The Year in Review - 2009

2009 started out positive, but soon became a year of challenges, shortages and stress. Most of the lighting manufacturers downsized and cut down on inventory to the point where there were actual shortages of lamps and allocation problems occurred. The economy seems to have stabilized a bit, so here is hoping that 2010 will have more lamps and parts on the shelf.

Varaluz Lighting was the new bright star added to www.affordablelamps.com and, personally, their customer service was the best this year. Their product line was the most inventive, as well. Thanks, Frida.

ET2 is the runner up in customer service support and my personal thanks to Natalie Hernandez for all of her hard work for both Maxim and ET 2.

Hubbardton Forge became a popular favorite with our customers, and their commitment to excellence, quality and customer orders made them popular with me as well.

Cherry Tree Lighting has added a new feel to our website with their Asian inspired designs and I look forward to working with them in the year to come. Thanks to Jane and Jody.

Tech Lighting, featured on www.mylamps.com, increased in sales for larger clients, and we could not have done it without the support of my friend Joe Villegas at Light. You truly Rock!

Kichler Lighting moved into one of the top slots as well and became a popular seller of undercabinet lighting and kitchen lighting in general. We had a few kinks to work out with them, but I am hopeful that 2010 will bring many more sales, products and satisfied customers.

Access Lighting is always a personal favorite, as I am friends with Julie and Sandie over there. This year Jesse Vargas became our account manager and she has done an outstanding job for us, as has everybody at Access Lighting.

Corbett Lighting gets mixed reviews. Their customer service is first rate, especially Jeannie, Alice and Jennifer, but they too had fulfillment issues. The Vertigo line of fixtures comes to mind, and many customers had to wait 3 months or longer for it. Most said it was worth the wait, but not everyone is so patient. Note to Corbett: get more product on the shelves, so we can sell it. Same thing for Troy, which operates out of the same building.

Arroyo Craftsman takes their time, building every lamp and mail box to order. They have had vendor problems recently, resulting in delays past the normal 4 week lead time. Here is hoping they work it out next year. Good luck, Socorro.

My thanks to Uttermost for a great lamp, the Kefira, which made my wife very happy. This is one company where we need to get more of their product up on our website.

Quoizel Lighting always has wonderful Tiffany fixtures and I even own one myself. I look forward to more sales of these fixtures and their new product line.

Fanimation is a seasonal seller for us, and for the most part a good one, as they make wonderful fans for upscale clientele. Emerson Fans is the more popular price fan company. Both companies are far superior to Minka, hands down.

Lite Source used to be our #1 seller back when I started here, but sales have slowed as of late due to our inability to get new product posted to the website.  But that may change with their new table lamp collection, which I have blogged about all week. The Lite Source table lamps are the coolest new products to come out in a long time.

Meyda Tiffany gets the Avis award for effort. They have launched a new dimmable compact fluorescent Tiffany line for the New Year that may steal the show. I am looking forward to it.

Special thanks to Vladimir at PLC for his great tech support.

Thank to all of our suppliers for their product lines, service and support. I will try to feature everyone on my blog in the coming year. I am very pleased to have such a good working relationship with my opposite numbers in the manufacturing end, and plan to do my best to make it an even better New Year for all.

Silvio Modern Table Lamp

Named in honor of Silvio from the Sopranos*, this slightly outlandish table lamp is priced so low you think it came of a truck in the middle of the night, capiche? This Lite Source table lamp reeks of class, what with its cute silver button design and silver pattern. If you are married to the mob, then you gotta get your squeeze to pony up the dough and shell  out the green for one of these babies. I mean, come one, get outta here, this table lamp measures 15” in diameter and is 24” tall with a 5.5” base, and uses a 100 watt bulb, bright enough to count your latest take.

So don’t make come down there and rough you up! At under $60.00 bucks, you gotta be a chump if you can’t afford this beauty. And you know what happens to chumps, don’t ya?

