for other recent additions. "There was the issue of figuring out which tribes to approach" and which might be willing to work on the project, plus the extensive historical and cultural research, Prohaska says. Months of conversations with Pleasant Company representatives convinced Ann McCormack, cultural arts coordinator for the Nez Percé tribe, that the company was sincere about creating a doll, accessories and books that were accurate. She took the proposal to the tribe's executive committee, which agreed to the project. McCormack served on an eight-member advisory board that reviewed all the book manuscripts and products. Board members included Nez Percé tribal elders, historians and educators. They worked extensively with Janet Shaw, author of the Kaya book series, educating and guiding the writer into Nimíipuu (the original name for the Nez Percé) history and traditions. Like all American Girl stories, Kaya's books focus on the values of family, friendship, compassion and responsibility. But where the other characters' books follow a common template built around such milestones as birthdays, school and holidays, Kaya's do not. "In 1764, the Nimíipuu had none of those patterns," Shaw says. "Their culture had its own rhythms" and that influenced the pattern for Kaya's book series — and her line of accessories. There is no desk, writing table or school bench among Kaya's accessories (a popular add-on for American Girl dolls). "Kaya wouldn't have had a lot of the material things that are represented with the other dolls," Prohaska says. At the advisory board's request, Kaya's stories take place before the Nez Percé had contact with white people, in part to acquaint readers with the Nez Percé at the height of their culture, when it was intact and flourishing, McCormack says. The board also requested, and Pleasant Company agreed, to include information about Nez Percé life and children today. "In so many cases, children read about Native Americans as something of the past," Prohaska says. "It was really critical to the advisory board that we bring the story up to the present to show that there are 9-year-old Nez Percé girls today being influenced by their ancestors and culture." Top officer oversees army of GI Joe fans 2002-08-19
Armed to the teeth with tanks, helicopters, cannon, bazookas and lunch boxes, these gung-ho troops haven't lost a battle in 40 years. On the down side, these G.I.s are short. They also are plastic, anatomically incorrect and all named "Joe." But they do have staying power -- with or without the famous "Kung Fu grip." This comes from Brian Savage at world headquarters of the GI Joe Collector's Club, a Fort Worth-based outfit with about 3,000 active members. "We're worldwide. We're in Italy, Brazil, Germany, England -- everywhere," said Savage, the club's director, whose personal collection of GI Joes, accessories and related paraphernalia numbers into the thousands. He said sales of GI Joe have been up in recent years, but after Sept. 11, he's expecting a surge. Savage is licensed by Hasbro, the maker of GI Joe, to run the club. He also publishes a newsletter and organizes a yearly convention where attendees and club members can acquire limited-edition Joes. The club also has a brisk mail-order unit. Savage spends his days and nights at world GI Joe headquarters surrounded by crates and boxes of all things GI Joe. They come from overseas. Joe might be an all- American fighting man, but these days he's made in China. Savage said sales are equally split among collectors and children, mostly boys in need of a backyard action figure. "Action figure" is a key term in the GI Joe world. He might have started as the little boy's answer to the Barbie doll, but Joe's no doll. He's a fightin' man of action, scared of nothing except maybe a cherry bomb taped to his torso by some backyard bully. The collectors are more likely to keep theirs untouched and in the box. It's a prospect that is simultaneously comforting and disturbing, but Savage said the collectors for the most part are not geeky guys who won't grow up. "GI Joe also crosses all socioeconomic classes and races. They range from doctors and lawyers to plumbers and other trades," Savage said. Thousands attended the convention this past month in Norfolk, Va. Savage said most find collecting a nostalgia-filled trip to their childhoods. Nostalgia certainly is part of the attraction, but there's something deeper here, said the Rev. Travis Summerlin, 47, pastor of Everman United Methodist Church and a commander of 500 GI Joes. "It's a way to visit the happy memories of childhood, but I'm also a history buff, especially World War II, and many GI Joes center on that time period. "Also many of our fathers were veterans, and this is a way of saying the ideals of that generation still matter -- patriotism, honor, duty and sacrifice. This is a way of honoring that generation and what they did for us. They literally saved the world." Hello Kitty