It's official. We were up in Wells, Maine the other day and the Lighthouse Depot is no more. Sad!!!

Too bad. Lots of people thru those doors over the years. Hopefully the employees are able to line up a new job.

This recession has shut down so many long standing "mom and pop" businesses...... so sad to add this one to the list.

Just found this news out...all I can say is I hope everyone finds another job. I'm glad for what I was able to obtain while they were in business!

BB

So sorry the Depot is closed. Started collecting from them in 1999. Ronda, Amanda, Betsy and Sandi were wonderful to deal with.

C. Nelson

Carl - It was only a matter of time for the lighthouse "FAD" to end and another "FAD" to take over. The lighthouse product lasted longer then I thought it would with Harbour Lights going from 1991 to 2012. I beieve it would have lasted longer if the production quantity issue would have stayed between 2500 and the original 5500. The over production plus the number releaased during the boom period made it all but impossible for the "average collector" to be able to afford collecting these little gems. During the peak period HLs was producing an average of 25 lighthouses a year at an average cost of $80.00 each. You do the math and it comes out to approximately $2,000 per year. Also, the storage area that these lighthouses take up discouraged a lot of collectors. I, myself, have 5 average size cabinets, 2 extra large cabinets and 3 small cabinets holding my collection and I was totally out of room when HLs went out of business.

The average collector was probably in his/her middle to late 50's and were probably downsizing their home, living in a condo or apartment and saving for retirement or on a fixed income. They didn't have the room or money to keep up with the pace that HLs was producing. The Youngers sold the business at exactly the right time to realize the maximum effectiveness of their business. When Lighthouse Depot/Marketing bought from the Youngers, the only way for the market to go was down and that is what it did to the point that even issue quantities of 1200 or less were not being sold out.

I,for one, am glad that the production stopped because I was going to have to stop buying due to the lack of display room. I could not see throwing anymore money away on something that I would have to store in a closet.

These are my thoughts only on the downfall of Harbour Lights, the Lighthouse Depot and Lighthouse Marketing.

I assume someone is selling their private collection on the Lighthouse Digest web site.

http://www.shop.foghornpublishing.com/category.sc?categoryId=40

Tim Harrison and Kathy, his wife, started Lighthouse Depot, Lighthouse Digest and the Lighthouse Foundation.

Don Devine eventually purchased the Lighthouse Depot and it's catalog operation, Tim & Kathy kept the Digest and the Foundation. There was still cooperation between the Depot and Tim & Kathy's interests up to the end.

Lighthouse Digest has been selling pieces that were either part of Tim's collection or are selling items on behalf of another collector.

We drove through Wells the other day. The Lighthouse Depot has been torn down and new construction has started, but interestingly the sign is still there.

Probably would have let you take one of the signs with you, Mike. All you had to do was get it down and fit it into the car.

It would probably go for 50 to 100 bucks on eBay.