*A reliable source told me that. He is currently in witness protection. “I didn’t hear nuttin’!”

This just in, Dimmable Compact Fluorescent Pendants are now available from Meyda Tiffany. Here is their press release:

Meyda Custom Lighting is proud to unveil Dimmable CFL Pendants featuring beautiful mica and art glass designs.

Energy Efficient CF Lamps.

Dimmable Options.

Custom Crafted in the USA.

So what does that mean for you? Beauty and energy efficiency, that’s what. Soon (one would think anyway) all the lighting manufacturers will get on the dimmable fluorescent bandwagon, but Meyda is one of the first out of the starting block. And Meyda is made in the USA, so that means tax credits for all of you out there. You get the Meyda quality, Tiffany glass, energy savings and now tax credits. So what else do you need? The revolution will not be televised, but it will be illuminated.

Veterans Day is slower than usual, so I spent time today perusing the new product catalogs. Well, low and behold, I came across Uttermost lighting. Nearly every fixture here looks like it belongs in the British Museum, The J. Paul Getty Center, or at the very least, the Bombay Company store. The lamps feature burnished wood, hand forged metal, mouth blown glass, aged porcelain, and antiquarian designs for the ages.

Well friends, I have to put my money where my mouth is, as the Kefira lamp is screaming at me to buy it! This lamp features a silken chocolate bronze rectangular bell shade, distressed antique bronze resin with silver highlights and a three way 100 watt bulb. The price, a mere $177.75.

But the coolest thing, the carved lion on the stem. My wife’s family name is Leao, or lion, and this is their symbol. They are going to go nuts when they see this lamp, and buy them all up. Same goes for all of you Leos out there, so whip out your credit cards and bag this exotic species of lamp, before it becomes extinct.

Kefira Table Lamp from Uttermost

I bought the lamp just in time for my wife’s birthday. She loved it! And so do I, actually. If I had one gripe, it is that the shade is too dark for my taste. There are slight imperfections on the shade, like web lines that allow for a little bleed through of the light. But for the most part, the light shines up on the wall, and it allows enough ambient light for background illumination without excessive glare.

We still don’t have this up on the website, so if you want one, you have to custom order it from me. Call me at 1-800-MY Lamps, for my Lion discount!

The Lion sculpture on the fixture is wrought iron in construction, and for the record, assembly was a breeze. The Kefira measures 34” in height, and this table lamp is finished in a distressed, antiqued brown with silver leaf highlights and a light tan glaze. The rectangle shade is a silk chocolate bronze textile with pleated clipped corners. For the money, to quote another cat, Tony the Tiger,  “It’s Great!”

Kingsley Table Lamp

The Kingsley lives up to its moniker, that’s for sure. This antique style table light by Lite Source is affordable on even a pauper’s budget, and the warm golden hues, angular shape, and extra large lampshade make it the perfect transitional table lamp for home, office, or even commercial applications like hotel rooms. The Kingsley (product page: http://www.affordablelamps.com/ls-21214.html) measures 16.5” wide by 28.5” high, with a 10.5” base, and uses a 150 watt medium base bulb, that will illuminate your subjects nicely (like your kids, dog, cat, hamster, in-laws, or other house guests subject to your royal omnipotence).

So live like a King or Queen (if you don’t already), and add the Kingsley to your mansion. Don’t let the celebs have all the fun and glamor. At $135.00, even the gentry can afford this one.

Lite Source Table Lamps

In keeping with our ice cream, gelato, pop art theme this week, may I present a chocolate swirl of a table lamp, the Lite Source Siyavash Art Glass Table Lamp with night light and stripes. This marbleized gelato delight is gender friendly, and good for both men and women as the gift for those who have everything. The Siyavash Measures 13″ in diameter, 26.5″ high, and uses one 100 watt medium base bulb plus a 15 watt T-type candelabra base bulb  for the night portion of the program. Siyavash is actually a Persian name, and this lamp exemplifies the modern Persian design quality found throughout the entire lighting field in North America.