is sitting pretty By DANIELA ALTIMARI Hartford Courant 8/11/2002 Imported from Japan since 1976, this icon of cuteness has become a billion-dollar "lifestyle brand" even adults can embrace. Of course, the under-8 set has long been drawn to Hello Kitty's innocent incarnations. At a toy store in Avon, Conn., one recent afternoon, 7-year-old Abigail Reed charged right over to the shop's sizable Hello Kitty section. "There's just too many things I like, and it's really hard to choose when there's a lot of stuff," said Abigail, perusing stacks of Hello Kitty notebooks, bins of Hello Kitty pens and shelves of plump stuffed Hello Kitties. Abigail has accumulated a roomful of Hello Kitty items. She bestowed the name "Angel" on her first Hello Kitty stuffed doll. After browsing for a while, she convinced her grandmother, Janis Crosby of Tolland, Conn., to buy her a diary with a lock and a hand-held fan. Sanrio Inc., Hello Kitty's Tokyo-based corporate owner, views kids as key components to the company's success. But it doesn't stop there. "We develop lifestyle products," said marketing director Bill Hensley. "As the customer grows, we grow with her." Sara Scott, owner of The Perfect Toy in Avon, has sold Hello Kitty baubles and trinkets to many adult women. "A lot of adults also come and get stuff because they had Hello Kitty when they were a child," she said. Seventeen-year-old Hallie Jensen of Canton, Conn., and her mom share a Hello Kitty change purse. Jensen occasionally buys her friends Sanrio products for their birthdays. "They're girly and fun," she said. For women, tucking a Hello Kitty change purse inside a briefcase or wearing a Hello Kitty watch with a suit is a way to show off a playful side. "What they're saying is "Look at me with this strange purse. Aren't I cute?' " said Mary Carsky, chairwoman of the management and marketing department at the University of Hartford's Barney School of Business. The moon-faced cat has even won fans among celebrities. According to a recent article in USA Today, Christina Aguilera, who wore Hello Kitty jewelry on the cover of Teen People, was spotted snapping up Hello Kitty luggage at a Sanrio boutique in Los Angeles. Brandy, Sarah Jessica Parker and Tyra Banks also are among Hello Kitty's famous followers. Said Hensley, "We cater to those who appreciate cute." And cute is, indeed, what is served up. You can plan a complete Hello Kitty wedding, according to the book "Hello Kitty Hello Everything!" by Marie Y. Moss, with limited-edition china and silver spoons, crystal wine glasses, place cards, favors and bride-and-groom dolls. Devoted couples even can plan the ceremony for Sanrio's Puroland, the theme park for all the licensed Sanrio characters, in Tama, Japan. The rich can go for the 1998 (white) or 1999 (black) Daihatsu hatchbacks liberally imprinted with the Kitty face. But the millennium-edition 34-diamond watches are not available anymore, except as a collectible. Only 21 were made, at $30,000 each. But for the average adult addict, bliss is still attainable. The Sanrio Web site - www.hellokitty.com - offers more practical, if still fanciful, items. A pink 13-inch color TV is $175; a pop-up toaster that imprints the toast with HK's face is $38.95; a coffee maker is $36.95 and a waffle iron, which offers a choice of four Kitty-related shapes, is $56.95. In other words, saying Hello Kitty means never having to say goodbye. Stores reaping
in profits over collectibles By Christopher J. Marshall The
Daily News Tribune Wednesday, August 14, 2002 During his weekly visit to Stop & Shop last Tuesday, Jason Duponte
rummaged through the shelves, struggling to find a cereal box with a prize
inside. To his relief he found the hidden treasure: Post Cereals' Oreo O's
with a free Major League Baseball bobble head doll inside. The only problem was there were only five left and Duponte, after
buying more than 20 boxes since the promotion began, still had not picked one
with Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez. "I bought all of them," says the 24-year-old financial
planner. "I just want Pedro." When he returned home he opened each box, only to find three Sammy
Sosa dolls, one Ichiro and one Jason Giambi, he says. No Pedro Martinez. "I just need to get one, and I'll keep buying 'em until I get
it," Duponte said. If his grocery store runs out, the Norwood resident
said he'll switch to one carrying the promotional goods. The cereal, he said, is only secondary to the prize. "I never ate it before," he said. While Duponte's shopping habits may not mirror your typical consumer,
he is just one of the many collectors caught up in the new Beanie Babies-like
craze. From Pedro Martinez to Pee Wee Herman, local stores have their shelves
stacked with the standstill wonders. "It's one of the hottest collectible items I'm selling right
now," said Craig Viera, manager of Sports Treasures in the Natick Mall. The fan frenzy began last year, he said. Now the fad is in full swing.
