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Department 56 Christmas Ornament, Christmas in the City - Macy's

Recently on the Yahoo! Department 56 discussion group , they asked about some of the buildings from "A Christmas Story": The Joke Shop, The Firehouse, The Police Station, Pulaski's Candy Shop, The Optometry, etc. -- where did they appear in the movie or book? I reached out to the current owner of the " A Christmas Story " licensing rights, Brian Jones, who offered some insight: "The movie being 94 minutes long not all aspects of Ralphie's home town were shown. So Dept 56 took some creative license with buildings: the police and firemen that helped flick would have had to come from their stations. Ralphie directly mentions Pulaski's Candy store as the place Flick saw some grizzly bears. And to get the fake teeth for the joke on Miss Shield they might have bought them at the joke shop along with the rose that squirts that Flick or Schwartz was going to get their old man. Pulaski's did actually appear in the sequel..." The sequel was actual...

Will Enesco Save  Department 56 ?  - Written by Kristin Singhasemanon of the Satin Button After only three months at the helm, it is still early to assess how Enesco’s ownership will impact Department 56 in the long run.  The good news, of course, is that  Dept. 56  was rescued from the struggling  Lenox  before going under altogether.  From a retailer’s perspective, I was happy to hear that Enesco would be the new owner.  Enesco has been a leader in the gift industry for many years.  They have built a solid foundation from which they are rapidly expanding – let’s just hope they’re not expanding  too  rapidly. Department 56 was not the only company to be acquired by Enesco this year.  They have also added giftware lines Charming Tails, Gund®, Boyds®, Our Name is Mud®, Country Artists®, Bob Olszewski’s Gallery of Light™, My Soul’s Window™, and The Potter’s Shed™ by Michael Macone.  Whew!  That is quite a list....

Enesco, Inc. , out of Illinois, has successfully completed the acquisition of our beloved Department 56 company. Enesco is the current owner of other well known specialty giftware lines such as Boyd's, Gund, Beatrix Potter, Jim Shore, and the also recently acquired Charming Tails. Enesco itself is also recently out of bankruptcy. Enesco hired 75 of the Dept 56 staffers, but it is unknown what will come out of this purchase creatively. Enesco was quoted as saying “Department 56’s stable of core brands, enormously talented pool of individuals, expansive retail footprint and reputation are much-coveted assets in the gift industry.”   Enesco, LLC, is a global leader in the giftware and home and garden décor industries. Serving more than 44,000 customers worldwide, Enesco distributes products to a wide variety of specialty card and gift retailers, home décor boutiques, mass-market chains and direct mail retailers. With subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Hong Kong, E...

In a news article I found on the St. Paul Business Journal , a former Dept. 56 executive has launched his own giftware company. From the article: "David Dewey, who helped develop the hand-crafted lighted villages and other lines that made Department 56 famous, started One Hundred 80 degrees in January 2008 with Tennessee -based designer Stephen Brown. The new giftware business already had more than $1 million in orders from retailers this year, more than triple the $300,000 in orders it had at the same time in 2008. This year, Dewey believes he’s on track to more than double the $2 million in revenue he had in 2008. Such growth is an achievement in an industry that has been taking a beating as Americans concerned about their pocketbooks turn away from discretionary spending." There is no product information available from their company website , but you can read some extended biographies on the founders. It looks like they will have a Christmas line, Halloween line and Glitt...

I recently came across a post about a company called " Mini Things " - headquartered in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and featuring the hand-crafted work of sisters Jean Lawnsdale and Lottie Clinedinst. Mini Things specializes in hand-crafted miniatures for Department 56 and other lit village displays, dollhouse miniatures as well as miniature gift items to display alone or for use in shadow boxes. Welcome to Mini Things headquartered in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The company formerly known as Jean’s Mini Things consists of two sisters—Jean Lawnsdale of Hanover, Pennsylvania and Lottie Clinedinst of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Items produced include: * dollhouse miniatures * miniature gift items * Doll Houses * Lit Villages * Room Boxes * People * Animals * Plants and Landscaping * Cafe Tables

Blog posts here have been infrequent as of late, but it's not been due to lack of thought about the blog. It's also not because of lost interest in collecting villages, or because Department 56 has had trouble selling their luxury gift items. The main reason has been time management, or lack thereof. New responsibilities and a failure to adopt all of my old to-dos into the new, expanded list of to-dos. As part of a belated new year's resolution, I've come up with some ideas for the new direction of this blog: * Take on a brand new identity - we're going to become http://www.theholidaypost.com -- kind of a play on words, expanded topics, more diverse content, more interaction from our community of readers. * Adding a list of "featured collectibles" - unique holiday items which can be test releases for companies who may not be willing to produce a large quantity out of the gate, especially during this tight economy. * More original work from our audience: p...

