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Fiesta Ware fans out Retro designs adds color to juicers, kitchen accents and cookware Wednesday, March 17, 1999 By Patricia Sheridan, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
People have flipped over Fiesta Ware since it debuted in 1936 at the Pittsburgh Glass and Pottery show. Today, the simple deco design of concentric circles and bright colors that promises a party at every place setting has made Fiesta one of the most sought-after brands in the world, both on the auction block and among retro-minded shoppers.
Now, Fiesta's passionate fans (which include Martha Stewart) can have even more Fiesta. The Homer Laughlin China Co. has licensed 15 companies to produce everything from citrus juicers to cookware to drawer pulls with the distinctive look of its best-known style.
Some might say fooling around with Fiesta is like playing with fire. But the Newell, W.Va.- based manufacturer's creative director, Jonathan Parry, and its vice president of sales and marketing, Dave Conley, decided it was time to take this colorful symbol of simpler times and extend the possibilities.
"Management thought we were out of our minds," recalled Parry, who said he faced the same kind of opposition when he persuaded company officials to reintroduce the line in 1986.
Parry says he just knew the time was right for Fiesta, which went out of production in 1972 because of declining sales. The line was resurrected with new colors geared toward attracting a new market.
Parry says licensing the familiar designs for other products was a logical next step. With Conley's help, he again prevailed with management.
"Dave and I made lists of things we thought would go with what we wanted ... things in the kitchen. Of course, I was holding out for a fragrance and a fabulous bottle, but it's pretty far from the kitchen," he conceded.
"Conley wanted a Fiesta-style Jeep," he added, laughing.
Once the potential list was narrowed down, suitable manufacturers were found, including Metrokane of New York, and Creative Imaginations and Metro Marketing, both of California.
The idea was not to copy Fiesta, but to incorporate the concept into the new products' identity.
"When you just copy it isn't innovative. ... We wanted a look and something that would be part of the total package," Parry said.
Metrokane, a 15-year old Manhattan company founded by Riki Kane, took its classic Mighty OJ manual juicer ( its design won it a spot in the Museum of Modern Art in 1984) and gave it a distinctive Fiesta look.
"When we met with the people from Homer Laughlin, they felt our retro ice crusher and juicer would be perfect products to do in the Fiesta mode," said Kane. "They are done in the Fiesta colors, and those colors have a lot of meaning to anyone familiar with the line."
The crushers and juicers come in three shades - turquoise, persimmon and yellow - and have the Fiesta name engraved on them. Kane and others said the new items are doing well.
"We just started shipping and have had an absolutely fabulous response," she said.
The Metrokane-Fiesta products are available in the Pittsburgh area at Wholey Balcony Cookware,1711 Penn Ave., Strip District, for about $50 each.
Creative Imaginations, meanwhile, fashioned Fiesta icons like cups, saucers and water pitchers into decorative hand-painted miniatures and ornaments that retail for about $8. They're available at Kitchen Wizard, 5875 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill, and Weisshouse Design Store, 5511 Walnut St., Shadyside.
"Homer Laughlin is busy enough with their own mainline product, which makes a company like ours a perfect match for them," said Rick Hamilton, a partner in the Los Alamitos, Calif.-based company.
The firm, which specializes in niche products for specialty markets, also created kitchen hook racks for tea towels and pot holders, drawer pulls, thumb tacks, a message board, and acid-free scrap book stickers - all in Fiesta's original colors. The kitchen rack includes miniature versions of the Fiesta coffee pot, tea pot, water pitcher and carafe. The whimsical ceramic drawer pulls incorporate the same shapes and colors.
"If you are a serious Fiesta collector, you can take these items and enjoy them all day," said Hamilton.
Another California company finding success with its Fiesta association is Metro Marketing. The company developed a hot Fiesta serve-ware series in enamel on steel.
"We have done very well with our Fiesta line, which we've been producing for just over a year," said company President and CEO Salim Rajan.
Working with Parry, the factory and a consultant, Metro came up with a line in seven colors - chartreuse, cobalt blue, periwinkle, persimmon, yellow, turquoise and white for the purist.
The team effort produced a 12-inch, 4-quart covered casserole, a 7-quart covered Dutch oven, a colander, an oval roaster, a set of four bowls with plastic covers, and a thermal gravy server. Suggested retail prices range from $25 for the gravy server to $40 for the roaster, Dutch oven and casserole. So far, local Fiesta lovers can get the cookware only through the Bloomingdale's catalog.
Parry has the final word on all licensed products. He's responsible for ensuring that the quality and concept are compatible with Fiesta Ware.
"The accessory line was created to give the consumer a totally coordinated kitchen with the key thing being mix and match. I am pleased with the program and happy with the line," he said.
Many of the new products went on display for the first time at the 1999 International Housewares Show in Chicago in January. Other genuine Fiesta accessories that will be popping up include a deco-style toaster, table linens, tea kettles, candles, refrigerator magnets, timers, flatware and cutlery. All Fiesta products and licenses accessories are available at the Homer Laughlin retail outlet, near East Liverpool, Ohio, and the Ohio-West Virginia border.
A color brochure of the full line of Fiesta Ware accessories is now available by calling 800-452-4462 or going to Homer Laughlin's Web site at www.hlchina.com.
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