Sports Treasures, which carries the sports-figure bobble heads, used
to sell "a few here and a few there," Viera says. Now his business sells about 150 per month, he said. To accommodate
the demand, the company installed a 6-foot-high display case solely for
bobble head dolls. "It doesn't matter what season it is, they're all selling,"
he said. Matt Talbot of Newbury Comics in Bellingham agrees. "It's novelty vs. nostalgia," said the Blackstone resident.
Customers will walk by the display and see a new doll, possibly one reminding
them of the past. Every celebrity these days has one made after them, he said.
"It's like bobble head city." Gumby. Mr. T. Jimmy Carter. Red Foxx. They all share some space inside
the store. Talbot, 22, admitted he's not much of a collector. But the aspiring
musician took advantage of the bobble head appeal last week in hopes of
breaking into the music industry. Last Monday he went to a rock concert at the Tweeter Center. Opening
for Lenny Kravitz was the singer Pink. Talbot, hair-spray-painted pink and wearing matching Mardi Gras beads
around his neck, squeezed his way through to the front stage. In the middle
of the pop star's performance, he reached out and gave her a Pink Panther
bobble head. Slipped underneath was Talbot's own music CD. The singer, he said,
took the gift and put it off to the side. "Maybe she'll give me a call," he said. "Anything to
get noticed." While the Pink Panther is the first and only bobble head Talbot has
bought so far, Ashland's Don Thornquist said his three children can't get
enough. Thornquist, a produce manager at Shaw's Supermarket, started bringing
home the larger-size bobble heads when the store began selling them. The first time he brought them home, he walked through the door with
four bobble heads: The Red Sox' Nomar Garciaparra; The New England Patriots'
Lawyer Milloy and Adam Viniateri; and the Boston Bruins' Joe Thornton. "Right away I heard, 'You didn't get Pedro,' " Thornquist
said, echoing his son's reaction. "And my daughter said, 'What about
Manny (Ramirez)?' " His kids, ages 7, 9, and 12, love the figures because they replicate
their favorite players, Thornquist said. According to Tom Shea, owner of T J Collectibles in Milford, fans
young and old do not shop specifically for bobble head dolls. They usually
buy them, he said, in specific atmospheres like a shopping mall, or, as in
Duponte's and Thornquist's case, a grocery store. "It's more of an impulse type of an item," Shea said. But
there are no signs, he notes, of the craze slowing down. "I know they're making more bobble heads now than ever
before," he said. Breaking the
Mold By Richard C. Morais Forbes Magazine Lladró's offspring want to turn the kitschy figurine maker into a luxury brand. The success--or failure--may determine who among them inherits the corner office. Launching "The Bathers," its series of sleek $450 handmade porcelain figurines, Spain's Lladró turned its Manhattan flagship store into a Turkish bath. Porcelain tiles were sent out as invitations. Scantily clad models perspired in the 57th Street windows. Guests in beachwear swilled cocktails and sweltered as steam filled the store. A pretty seductive affair for the conservative family-owned company known for making the innocent porcelain figurines of puppies, ballerinas and shepherds that clutter sideboards throughout America. The U.S. and Canada accounted for 40% of the company's $159 million in sales last year. But in a move reflecting the growing influence of an ambitious second generation at Lladró, the company is adding high-priced statuettes to its catalog while deleting cheaper items. New this year: a line of smooching Gustav Klimt-inspired romantic figurines that retail for $4,250. The goal is to turn Lladró into a luxury giftware group that sells jewelry and crystal and attracts collectors more affluent than those who buy its traditional doll-faced figurines. As part of that effort the company spent $14 million last year on Carrera y Carrera, a fast-growing jeweler the Lladrós hope to turn into a "Spanish Bulgari." An acquisition in the crystal business may be next. "You'll slowly see a broader extension of the brand," promises Juan Vicente Lladró, the 39-year-old son of Vicente, one of the company's three founding brothers. Lea Lerman, who likes the traditional Lladró statuettes because they complement the pink-and-gray living room of her New York apartment, confides that she won't spend more than $400 for a new figurine. But the value of her 200-piece collection will probably increase if more well-to-do collectors join Lladró's fan club. Less clear is whether affluent shoppers will be tempted by a $35,000 limited-edition steam train that's sold alongside a $100 clown. A good question, and a matter of intense debate within the Lladró clan. Although family members agree the company's best