Image via Wikipedia One of our readers states that "big sales have started today at all the Flagship stores as they will all be closing. I am assuming this also means the MOA store though I haven't heard confirmation on this one. I also heard that several Lenox stores in Florida will also be closing." Also, from discussions on the Yahoo! Original Department 56 collectors group : "I called the M.B., SC store. They are swamped with customers. Then I had to call Ms.LitTown (Melinda)for a different matter and she told me she was in line this weekend and ended up putting her stuff back because the line was so long. They are NOT shipping product at this point from what I have been told. It's a whom ever shows up and can wait in line to get their goodies will get what is left." "I was among the folks that weren't happy when Dept 56 opened it's first 'Flagship' store in the Mall of America . I didn't like it when they opened more of their ...

* Williamsburg, Virginia christmas gift shop featured in the news * A Christmas Story House holds a contest: " What I Want For Christmas! " * More on the plan to downsize Department 56 * A family tradition in Seattle * Great article on animated Department 56 Village Buildings from HookedonDepartment56.com * Rockefeller center Christmas Tree gets its' top * Hal and Holly Moose made their debut at Build-A-Bear Workshops across America * Disney and IMAX team up for 3D version of "A Christmas Carol"

From the Original Department 56 Group on Yahoo! , there was rampany speculation as to Department 56 possibly going bankrupt due to not being able to find a buyer. The rumors started when one member of the group stated "Went to the local pizza shop today...he's an avid D56 collector & his mom owns a gift shop in town that carries D56 gift ware. When I walk in, the 1st thing he asks me is "if I heard the news"???? It seems that his mom had contacted her D56 rep to place an order & it took several days for the rep to get back to her. When the rep finally contacted her, his mom asked about the possibility of carrying some D56 villages. Her rep told her that D56 is about to file bankruptcy,that they are going under because they couldn't find a buyer." As another member pointed out, if Department 56 had to file bankruptcy, it doesn't automatically mean they'll be out of business. It means there will probably be a reorganization and a relaunch. One...

Since 1889, the Lenox name has been synonymous with quality tableware. Today, Lenox is known for much more than just fine china. In fact, Lenox.com offers thousands of items ranging from fine china to jewelry to collectibles. With that in mind, the Lenox.com website was redesigned to better showcase its wide breadth of products. "We wanted to make it easier than ever for our customers to find - in as few clicks as possible - exactly what they're looking for," said Dan Schutzman, vice president/consumer direct of Lenox Group Inc...click here to read the entire news article about the Lenox redesign Looking at the redesigned website, there is not a mention of Department 56. Digging into the tab deemed "Collectibles", and then into "Buildings", you can finally find a few Department 56 houses within the inventory. No brand promotion at all. The Department56.com website, on the other hand, has recently updated itself with quite a bit of halloween content. ...

The Department 56 store in Myrtle Beach is offering a "Buy 5 Current Village Buildings to receive a FREE accessory" special. Each time you order a current building we will punch your card and on the 5th building we will give you a free accessory of your choice -- Free accessory is limited to non-electric accessories with a value less than $35. Every time a member from your group calls to place an order we will put in another entry for your group to win the raffle. Here is what you can win: The winning NCC Club will receive a Snow Village Halloween Victorian House signed by the artist who designed it, Scott Enter. Entries for the raffle will be taken from September 15th – September 27th Be sure to mention what group you are with... Department 56 – Myrtle Beach - 843-626-2143 Related articles by Zemanta A Tale of Two New England D56 Dealers and their Sales

Browse the many versions of " A Christmas Carol " in print Browse Dickens' Village buildings and accessories from Department 56 Read Chapter One Read Chapter Two Read Chapter Three Read Chapter Four Read Chapter Five Read Chapter Six Read Chapter Seven  Read Chapter Eight They left the busy scene, and went into an obscure part of the town, where Scrooge had never penetrated before, although he recognised its situation, and its bad repute. The ways were foul and narrow; the shops and houses wretched; the people half-naked, drunken, slipshod, ugly. Alleys and archways, like so many cesspools, disgorged their offenses of smell, and dirt, and life, upon the straggling streets; and the whole quarter reeked with crime, with filth, and misery. Far in this den of infamous resort, there was a low-browed, beetling shop, below a pent-house roof, where iron, old rags, bottles, bones, and greasy offal, were bought. Upon the floor within, were piled up heaps of rusty keys,...

Hooked on Department 56 has a great article on tips for creating your halloween village . The article features tips and informative links on all of the wonderful and scary options for outfitting your decorative halloween villages, including haunted sounds, spooky lights, and flying witches. The story also features information about The 2008 Haunted Rails Engine & Coal Car, and Rickety Railroad Station, two of Department 56's Halloween village pieces created to mark the ten year anniversary of D56 Halloween. While the train itself is ceramic and non-working, you still get the feel of the haunted railroad. The also is not limited to just D56, as it also mentions Disney Villains from Hawthorne Village. An excerpt from the story: "In 1998, Department 56 introduced the first Halloween village collection. Department 56 Halloween Village features spooky castles, flying witches, skeletons, and gravediggers. Many of the buildings are lighted with fiber optic light effects, that fli...

