SECAUCUS, NJ— “Twenty years is a milestone when the business is changing so rapidly,” said Chris Collins, Arte Italica owner and president, of his company’s anniversary.
Arte Italica’s founder Ann Skidmore, who died in 2014, started the company with her love and admiration of Italian artisans of pewter and ceramics. “I was determined to keep her look, the artisan feel that she has developed, and to keep that passion and the Arte Italica message alive,” he said. The company still works with 10 factories throughout Italy that are small family factories that hold less than 10 employees, and their expertise has been handed down for several generations.
“Our space in the market is a classic and timeless elegance, like Tuscan which is in its 17th year, a pattern which is as good today as when we first released it. The beauty is, you can dress it modern, you can dress it country,” said Collins.
To celebrate its anniversary, Arte Italica released limited edition pieces of Tuscan, its signature ceramic dinnerware and serveware pattern with pewter accents, which sold out. Collins said that 20 years later, “There is a love affair between our consumers and our customers and the line. Consumers have an infatuation and desire to continue to add pieces and complete their collection.”
In its 2017 collection, Arte Italica continues to expand its mixed material offerings, whether combining pewter and clear or colored glass or mixing pewter with wood. It is also continuing to build upon its gold line, where the Italian artisans have etched or applied gold to glass, and recently debuted Giorgio, featuring Italian pewter, glass and leather on one design. The company is also focusing efforts on expanding its tabletop entertaining and barware pieces.
“There’s no question the business is evolving. It’s changing more now that it ever has. All consumers are looking for experiential retailing. Ten years ago it was about decorating their home. Now the focus is on the experience in life. It is far less about home décor pieces and it’s about sharing with friends and family and the whole entertaining experience,” said Collins.
Arte Italica’s barware collection has doubled in the last two years and it is the fastest growing category in the line, said Collins. Dinnerware continues to be Arte Italica’s bread and butter, said Collins, and the company is also focused on expanding its giftable serving piece assortment such as the Eleganza line.
Collins has been president of the company since 2013 and acquired the company the following year. “Skidmore hired me to bring a little more business organization. She set the direction with passion and love; it was easy for me to carry her flag,” said Collins.
Under Collins’ watch, Arte Italica has sharpened its pricing. “With entertaining being such a strong concept, we wanted to be able to market toward a larger consumer audience. It becomes a little more aspirational with the sharpened pricepoints,” he said. The company still works with the same small family based artisans but in many cases, has them create a simpler look, or has kept the mixed media look but has reduced the amount of pewter added to a piece, for example.
“The most critical strategy to take us to that next 20 years is to make sure the company shifts as the marketplace shifts,” said Collins. It’s a strategy that goes beyond tracking purchases, and goes beyond just being a wholesaler, he emphasized, connecting with the consumer and their experience.