opportunity for growth comes from moving up the income scale, they initially disagreed about execution. Juan Vicente believed Lladró's higher-end offerings should be sold under a new name and through separate distributors. But his brother, David, 28, and cousin Carmen, 40, insisted that costlier items be sold under the Lladró brand name and offered in the same catalog and stores as its mainstream figurines. They point to Swarovski, once known for creating crystal dancing bears with umbrellas, which is now sold alongside Wedgwood. David and Carmen prevailed. "Sometimes there is friction," admits David. "Putting the company first takes discipline." There's no disagreement that the brand needs some degree of playing hard to get in order to make its tchotchkes sought after. To that end Juan Vicente has slashed the number of items in the company's catalog from 1,500 to 900. He also wants to ensure that the figurines do not pop up in cheesy airport stores and discount gift shops. The family has cut ties with 1,300 outlets, bringing the total below 4,500. A new system of stamps at the base of its figurines now enables the Lladrós to identify dealers who are unloading stock with discounters so they can stop dealing with them. The company hopes to help offset the loss of those dealers--the cuts are one reason Lladró sales dipped 15% last year--by opening 50 of its own boutiques over the next four years, an effort that will cost $40 million. This month new stores in Paramus, N.J., Orlando, St. Louis, Santa Clara, Calif. and Troy, Mich. will open. "Our weakest link in going high-end is our distribution," says Juan Vicente. The younger members of the Lladró clan recently hired a former Cartier executive as international brand director and doubled the marketing budget to 15% of revenue. The company's first global print ad campaign is slated to appear in lifestyle, decorating and business publications next year. The family hopes the effort will help boost sales in big cities, such as New York, London and Tokyo, to 25% of revenue from 10%. Until recently Lladró's most ambitious marketing effort focused on stroking repeat customers through factory tours, a magazine and private parties that allow avid collectors, such as Lerman, to preview statuettes before they hit stores. Collectors like Lladró for its designs and handmade production, overseen by founding brothers José, Juan and Vicente, who started the company in 1953. They developed a liquid porcelain process to efficiently produce statues, most of which have universal themes of childhood moments, fairy tales and romance. The brothers limit production runs by volume or time periods, documenting in catalogs each statuette's rarity and history. (Variations on this theme can be seen in Beanie Babies or any Franklin Mint offering.) A frugal bunch, the brothers have no debt and have reinvested profits, with profit margins traditionally 25%-plus. The Lladró family, one of Spain's wealthiest, owns farmland and tracts of developable land in fast-growing Valencia. Financial holdings include a private-equity partnership with Bernard Arnault's LVMH and a 7% share in a Spanish hotel chain. The founding brothers have stuck together, rotating the chairman's title, because they promised their dying mother they would do so. "It hasn't been a field of flowers," sighs José. The family knows the attempt to peddle more high-end porcelain is no slam dunk. A diversification into leather goods ten years ago flopped, despite Spain's reputation for excellent leather. But, even if unsuccessful, the high-end effort is likely to show who, among the founders' four offspring, has the vision to run Lladró when the brothers, now in their 70s, retire. "I personally haven't yet made up my mind which of the children is the most professional," says José. "Time will tell." Town History Comes Cheaply On eBay Online Auction Site A Hit With Local, State
Historians August 18, 2002 By KIMBERLY W. MOY, Courant Staff Writer Chris Fortier loves the bargains. From the sepia-toned postcard of Main Street to ice cream containers
from a long-defunct local dairy, the Southington town historian's new
additions to the local historical society collection are coming cheaply. Fortier and other historians have found eBay's Internet garage sales
ideal for filling gaps in local history. With antiques and collectibles
dispersed across the country, the online auction site has become a central
marketplace for municipal and state preservationists. The thrill, Fortier said, comes from finding "something that if
it were selling in Southington, it'd be $200, but because somebody in
Kentucky is selling, it's $2." Such targeted buying also has worked for the Connecticut Historical
Society, which plans a fall 2003 exhibit of comic books that were published
in the state between 1933 and 1976 and were purchased largely through eBay.