  You may recall last year's list of halloween piece ideas - there was some pretty creative ideas. My wife was the creative source for "Smokey Bones Crematorium". This year we're keeping up the tradition by coming up with five more halloween buildings for Department 56. Bats in my Attic : it's an attic residence over a garage, and you are able to see bats hanging in there. You can also see an almost-hidden coffin in the corner. Spooky Bowl : This piece would recreate the look and feel of a football field on a graveyard setting, complete with skeletal quarterback. Jack's Pumpkin Painting Palace : This is an expansion of the Jack's Carving Studio, and features multiple creatively painted pumpkins surrounding a studio. Landing in The Scarefield : It's a landing strip with a half of an airplane and skeletal pilots. A crow sits on one of the wings, and grass grows along the sides. Mummies Curse Club : A table for four, where mummies play with a voodoo doll...

This is an excerpt from an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune : "The parent company is looking for a buyer for its collectibles subsidiary after it was unable to sell its entire enterprise. Former management thought they couldn't do anything wrong, which jumped back and bit them. Department 56 , the venerable retailer known for collectible giftware and limited-edition Christmas decorations, was put on the selling block by its parent firm, Lenox Group. Struggling Lenox said Monday that it is in "advanced discussions" regarding the sale of Department 56 after it was unable to find a buyer for all of Lenox, which includes Lenox and Dansk tableware and Gorham silver settings. Lenox has been looking for financial suitors since January when its board hired Berenson & Co. to review strategic options "including a sale of the [entire] company, a sale of a portion of the company, and raising additional equity capital." "While market conditions have ham...

Image via Wikipedia Suzie's Hallmark has a fan on the Building New Worlds social network - she suggested we run a profile on the store. There isn't much actual content on the site, other than the tabs at the top showing the various product lines. Suzie is, however, a sponsor of the "Wacky Village Collectors' Club". I've contacted her for details on what this is. The store also boasts the area's largest selection of Department 56 products. Not a mention of store history or anything, but if she offers it to us, I'll share. Related articles Craft Project! Sec Greeting Cards [via Zemanta] Hallmark Greeting Card Competition - Your Funny*Ness [via Zemanta]

It's been what seems like a year since my last blog post. Well, little Liam is now here, healthy and vibrant in our home. He is amazing. He is pretty strong, holding his head up and moving around quite a bit. Being a parent is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to my wife and I. We look forward to sharing our love for Department 56 and Christmas with Liam. It seems like I've missed quite a bit on the Yahoo! Department 56 boards . One post of note that I wanted to share was Kristin from the Satin Button posted about the industry and a drop in demand: "As a dealer, I can say that the drop in demand from having less collectors lead to an overstock situation with dealers allowing many of you to buy your village pieces at steep discounts. Selling stock at 1/2 off can't go on for long because dealers are losing money at those prices - especially those who sell online and offer free shipping on top of it! Dept. 56 seems to have finally begun to address this pro...

I had the opportunity to interview Melinda Seegers this week. She's better known as "MsLitTown", Department56's Manager of Consumer Services. She makes herself available to answer consumer questions for the company. * When did you start with D56 and what was your background? I started at Department 56 in 1989 right here in Consumer Services. Believe it or not, my background is in education. I am a former junior high school teacher. I have always been interested in the history of things so I thoroughly enjoyed researching the history and architecture of the Villages and Snowbabies. * What was the most successful new product introduction to date? This is tough, but the most exciting introduction I've seen was probably when we introduced the North Pole Series in 1990. It was great fun to be part of a completely new Village series that interested so many people. * You've answered a lot of questions for D56. I'd like to ask you what YOU col...

Lenox Group Inc. Reports First Quarter 2008 Results for its first quarter ending March 29, 2008. - courtesy of the Trading Markets website An excerpt from their article: Net sales for the first quarter 2008 totaled $71.4 million as compared to $86.4 million for the comparable prior year period. Net loss for the first quarter of 2008 was $9.1 million as compared to a net loss of $13.0 million in the comparable prior period. EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) adjusted for special or one-time items for the first quarter of 2008 was a loss of $5.2 million as compared to loss of $11.4 million for the same period in 2007. (See table below). The Company's business is highly seasonal and historically operates at a net loss in the first quarter of its fiscal year. Marc Pfefferle, Interim Chief Executive Officer, said, "The reduction in net sales is primarily due to lower inventory liquidation sales in the first quarter of 2008 as compared to 2007...