Released May 23, 2007
LINDSBORG, Kan. -- It´s time for Julia Child´s 90th birthday party. As one might guess, it is quite a festive event for this esteemed chef. There are all kinds of features and decorations, including something truly unique: A special design created specifically for this occasion, etched into lovely pieces of glassware. And where do you suppose these hand-etched glasses with this unique design came from? Would you believe the middle of rural Kansas?
Marc Anderson is with the Hemslojd store in Lindsborg, Kansas. Lindsborg is a community with a rich Swedish heritage and a charming downtown with an Old World appearance. Each year Lindsborg hosts events such as the Midsummer's Day Festival and Lucia Fest.
Hemslojd is a Swedish specialty store in Lindsborg. Hemslojd is the Swedish word for handicraft. Throughout Sweden, back in the Old Country, there are hemslojd shops where crafts of wood, textile and other materials are made and sold. That tradition is carried on by Hemslojd Inc. in Lindsborg today.
Hemslojd - the American version - was founded by Ken Sjogren and Ken Swisher who were next door neighbors in Lindsborg. They saw an opportunity to build on Lindsborg´s Swedish heritage and began this gift shop in 1984. Since that time the company has produced some 33,000 of the famous Dala horse personalized signs. These are wood symbols of a horse that are brightly painted and decorated in Swedish style for homes and businesses.
Hemslojd offers a remarkable variety of gifts, which can be bought in person at the Lindsborg store, by catalog, or online. The store also includes a shop where visitors can see craftsmen and women at work. But the fastest-growing element of the business in recent years has been the glass-etching business.
Marc explains that Hemslojd had been doing glass etching since 1985, but the market had flattened. Marc was a private consultant working on the Hemslojd Web site when Ken Sjogren asked if Marc could help with the glass business. Marc got involved and it went so well that Marc is now director of Glass Operations for Hemslojd Inc. He is the primary person doing the hand etching of the glassware.
Marc explains how this works. Customers send a custom logo design by email, fax or mail and select a glassware style. Hemslojd offers a variety of coffee mugs, stemware, beer mugs and more. Once the artwork is approved and the glassware is selected, the etching is hand-done. The design is permanently deep etched - not printed - and will never rub or wear off.
Businesses, families and individuals can have a logo and name permanently on the glassware of their choice, or create something custom-made for a special occasion. There is a setup charge, but no minimum number required to order.
This business has boomed. Hemslojd has sent etched glassware from Maine to Hawaii. In fact, they have sent glassware beyond Hawaii. One order went to a remote U.S. post on the Johnston Atoll, which is as far out in the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii as Hawaii is from the continental U.S. They´ve sent wedding glasses to Canada and products as far away as Israel and Austria.
Not bad for a company based in Lindsborg, Kansas, population 3,334 people. Now, that´s rural. The glass decorating division of Hemslojd can be found at http://www.glass-decorators.com.
It´s time to say goodbye to Chef Julia Child´s 90th birthday party, which included 600 customized glasses hand-etched by this company in rural Kansas.
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http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/news/sty/KSProfile.htm
Contact: Ron Wilson, (785) 532-7690, rwilson@ksu.edu