Since last November, the society has spent nearly $7,000 on about 280 comic
books - an offshoot of another future exhibit, "Growing up in
Connecticut," that will include toys and other memorabilia also acquired
through eBay. "For me, when you need an object, and you know exactly what
you're looking for, you can pinpoint it much more easily now with eBay,"
said Kate Steinway, the Connecticut Historical Society's deputy director of
interpretation. The Nathan Hale homestead in Coventry features a small collection of
memorabilia mostly bought through eBay a few years ago - including cigar
boxes from 1910, a cup plate from 1900, a 1940 restaurant menu from the
Nathan Hale Hotel in Willimantic, and a program for the 1963 dedication of
the USS Nathan Hale submarine. "We purchased [the collection] for exhibition use, just to show
people how much of an icon Nathan Hale was," said Beverly Lucas, curator
for the Antiquarian & Landmark Society, which runs the homestead. The society's executive director, Bill Hosley, often checks eBay from
home in the evenings. "He'll check, just for entertainment value,"
Lucas said. "He'll enter into eBay: `Nathan Hale,' `Hartford,' -
`looking for any Hartford-based objects.'" Southington's historical society has plenty of memorabilia from the
1700s, 1800s and early 1900s. But, Fortier says, there's a cutoff date from
about the 1950s. Rather than wait for donations or rely on the hit-and-miss
route of antiques shows, he has found searching eBay an effective way to
boost Southington's 20th century collection. "It's a heck of a
way to get stuff, because how else would I connect with an antique shop in
Nowhere, Washington?" Fortier said. Fortier's recent finds include 1889 report cards from Plantsville
School, unused ice cream containers from the long defunct Maple View Dairy
and an ad from the May 1922 edition of County Life, for a Belleview Farms
sale of imported Jersey cows. For $6 or $7 last year, Fortier bought a plastic figure of former
Cincinnati Reds reliever Rob Dibble following through on a pitch, "never
imagining someone from Southington would become an action figure." While the Connecticut Historical Society will probably continue to
look for items through eBay, when it comes to art or other expensive objects
the condition of which is important, a thumb-nail digital photo on eBay won't
cut it, Steinway said. But for more commonplace items, eBay's perfect. Items are now being
displayed from all sides, Steinway said, so when she knows what she wants,
for instance a Captain Marvel lunch box, "you can get a pretty good idea
of the condition." Fortier also said that doing one's homework, including determining an
item's authenticity, are key steps in the buying process, "especially
since we're the historical society." He questions the seller via e-mail, to screen out color photocopies
and other fakes. One postcard he had come across, of the Barnes homestead on
Main Street from the 1930s or '40s, curiously didn't mention the postmark or
the correspondence on the back, he said. "It turned out to be a postcard
the historical society had reproduced in the 1980s." And while eBay has "made it 10 times easier" to build an
exhibition, Connecticut Historical Society exhibitions manager Andrea Rapacz
said, spending time going the traditional route, through art dealers, will
and should continue. "We're probably missing part of the market ... just because
there's so much more out there that's not making it onto eBay," Rapacz
said. Fortier has not given up antiques shows either. A local man who was
appointed town historian four years ago, the usually laid-back Fortier, 26,
doesn't come across as preoccupied with bargain-hunting. But the competition
can be fierce, and the eBay era has transformed him into a "professor of
what you're looking for and what you have in your collection." "I'll bid and then wait and see what happens, then I try to be
there at the last-minute," just to make sure no one outbids him, he
said. Or, he'll jack up the bid initially, added protection from out-bidding. "To me, if the historical society doesn't have it, it must be
important," Fortier said. "If I know an average citizen has a
postcard we don't have, that bothers me." What eBay Isn't Telling You A $300,000 con shows
how easy it is to manipulate the system. Is eBay coming clean about fraud? By David H. Freedman,
August
2002 Issue Jeff Hamm, a slender 30-year-old partial to all-black outfits, spends
much of his time pretending to be a young girl or boy. It's his duty, he's
good at it, and he carries it out in a long, cramped room whose
helter-skelter layout is dominated by the muted glow of websites displayed on
several monitors. This is the headquarters of the Oakland County, Mich.,
computer crime unit. It could pass for a scrappy dotcom, if it weren't for
the photographic portraits arrayed on one section of wall, which are
unmistakably of the arrest-booking ilk. Most, it turns out, are of convicted
"preferential child offenders" -- cop-speak for pedophiles -- whose
sordid march toward justice began when they encountered one of Hamm's
personae in a chat room. But on Jan. 22, Hamm's mind wasn't on trolling for perverts. He was
staring at the latest e-mail from the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC),
a federal agency that acts as a clearinghouse for online scams.
