Department 56 New 2008 Releases
Written by Admin on November 15, 2008 – 11:27 am -Everyone is anxious to see what Dept 56 will come up with for new village buildings and accessories this year. If you were hoping to see the list here, be patient a little longer! Word is that D56 will be making that list available by mid-December, and hopefully will have lots of photos to go with the list. That’s the latest I’ve heard, so if I hear anything different I’ll post it. It remains to be seen whether the 2008 introductions will be a full-scale release, or whether the downsizing of the product line has already begun and we’ll get a mini-list. Either way, it will be a treat to see some new pieces! Stay tuned… If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! Read More →
Tags: Department 56, Dept 56 2008 new releases
Posted in Department 56, Marketplace, New & Retired Pieces | 2 Comments »
Department 56 to scale back productions
Written by Admin on November 11, 2008 – 6:44 am -After much speculation about the fate of the Department 56 company, fueled by many inaccurate rumors that they were bankrupt and about to close, information was published on the parent company’s website at http://www.lenoxgroupinc.com. Found in the SEC filings section, here’s the short form for those who hate reading legal papers: “On October 31, 2008, the Board of Directors of Lenox Group Inc. (the “Company”) approved a scale-down plan (the “Plan”) for the Department 56 wholesale business which includes discontinuing its Everyday and Halloween product lines and most of its basic Christmas lines, as well as its Forchino collectible line.” “The Plan will be to focus the Company’s resources on lines that have potential to generate sustainable profits, such as Villages, Snowbabies, Classic Brands, Ebony Visions, Just the Right Shoe, Possible Dreams, Sandra Magsamen and a small assortment of Christmas products.” “The implementation of the Plan requires the elimination of 53 jobs over the next three months, including 30 employees at Department 56 headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, 7 employees at Department 56 offices in Petaluma,... more
Tags: Department 56, economy, restructuring
Posted in Department 56, Marketplace | No Comments »
JoAnn Fabrics starting to get Heartland Villages in
Written by Admin on October 4, 2008 – 9:41 pm -I just called my local JoAnn Fabrics store here in WA because I need to find some cheap replacement light cords. The clerk told me that they are getting their village stuff in every Monday, and have already set out lighting and some other accessories. I believe they carry the Heartland line?? Correct me if I’m wrong. Some of their houses are quite nice, but I really go for the cheap landscaping and accessories! No word on Lowe’s yet, they have Carole Towne. If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! Read More →
Tags: heartland villages, joann fabrics villages
Posted in Heartland/JoAnn Fabrics Villages, Marketplace | No Comments »
Bargains on Dept 56 on eBay RIGHT NOW!
Written by Admin on August 15, 2008 – 8:34 pm -Snow Couple at Christmas photo credit: Marion Doss If you missed the annual “bottoming” of the the Christmas Village market in late May/early June, as observed by the bellwether Christmas village giant Department 56 listings on eBay, you haven’t necessarily missed the boat on the bargains. I took a look at some numbers for D56 listings on eBay over the last 2 years and came up with some surprises. Here are a few fun facts for you. ALL DEPT 56 Week of June 2 Week of Aug 11 Peak Dec. 2007 Total D56 Listings Sold (#) 2.6k 3.5k 23K Total $ Volume Sold $69k $95k $608k Average Price Per Listing $25 $26 $28 What I find interesting in these numbers is that while the supply of D56 village items (and this includes all villages, buildings and accessories) varies tremendously over the cycle which peaks in December, the dollar value of each listing is as steady as a rock. I looked at the last 2 years’ history of D56 on eBay, and found hardly a jiggle off the $25-$26 average price per listing. This means a couple of things. First, there’s a pretty firm price-point for most D56 items and it average $25 per listing excluding... more
Tags: buying and selling, halloween village, snow village
Posted in D56 Halloween Village, D56 Snow Village, Marketplace | 2 Comments »
