Steuben Glass Broken by the Economy

On thing that has struck me since the Great Recession began back in 2008 is just how many venerable old companies have finally succumbed despite surviving the many upheavals of the 20th century. Here is the lastest one, as reported today by Yahoo News:

Its lone factory in Corning, a glassmaking company town flanked by Steuben County's tree-topped mountain ridges in southwestern New York, is shutting down Nov. 29, the week after Thanksgiving. With profitability elusive at the best of times, the prospects of reviving the 108-year-old vanity brand seem every bit as slim.

While the matchlessly transparent glass is still acclaimed as the lodestar of lead crystal, Steuben has struggled to find its footing in old age — never more so than since 2008 when glass pioneer Corning Inc. sold the ailing business to Schottenstein Stores Corp., a retail-chain operator in Columbus, Ohio.

So what problems were the company having specifically?

Topping the list of critics' complaints: Uninspiring new designs, the addition of cheaper engraving methods and, for the first time in its history, a production shift overseas that squeezed the price of simpler ornaments and champagne glasses below an unheard-of $100 each.

"They totally lost their way," sniffed Jeff Purtell, a Steuben dealer in Portsmouth, N.H. "If your design department is pathetic, your costs are prohibitive, and your marketing — and vision for the future — is not successful, then you're doomed whether you're making Steuben glass or Twinkies."

Not to be a contrarian there, Mr. Purtell, but poor design I can understand, shipping production over to China where there are no environmental restrictions and factory workers are treated like chattel, I cannot abide. Because you see, after all of the good paying American jobs have been shipped out overseas, most Americans won't even be able to afford those Twinkies.