Five reports came in that morning from the IFCC, all involving the same
alleged perpetrator: one Stewart Richardson, who operated a small shop just
down the road from Hamm's office in White Lake Township. From there,
Richardson ran a business selling collectible figurines -- glass, porcelain,
and ceramic angels and elves from Hummel and other makers. Each report described how a buyer had won an online auction on eBay (EBAY), sent
money to Richardson, and received nothing in return. The size of the claims
quickly caught Hamm's eye: Whereas the typical online auction
victim complained of losing $200 or so, these customers were claiming
losses of anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000. Hamm was mulling over the information when his boss, Sgt. Joe Duke,
told him that Lt. Ed Harris of the White Lake Police was on the phone.
Harris, it turned out, had already received a dozen or so phone calls from
enraged Richardson customers around the country. Duke also learned that just
five days earlier, Richardson's wife had reported that her husband had left
for lunch, cleaned out their bank accounts, and never returned. The emerging details left Hamm, Duke, and FBI agents pondering the
same question: How could so many people have turned over so much money to a
man they knew only through an online auction, without any proof that they'd
receive merchandise in return -- or even that the merchandise existed? The answer points to a glaring hole in the eBay user-evaluation system
-- in which buyers and sellers post ratings and comments about each other.
The feedback system is designed to protect against unscrupulous buyers and
sellers. But it also can fail to alert people to fraud -- and can even be
used as a central element of the scam itself. It's a situation that might
give pause to anyone thinking of purchasing high-value items on eBay, given
that eBay itself holds up the rating system as the main, and in some cases
only, line of defense against fraud. Widely considered the crown jewel of Internet companies, eBay turned a
profit of $48 million on revenue of $245 million in the last quarter, up 125
and 59 percent from the year before, respectively. The company has never
denied that its more than 35 million users are vulnerable to fraud, but it
says the problem is minimal. "We do $30 million a day in business, and
the great majority of people play by the rules," says eBay spokesman
Kevin Purseglove. Yet eBay is keenly aware that its business is built on trust, and that
limiting the amount of fraud on its site is critical to the health of its
business. As Richard Trinker, an analyst with Gartner Inc., says, problems
with fraud can "have a significant effect on the way people perceive
eBay's character." Fraud could damage eBay's reputation to the point
where it scares people away from the site. Not surprisingly, eBay tends not to publicize the details of various
frauds perpetrated on its site. The scams that have attracted attention (see
"Other
eBay Scams.") generally have come to light only after lawyers and
prosecutors got involved. Moreover, evidence suggests that eBay's stated fraud rate -- less than
0.1 percent of all transactions -- represents only a fraction of the problem.
For one thing, an untold number of victims simply don't bother to report a
fraud, either out of embarrassment, a feeling that the process will be too
time-consuming, or a belief that it won't do any good. In addition, fraud can
be reported variously to eBay, the IFCC, the National Consumers League, or
local police, leading each to end up with low figures. All this is why Robert
Posica, an FBI supervisory special agent who co-manages the IFCC, says
incidents of fraud on eBay are "vastly underreported." What's more, eBay doesn't include in its figures fraud claims that its
investigators can't or won't confirm; in other words, it isn't fraud until
eBay says it's fraud. eBay also won't say what percentage of transactions
result in claims of fraud. A survey conducted last year by the
National Consumers League's Internet Fraud Watch program, however, found that
41 percent of all online auction buyers claimed to have been bilked in some
way by sellers, leading to an average loss of $326. (For its part, eBay says
buyers commit more fraud than sellers, as when a buyer uses a stolen credit
card.) Another survey, conducted by the IFCC, found that auction fraud alone
accounts for 43 percent of all reported Internet fraud.
