Mirror producers reflect on challenges, opportunities

Since antiquity, people have paused before the mirror to take a look. But today, people are using mirrors to create a look, not just reflect one. The mirror's shift from utilitarian to decorative has fueled new creativity, and challenges, for manufacturers.

Mac Cooper of Uttermost said that while people will forever peek at a tie or wisp of hair in a mirror, today's oversize, stylized mirrors have a purpose all their own. "These are fashion statements as much as anything else," he said. "That's where the real growth has come from."

Whether tall and streamlined or short and ornate, a mirror imbues a room with a subtle sparkle all its own. "It might kind of cast a light and throw it around the room a little," said Jeff Robb, president of Hickory Manor House. "A mirror of a certain size can make a room look larger. A painting can't do that."

From small companies with about 50 SKUs in mirrors, such as Payne Street, to category powerhouses like Uttermost, with more than 530, sales are running steady to flat.

"The business to go around is level at best," said Cooper of Uttermost. "The industry is more price competitive." Still, he said, the company's sales are up somewhat over this time last year. "It's been very challenging to show an increase," he said. "We've had to really branch out design-wise to help lead the way."

Those companies that cater to higher-end clients seem to be faring better. "One thing that has helped is the better mirrors are more distinctive," said Jim Breece, president of Payne Street. "We do have some mirrors that do well for us. Other categories are more challenging."

Pauline Raschella, president of Raschella Collection, said a glut of products and a disposable mentality among some younger buyers is exerting significant pressure on the overall business climate. "I feel the mirror business has become like a commodities business, it's become so low price," she said. "There's no increase happening anywhere. It's not growing like we'd like."

While many mirror manufacturers also feel the recent pinch of doing business in China — higher labor, transportation and import costs and a devalued dollar —shipping and packaging remain key concerns.

"If you deliver a mirror that's cracked or chipped or broken, it's over," said David Gebhart, co-owner of Global Views. He said it is not uncommon for the company to invest $30 to $50 more in packaging above what the factory provides.

"You have to package it so it can get there," said Bruce Bradburn, CEO of the Bradburn Gallery, but when clients decide the color or size doesn't work, they also must be able to repack it easily, "so when you get it back it is still in one piece."

As mirrors have become more decorative than utilitarian, they have come to wear more complex frames. "Glass is one thing; then you've got all these funky, ornate parts," said Robb.

Turnaround times are becoming shorter and shorter, too. Raschella noted a recent call from a retailer one Wednesday afternoon who wanted the order shipped complete — the following Tuesday. "They don't stock; they expect us to," she said.

Online sales have also contributed to the squeeze, Robb said. "When you buy on the Internet, you expect quick turnaround," he said, adding that five- to six-week timeframes are shrinking to five to six days. "Expectation is contagious."

Customers also have high expectations that the products they buy will stand out in a crowd. "People want something unique in their house," Robb said. "They don't want to go out and see the same mirror in their neighbor's house or in the bank lobby. And on top of that, they want it to complement their decor."

Global Views is pushing the ensemble look in dramatic directions, Gebhart said, with mixed media installations of as many as 13 mirrors and 12 sconces hung in a checkerboard pattern. The company also is rolling out mirrors in couture colors this fall that will be displayed in graduated color groupings from six to 16. "It's getting not just a mirror on the wall, but color on the wall, in a big way," Gebhart said.

Robb said Hickory Manor House focuses on custom finishes and antiquing, ensembles using mirrors and other products decoratively, and frame thicknesses that "hit a certain sweet spot." The company also promotes its import-free business. "We still do our manufacturing here in the U.S.," Robb said. He said as reports surface about problems with Chinese imports in a range of products, Hickory Manor House plays up its made in the USA products at market with signage in its showroom windows. "There is some pride in that and we see it as a plus," he said. "At the same time, we're realistic — there are a lot of people who like to buy at the price of China."

Cooper said Uttermost is seeing increased interest in transitional designs with antique mirror and in multimedia displays of multiple small mirrors interspersed with framed photographs or artwork.

Bradburn Gallery, which has its Elizabeth Marshall division for mirrors and other occasional and accent lines, is honing excellent-quality tall narrow mirrors for homes with larger rooms and taller ceilings and stairwells. New design directions include more work with glass frames and new material combinations, such as canvas on the frame and painting on the glass. "Our focus has always been a traditional look," Bradburn said. "We try to create an eclectic, traditional feel."

Raschella said though her company caters primarily to a "traditional, classic customer," the company likes to surprise clients, too. One of the company's recent popular styles featured a mirror with high-gloss lacquered frames in such playful colors as melon and raspberry. "It's fun to have products like that and to sell them from time to time," she said. "It's refreshing. It appeals to the design market and the upscale market. ... We're trying to make sure we have excellent products every six months — customers need it for their stores.""

At Payne Street, metallics are hot with customers. "Some of our most popular mirrors are between gold and silver," Breece said, noting that the colors mirror the fashion industry, with really warm silvers among the best sellers. For Payne Street, mirrors have become the jewel in retailers' orders. "Some people don't think of us as a mirror source," he said, "but if a customer visits our High Point showroom, rarely do we write an order that does not include mirrors."

Jim Breece

Bruce Bradburn

Mac Cooper

Pauline Raschella

Jeff Robb

David Gebhart