EQUITABLE BY DESIGN

Our goal is to create a balanced equation of value and satisfaction for the artist, the dealer, and the customer. No one party should benefit so heavily that the others are left feeling shortchanged.

Artists should be paid fairly and promptly. Customers should pay an amount that reflects the actual difficulty, skill, and hours required to create the work—not absorb a 100% markup simply so the dealer can recover the full wholesale cost and then double it for profit.

A dealer carries multiple pieces, so the entire cost and profit burden does not need to be placed on every individual paperweight. That return can be spread across the broader inventory. Otherwise, the customer—the last person in the chain—is presented with a price nearly twice what the piece was worth when it left the artist’s hands.

That pricing also makes new work harder to sell. A collector may reasonably ask why they should pay that amount for a new paperweight when they could purchase a proven French antique with an established market history and documented price range. For collectors who consider long-term value, beginning with an inflated retail price means starting out at an immediate disadvantage.

The artist should be compensated properly, the customer should receive genuine value, and the shop should earn enough to remain sustainable. When each participant leaves believing the transaction was a good deal, the model works as it should.

That balance makes the model sustainable and helps ensure that the industry—and the art we all value—can continue for a little longer.

When any of us are in a position where our decisions can either support or harm the health of the industry, I believe it is important to examine those decisions closely and consider their long-term effect.