(eBay has about 90 percent of the online consumer auction market.) "eBay
is one of the perfect uses of the Internet," Posica says. "But you
have to be smart enough to know who you're dealing with." For Richardson's customers, that would have required going to the
state police headquarters in Lansing, Mich., or searching the state's
database of criminals. By the time Richardson turned 18, he was in prison for
car theft. Other crimes, including gun theft and assault with intent to
murder, kept him there for much of the next decade. After Richardson was
released in 1967, he apparently straightened out. He gravitated to a small-time
entrepreneurial career, dabbling in real estate and then antiques. He married and had a daughter, then divorced and married again. By the
time he married his third wife, Arlene, in the mid-1990s, he had turned to
the collectible figurines business. Richardson specialized in figurines that
were no longer available and thus had some cachet among collectors.
Inevitably, Richardson discovered eBay. In February 1998, in what was apparently one of his first forays onto
eBay, Richardson bid on and won two auctions. According to eBay's records, he
contacted the sellers, furious that they wouldn't ship the items to him until
they had his cash in their bank accounts. Who did business that way? he
argued. What would prevent them from keeping the money and not sending the
merchandise? He soon had his answer: After Richardson backed out of the
deals, both sellers posted negative feedback about him. Richardson quickly learned his lesson. A few days later, he earned
praise from a seller for his courteous manner and fast payment, the first in
what would be a long and rarely broken string of positive ratings. In a total
of more than 6,270 auctions between early 1998 and the beginning of 2002, he
earned more than 6,170 positive ratings and only 43 negative ones. Comments
like this one -- "Great Seller! Great Merchandise! Speedy Delivery!
Highly Recommend!!!!" -- filled his feedback page. Richardson's eBay and other online dealings -- he also maintained a
website -- dominated his business, making his shop more of a warehouse and
shipping depot. Neighbors at the strip mall say the local post office often
sent over a van two or three times a day to pick up the packages he and his
three employees prepared. Most of the items he sold were given to him on
consignment, for which he normally kept 40 percent of the selling price,
typically in the range of $100 to $500. To his neighbors, Richardson cut a prosperous, if standoffish, figure.
He often wore a coat and tie, rarely struck up conversations, and kept
himself busy, sometimes staying at his shop until 9 p.m. At the television
repair shop next door, Wayne "Bubba" Laginess said he would hear
Richardson get into screaming arguments with his wife, who ran a scrapbook
shop two doors down. In late December, Richardson started to post on eBay an unusually
large number of figurine auctions -- well over 100 within a few days. Most
were highly sought-after pieces, and described as in excellent condition.
They were all part of an estate sale for which Richardson was acting as agent,
the postings explained. For that reason, payment from winning bidders had to
be received within seven days after the auctions closed, on Jan. 4. It was like leading lambs to the slaughter. Midday on Jan. 17, Richardson left his shop and his apparently clueless
wife and employees, withdrew at least $261,000 from the business bank account
and at least one secret account -- he had already withdrawn $60,000 a week
earlier -- and drove to the airport, according to investigators. Several
Hummels lay scattered on the floor of Richardson's van when the police found
it the next week. Richardson, who is accused of bilking his customers out of
more than $300,000, is still at large. The estate sale, along with the existence of the great majority of the
pieces Richardson was offering on its behalf, was entirely fictitious,
according to law enforcement. Police say the estate story provided cover for
demanding rapid payment and delaying shipping. To further maximize his take,
Richardson had sold many of the same nonexistent items to multiple parties by
telling losing bidders that the top bidder had backed out and the item was
still available, a common type of transaction on eBay. On Jan. 21, for the first time in his four years of trading on eBay,
Richardson's feedback started going negative. Since 1999, eBay has employed a team of specialists -- it won't
disclose how large -- to detect and investigate fraud. The company has
tightened the system to prevent scammers from hiding behind phony identities.
And this spring, eBay added a software program that sniffs out con artists by
detecting suspicious behavior. Yet even with these measures, eBay says that
what really holds fraud in check is the feedback system itself.
"Generally, feedback is a great indicator," says Rob Chesnut, a
former federal prosecutor who heads eBay's fraud team in San Jose. Savvy buyers tend to avoid sellers who've racked up more than a small
number of critical comments. So while it may be easy for a seller to defraud
a few people on eBay simply by taking their payments and not sending the
merchandise, theoretically the resulting negative feedback will ensure that
he or she won't get away with it for long. Yet problems persist. First, buyers are reluctant to post negative
feedback about a seller out of the entirely justified fear that the seller
will post "retaliatory" negative feedback. And second, even after
someone has been ripped off, the system can't immediately warn others because
of the time lag between when a buyer's check clears and when the delivery
date passes -- as happened in the Richardson case. During that period, which can last several weeks, a seller with
positive ratings can run a number of bogus auctions without receiving any
negative feedback. It's akin to a Ponzi scheme: Buyers do well in the early
rounds, and their very satisfaction is what sets them and other buyers up for
a skinning in the final rounds. "The system assumes the seller will stay
around," says James Van Dyke, research director at Jupiter Media Metrix.
