(THIS WAS THE TOP STORY ON THE NEWS TONIGHT..THE BURNING CAR STORY WAS SECOND.)
I don't know If you are familiar with Isabel Bloom statues, but in the QCA, otherwise known as the Quad Cities Area, Isabel Bloom is an internationally( it says here) well known, and respected producer of charming collectible statues, designed and created right here by Isabel Bloom herself. Each piece is signed on the bottom or the back by Isabel herself, or since her demise five years ago, they have artisans on staff in the studio whose sole task is to faithfully re-create her signature, in the correct spot,letting the purchaser know it is a genuine Isabel Bloom.She began her career on a shoestring, and it was a solid concern when she passed away.Now the mew owners have decided to move nearly all the production of these home-town charmers to China.Dozens of employees were "allowed" to go home this morning, following the surprise announcement of the change, which will be official later this summer.Still more will lose their jobs altogether when this happens, with, it should be noted here, a generous severance package, with three months pay, and medical coverage ongoing for several months as well. Employees refused to speak to the media, fearing they might lose the severance package, if they did. This was the hot subject of hundreds of emails coming into the NBC network affiliate as soon as the story broke, most of them stating they would no longer be buying Isabel Bloom statues because of the move, outraged because the company saw this as a way to cut production costs, and making their national and international distribution to a higher level. They will be able to make the pieces cheaper,and sell them higher.
It is sad when a company sees only dollar signs,and doesn't realize they have just shot themselves in the foot by making their product cheaper,and at the same time, making them less valuable to the faithful, local buyers and collectors, who won't be buying anything from China...Ever!
I myself have two cherished pieces of Isabel Bloom. One is a duck, and the other is an angel. And,only to think, I was trembling on the brink of buying a large piece to put in my garden this summer. Well, scratch that idea...unless I run across one that I like in a yard-sale this summer. After all, I've got to go with the rest of them on this one. If it wasn't made in the QCA, I don't want it.It will just be another cheap knock-off. from China! And I don't buy stuff from China!
UPDATE!!!SINCE THIS WAS PUBLISHED, THINGS HAVE CHANGED! The whole Quad City area has been so upset about this, that today,February 21, the company has changed their plans, and everyone has their jobs back and the local production will NOT be outsourced to China! Yeehaw! You go Quad Citians! You spoke out and the company had to listen!!
OUI?
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