It's time for a retailer to post an opinion. I've read a lot of positive feedback here on what Don Devine will do for resurrecting the Harbour Lights line. The question is: will it be for Harbour Lights or Lighthouse Depot?

Yesterday, I received an order from a customer for the "First Boston Light." I'm thinking, "Great, what the hell is that?" My first stop was here, at CF, where I found posts leading me to the Lighthouse Depot website, where, lo and behold, they had the 2006-07 Society pieces already for sale, which included "First Boston Light." I also looked in a Lighthouse Depot catalog and found both pieces pictured on their Harbour Lights pages.

You can probably guess now, that we, as Harbour Lights dealers, had not even been notified yet of these new pieces by Harbour Lights. Lighthouse Depot, which is supposed to be managed "independently" of Harbour Lights, by Lighthouse Marketing, is allowed to advertise and sell new releases that every other dealer in the country is waiting to hear about. Is this fair?

We would also like to point out that a recent article in Lighthouse Digest magazine was entitled "Lighthouse Depot (not Lighthouse Marketing) Buys Harbour Lights." The upper right corner of that page featured large logos of both Harbour Lights and Lighthouse Depot, as if they were now merged as one company. Only if you read into the article was the Lighthouse Marketing name mentioned.

Lighthouse Depot is, by far, the largest Harbour Lights dealer in the country, and has earned the #1 spot through years of hard work. In reality, we all know that Harbour Lights is now Lighthouse Depot, and vice versa. If this is truly the way it is being managed, then be honest and tell us, especially, tell the rest of the dealers in the country. We deserve that.

BUT, if, like they said, "Harbour Lights will continue to run just as it did with the Youngers," they need to be sure that these conficts of interest do not arise. They need to GO OUT OF THEIR WAY to make sure ALL dealers receive Harbour Lights information BEFORE Lighthouse Depot is allowed to publicize that information.

That is a very valid point, Jim. Perhaps it was an oversight and corrective measures will be instituted. If it happens multiple times, then all HL Dealers across the country have a very legitimate complaint.

Harbour Lights needs to take care of their current dealers and establish new dealers in areas that have none. One would think they would be working on that marketing plan even as we speak.

:rolleyes: Bob :rolleyes:

I agree with you very strongly Jim. The only way my dealer is getting information is either by my dealer or me calling Kathy. Nothing seems to be outflowing from Wells. I hope and pray that the final result to this situation is not to slowly push the dealers out and make it strickly a Wells organization. I believe if the dealers were gone that would give Wells a much larger profit margin on the lighthouses themselves and the ridiculas shipping charges by sales dollar amount would also increase their profits. I think I mentioned this scenario about 4 months ago and I sure hope I am wrong.

THE WHOLE THING SUCKS !!

BOBO

In the past, we could say that Lighthouse Depot "jumped the gun". Now, it's a different matter. If the situation goes in favor of Lighthouse Depot, the dealers are out of luck and so are we. We've expressed our concerns about this before; I hope our fears aren't becoming a reality.

This would indeed be a mistake for Lighthouse Depot to take over the entire show. Without Harbour Lights lighthouses being sold in dealer stores, I feel that the line will not be able to go on. These lighthouses have to be seen in person to get people to buy them and more importantly to gain new collectors. That’s how I got hooked by admiring these beauties in a store not by looking at them on the web. Let’s hope that this is a temporary problem and the playing field will be level in the future.

I would have to say, as my dealer goes, so goes I as far as collecting. I have had only two dealers in the 8 years I've been collecting and established a personal relationship with both. The only reason I changed is my first dealer closed shop. I enjoy seeing the pieces and socializing with my dealer. If I had to do everything through the mail, for me, this would lessen my enthusiasm for H.L. collecting considerably. This is just me. Everybody's different. Right now with so many other things going on it's hard to really keep stoked about collecting. The long lulls between introductions don't help. I hope they keep the dealers intact and service them well.

MIke

While Jim's concern about not getting advance notice is appropriate, are we perhaps jumping the gun a bit? I can understand his frustration at seeming to be blindsided, but was it intentional on the part of HL? Let's step back and look at things.

For all practical purposes, HL is an entirely new company, having to figure out how to effectively conduct business and run smoothly. In a thread somewhere, John posted that the sample pieces were shipped to redeeming dealers. Notice that the west coast kits were sent first, followed by the east coast. Was it done this way to try and get the kits into all dealers hands at the same time, not giving some a week's jump on others?

