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April's
Articles for Giftware News:
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The Pleasures of
Age
One of the fun parts of being in the trade for a long time is
not being the youngest anymore. I remember when Chris and I first
started out—we would constantly get comments about our age.
I always, foolishly wished I was a little older. Now I am very
appreciative of new people in the trade. Some are designers, some
are buyers, some are manufacturers, and for sure, some are customers.
I remember the many "hands up" that we received on our
business journey. A customs agent in Turkey who forwarded our
first shipment to the U.S.A., our first broker in Montreal who
indulged our ignorance and taught us the ropes. Several accountants
who took a keen interest, manufacturers who taught me how to sketch
styles and specs, people who showed me the wonders of the East,
at the same time as I bought paper mache boxes in Kashmir. My
mother working in our first shop, while my first son crawled beneath
dress racks. My father-in-law letting us use his office, local
carters and handymen hauling our boxes, and young carpenters and
designers helping us open stores.
This past week, being in India brought me face-to-face with reflections
of myself 30 years ago. On Saturday, in the new industrial area
of Gurgaon, I worked with a long-time vendor—one of my very
first vendors in India, and now 25 years later, we were working
with his son Pankaj and nephew Naveen. Seeing their business change
while still maintaining ties with our shared history—that
was an interesting feeling. On Sunday I lunched with a young merchandiser
Ranjan, now turned exporter. He told me he had just sent off his
first shipments to Europe and was breathless with the excitement
of that. And then on Thursday I had tea with Shyam, a young designer
who worked for me and now has a beautiful collection of his own.
Seeing new people—young people—come up in the business
is a real treat. I like to think that a "hands up" where
possible and a welcome are a privilege that age can offer.
Welcome to any of you who are new in the business. Fresh energy,
new ideas, youth and enthusiasm are so important. And congratulations
to those who have been around for a while. Stability, reliability
and flat out endurance have my respect.
Cheers from New Delhi,
April |
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