Is there a way to avoid being taken in online auctions? The obvious
and safest approach is to stay clear of them. "eBay has done a great job
of creating a warm and fuzzy image of itself as the place to swap and
shop," says Ken Hall, who writes a syndicated column about antiques and
collectibles, "but it's a free-for-all." On the other hand, there were a few tip-offs in Richardson's online
activity that could in theory have alerted a super-astute buyer to potential
fraud. There was a sudden escalation in the price of items he was selling
(because he needed to take in a lot of money fast before the negative
feedback started flooding in); he demanded quick payment (for the same
reason); he was selling items he didn't claim to have in his possession (to
explain the delay in shipping, and to prevent nearby buyers from showing up
at his store to look at the merchandise); and he posted recognizably stock
photographs of the merchandise that can be downloaded from various websites. Some of the people who bid on Richardson's phony auctions claim they
were lulled into trusting him in part because he ran an actual shop,
suggesting he was unlikely to be a fly-by-night operator. But if they'd had
the opportunity to look closer, buyers might have recognized that
Richardson's shop offered little assurance. It was a tiny affair with scant
walk-in business; there wasn't much investment in either the space or the
inventory, since he dealt mostly in consignment items. It wasn't unlike the
sort of operation many eBay PowerSellers set up in their garages. In the end, the information that can be gleaned on eBay is probably
just not sufficient to determine a seller's legitimacy. That's what Jason
Steinberg, for one, has concluded. Steinberg, who lives in New York, sent
Richardson a personal check for $1,050 to cover his winning bid on a Hummel
figurine intended as a gift for his mother. "I did everything I could to
see if this guy was legitimate," he says. "What could I do
differently next time?" For one thing, he could pay by credit card. Many credit card companies
eventually agree to absorb these losses. He could also use an online payment
go-between service such as PayPal (PYPL), which
offers some protection as well. (See "Cutting
the Risk of Buying on eBay.") The problem is that plenty of
legitimate sellers won't accept credit cards
or agree to escrow arrangements because they don't want to bother with the
hassle. eBay offers to reimburse defrauded buyers for as much as $200, but
even that compensation can be difficult to obtain. "They've been
impossible to deal with," Steinberg says. (eBay's Purseglove concedes
that the company can be hard to reach and slow to follow through on fraud
reports.) While Richardson probably doesn't know it, he drew the bad luck of
operating out of one of the few places served by a local government that
takes an aggressive stance against computer crime.
Besides having established an active computer crime unit, Oakland County has
proved itself willing and even eager to throw considerable resources behind
extraditing and prosecuting high-tech scammers, as when it dragged a Texas
man up to face trial for selling counterfeit software via a local post office
box last year. "We work hard to make shopping centers safe. Why
shouldn't we do the same for Internet shoppers?" says Michael Bouchard,
the county sheriff. The county's fugitive squad is on the case, Sgt. Duke reports. But he
concedes that even in Oakland County, the typical online auction fraud
criminal isn't likely to see the inside of a police station, due to weak laws
and the small perceived payoff in pursuing someone who has ripped off a few
dozen people scattered around the country. More likely, Richardson will be
apprehended by the FBI, which has the manpower for a nationwide fugitive
watch. The FBI filed an affidavit that led to a warrant for Richardson's
arrest in early March, though the agency won't comment on active
investigations. According to Duke, the FBI is focusing its attention on Las Vegas. For
one thing, a search of Richardson's bedroom revealed he had taken only
warm-weather clothing. More important, the agency suspects that Richardson
may be a heavy gambler, based on evidence that he had visited online gambling
sites and that he made comments about wanting to play high-stakes poker. Meanwhile, figurine enthusiasts are keeping one another informed on
several online message boards. One recent posting relayed the news that a
body had been found in White Lake. To the disappointment of many, it did not
turn out to be Richardson's. |
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