I would be willing to bet that LHD has always had the information way before others because of the lead time involved in producing the catalog. Could this situation of dealers not getting advance notice be the result of an unfortunate, inadvertent sequence of events?

I personally do believe Don intends to continue the support of a strong dealer network. They are too important to the overall success of the line. He needs the dealers to help move the product. LHD by itself can't sell 3 - 4,000 copies of each light, but with a good dealer network they will.

Let's share concerns and offer suggestions from a collector or dealer perspective. However, let's also give the new company a chance to find its way. Folks, they are having to re-invent the wheel and every once in a while a spoke will get a little bent.

Here's the thread that Dave is referring to..

New Models Forum

If we don't talk about the "once in awhile" it may become standard practice.

I've been cleaning up my inventory and decided to calculate how much I've spent since I started collecting in November of 2001. The total just on the pieces I'm keeping is $39,852. I haven't yet calculated the total on the 80 pieces I hope to sell that are stored in the basement, but I'd venture to estimate there's around $20,000 there. Spending that amount of money on a hobby tells me I'm pretty serious about that hobby.

Granted, many of what I own was purchased from secondary sellers (eBay, private sales, etc.) because I got into this some 10 years after HL was introduced. I have no interest in purchasing all they produced just to get the same number because I'd never have enough room to display them properly, if at all. I stumbled on a dealer willing to eat shipping costs if I'm willing to purchase more than $100 worth of what he's selling. He's also willing to hold them for signing if he's having an in-store event and to ship them altogether. If I lose the dealer because the new HL owner pushes him out, I either play the waiting game for eBay auctions and secondry dealers or I stop adding to my collection.

Loyalty's something that's fast disappearing these days. Everybody's trying to "Be first" or "Be unique." I left corporate America some 25 years ago because corporate America stopped caring for its workers. I have no regrets--my pension's all mine and I earned every penny of it through hard work and loyalty to my clients.

So, talk it up folks, and let's hope the flies on the wall are listening.

Sandy

I am excited about Don taking over HL and I personally feel that if Don didn’t jump in and had purchased the firm, Harbour Lights would evenly go out of business. The dealers have been dropping like flies with no significant replacements. I hope to see Don’s business expertise kick in and make a turn around for HL.

As far as I can remember LHD always had a head start on everyone when it came to advertisement. I really can’t see how that has a lot of effect on the other dealers nor do I see collectors going to the first dealer that is selling Harbour lights. I see LHD being a general Advertisement for all HL dealers and if a collector doesn’t have a local dealer to buy from then he may buy from LHD. Yes I also check Lighththouse Depot to see what the latest are, but would always buy from my local dealers. (Except for the special edition where they could only be purchased from LHD.)
I haven’t talked to Don but have talked to several collectors that have and I have been only impressed with what I have heard. The first thing that impressed me is that he can be reached. I don’t know about the rest of you but I have never been able to reach Kim by phone.

I agree with Mike; part of the experience of collecting is being able to see the pieces and to share and exchange information with one's dealer. BTW, it was because of LHD that I became familiar with HL. I bought my first pieces from them back in '97. I didn't become a HL member until '98 and that's how I found my first dealer. My two principal dealers and assorted few from whom I made occasional purchases are long gone and no new ones are in sight. I really do hope that changes; I want to be able to drop by my dealer's and visit even when I am not buying. For now, I guess I will shop by mail - not from LHD, because I do need a layaway plan.

Well said, Sandy.

My dealer knew about the pieces and received them on Monday. Granted, they're in Portland, just up the road from LHD, but they weren't in the dark at all.

I hope the new owners work out these issues. There's a rather well-established reputation to uphold. Bad service and/or lack of communication will ruin it faster than it takes Portland Head Light's beacon to make a single revolution.

I have to chime in here to say that I always had good luck reaching Kim, and she always went over and above board to respond to me and help me in any way.

Same here Judy. Never had a problem getting in touch with Kim. If she wasn't there I'd just leave a message and she'd contact me within a couple days.

Yep I believe that, but now they're in a different position. They're not just a retailer anymore. If you want it fixed, speak up. This additude of just giving them a break because they're a new company doesn't wash with me. Nobody's trying to take them down, they're just voicing their opinions on a way for them to improve. I don't think that droves of collectors are just looking for a reason to stop collecting and Younger's & Associate's wont be taking the company back so it is what it is.