What kind of company is Harbour Lights anyway?

I'll tell you what kind.
Back at the beginning of August,Myself, my wife Patti and our daughter Maggie (2 1/2) went to the Bill event in New Carlisle Indiana. At the event, Bill overheard Maggie asking for a Barnegat Little Light so Mr. Bill could sign it along with the other Little Lights she brought. Bill thought this was curious that someone her age would be asking for a specific lighthouse. He asked the story. We explained that on our post-reunion lighthouse vacation, when we went to Barnegat, Patti asked her "where's the lighthouse", and she pointed at the tower. (Now, of course, by 10 month old she'd already been pretty immersed in lighthouseing.) So Barneget kind of holds a special place in our hearts,(first time parents are so corny aren't they!) and we've explained to Maggie that it was the first lighthouse she recognized, so she wanted one for her collection.

Bill seemed to be quite taken with the story. He checked his bag to see if he had one, but didn't. Unfortunatly, neither did the store. (Maggie settled for an Ocracoke, I think because she likes to say the name.) Bill handed Patti a piece of paper and asked for Maggies address. We weren't sure why, but kind of figured he had something up his sleeve. About three week went by and we got a call from Michelle at Harbour Lights. Bill had handed her Maggies name but couldn't remember why. (Gee, I can't believe that, I mean it's not like he talks to a lot of people or anything!) Patti rehashed the story to Michelle.

Yesterday, Maggie gets a box from Harbour Lights with a Barnegat Little Light enclosed. She couldn't wait to show me when I walked in the door from work. "Look what Mr. Bill sent me!"

In this day and age of non-existent customer service, Harbour Lights, and especially the Younger family stand out. They've got customers for life, God willing, in this family.


Mike

I like most of you, have seen how generous this company is...in their contributions & gifts to lighthouses, to fundraisng events for lighthouses, and to individuals, especially the children. I believe that Harbour Lights sees that the future of lighthouses lies with our children.

Yesterday, I presented my 3-year old grandson with the beginning of a HL collection. I purchased a shopping bag full of "Little Lights of Mine" for a pennance from a dealer. My plan is to give him one on each special occasion (those many days a grandmother deems special)

He loves my HL collection, and knows they are not toys. He likes to look at them and talk about them, and point out all the neat details, but he seems to understand the idea of collecting.
(He's been taught to "respect" his Mom's Dept. 56 collection)

Yesterday, he carefully placed each one ( I started w/three) lined up on his dresser, and told me he wanted his Daddy to make him a shelf. When his Mom got home, he told her all about each one. Now do I actually expect not to ever see them on his train table or with his matchbook cars? Of course not. (His train table features a lighthouse that lights up and has a fog horn sound each time the train passes by!)

I just want to share with him my love of lighthouses, and hope that he will love them too.

Judy

My apologies to Mike for getting a little off his subject)

"Special occasion?" Judy if you're like Maggies Grandma, when it comes to spoiling my Daughter, getting out of bed every day os a "special occasion"

Mike

Bill just loves kids. I'm sure the Little Lights were made just to cultivate the interest of children. Bill always looks around at meetings of older collectors and preservationists, and remarks that the future of lighthouses are in the hands of the young.
I gave Bill a pictures of my 4 in front of Montauk lighthouse when they were younger. A few months later a package and note arrived for the children with a Montauk ornament for each, and a RI Reunion thumbnails. Bill still talks to us about that photo many years later.
Bob

I used to collect a variety of lighthouses from other collectible lines. But after I first met the Youngers and saw just how customer oriented they are, they had my loyalty in an instant. Since then I've only bought one of those other brand's lights and that was because the shop I was in didn't have a Thomas Point Little Light and my newphew Nick had to have Thomas Point right then and there.

not only are they friendly and helpful to clientele, but they seem to have a reliable product that is ahead of their competitors

What a great story!