Last week we learned that we were approved by the U of O licensing dept. to move one step further on our adventure to making licensed products. In a couple of weeks, we hope to be able to launch this new line!

After 25 years in business, I finally decided it was time to start working with sales reps to get our products into a store near you! Nearly every day we get a call from someone who is trying to find our products in his or her town.

We now have a whole fleet of reps who will be visiting stores in your towns. If there is a store in which you would like to see our products, be sure and send me an e-mail: info@crosbyandtaylor.com and I will see what I can do.

Here is the beautiful showroom in Atlanta where the southeast Reps are showing off our products.

Tango showroom in Atlanta

2011 was a year of highs and lows for the Crosby & Taylor family. 2011 marked our 25th year in business and here are about to embark on 2012. What will the future hold?

Here is are some of our highlights from 2011

January
I ring in the new year on a 2986 miles roadtrip with our exchange student, Lea. We began our journey at the Pacific Ocean, and found our way to the Atlantic Ocean!

We also introduced a new line for Valentines Day: Heart to Heart Measuring Cups & Spoons!

February
We introduced our new Jewelry Collection for the pewter loving fashionistas!

March
Our daughter Petrel (owner of The Wedding Cottage) and her husband moved into their new town house in Portland-and did we have some fun decorating.

April
We introduced our Made for Mothers Pewter Measuring Cups and Spoons to honor Moms and grandmothers everywhere. An important design element in this new collection came from our Facebook Fans. We asked them to submit names which they use for their moms and/or grandmothers. The response was amazing!

May
I traveled to Switzerland for my grandson’s 5th birthday where I enjoyed making cupcakes with him. Meanwhile, Jim packed up and traveled to Atlanta, GA for the The Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show!

June
We introduced our wonderful Treat Jars for Kitties, Small Dogs, and Large Dogs. had some fun with our first ever- “Dog Days of Summer” Just for Pet Lovers Giveaway!

July
Petrel and I traveled to Atlanta where we embarked on a fabulous road trip to Savannah! Read about our adventures on our blog. July also brought us hot sun, and fun at our Team Barbecue Lunch. On the last Thursday of each month, we have a Crosby & Taylor team lunch.

August
We introduced the Made in Oregon line!

September
Jim and I become “empty nesters” as we send off our youngest to college (sniff sniff). We introduced new designs for The Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove.  Our Crosby & Taylor Fleur De Lys Measuring Spoons were featured on Steamy Kitchen and our Vineyard Measuring Spoons with Pewter Display Post were featured in the very lovely food site: bella’limento.

October
Was all about Oregon Ducks Football and trick or treaters everywhere.

November
We introduced our new holiday product- “Angel Spoons” which were featured in Paula Deen Magazine and a number of food blogs including

Two Classy Chics
Kitchen Confidente
girlichef

Also in November, our Thanksgiving Weekend Holiday sales were the busiest in our 25 year history!

December
I don’t know where the time went! The entire Crosby & Taylor team is working over time to keep up with the holiday demand! What a way to end the year!

We wish you all a very Happy New Year!

Today is the first day that we have even had time to catch our breath. We just had the busiest Christmas rush ever! We have had a lot of Christmases as small business owners…25, in fact! But we have never seen one like this.

We thank all of you who chose something artisan-made for your gift-giving this year. We are honored that you chose one of our American-made products.

Our shelves are pretty much bare. However, we do have some ornaments left. Knowing that everyone likes a little after-Christmas sale, we have marked our 2010 Ornament Collection down by 50%. No coupon codes are needed but quantities are limited to those on hand. Here are a couple of our more popular pieces from this Collection:

Holy Family

Peace

Joy

Christmas is only a few days away and I thought it would be nice to take some time today to express our sincere gratitude for the support we have received these past 25 years.

As a company, we have worked hard, but we would not be here today without all of the wonderful shops, galleries, and catalogues that have carried our products throughout the years. To them, we give a big round of THANKS!

We also send a big THANK YOU to all of the individuals who have shopped at those businesses.

Finally, we must THANK all of the individuals who have contacted us directly to make a purchase. We are always touched by those of you who then take the time to tell us how pleased you are with your order.

A Happy Customer!

This is really an exciting year for us since it is our 25th year in business!  We began as Tin Woodsman Pewter in a small studio down the street from our house and have grown significantly through the years. Like any small business, we have gone through a lot of changes and a lot of ups and downs.  Take a stroll down memory lane with me……

We have been in lots of catalogues:

Some have made me especially proud – like Sundance! (I hope someday we will be in it again.)

Sundance Catalogue pages

We have exhibited at lots of trade shows.

Atlanta!

Portland!

We have been featured in many magazines – like Paula Deen, Skywest, and Lucky.

Skywest Magazine

Lucky magazine!

We have had many wonderful employees.

Some have stayed a short while and some have been with us for nearly 11 years – like Nancy. She came to us as a young college girl.  She has been with us through her marriage and two pregnancies – and is now the proud mom of two!

Nancy 8 years ago

We have moved our shop multiple times – each time to a bigger and better place!

1375 Pearl Street

252 Taylor Street - our current location

This week, we celebrate the 1st birthday of Nancy’s little girl, Evelyn. Here we are last year – just before Evelyn entered this world. Nancy worked day after day until the big moment came!

Nancy is one dedicated employee!

Nancy - one year and a few days ago

I blog a lot about Nancy but the reality is that I spend more hours with Nancy, my Operations Manager, than my own daughters. After all, we are together 6 – 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. When you get your order on time and you are pleased with everything on it, you probably have Nancy to thank. She keeps everything humming around here.

Here she is on Halloween this year with Evelyn, her husband, Matt, and her son, Oliver (who she brought to work with her until he was nearly 3! I still miss seeing his sweet face everyday).

Nancy on Halloween

Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday and I must admit that I am proud to be a Small Business Owner!  Did you know that Small Businesses:

• employ half of all private sector employees
• pay 44% of the total US private payroll

I have heard it said that the future of our economy lies on Main Street America and that as long as our country’s entrepreneurs and small business owners keep innovating, engaging, and planning for growth, we will be just fine.

Here at Crosby & Taylor, we are doing our best to be innovative, engaged, and prepared for growth. We hope that all of you out there will support your favorite Small Businesses tomorrow!

To celebrate  the Thanksgiving Weekend, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday- we have launched a big holiday sale where you can find some great deals on Pewter Gifts.   Remember to shop small!

My favorite Thanksgivings were those spent in Boston with my grandmothers.

I grew up in a very small town in Northern New York but for holidays, like Easter and Thanksgiving, our parents  would pile us into the car (don’t you love that expression? why do we always say we were “piled” into a car – when we know good and well that we opened the doors and climbed in?!) and drive us to Boston. Now that was a pretty long way in the winter in a Dodge Dart, and then later a Buick.

Stopping for lunch out of the back of the Buick - 1965

(This picture was obviously NOT taken on a Thanksgiving trip!)

I loved getting into Boston. It was dark but there were so many streetlights and illuminated tunnels that it seemed really exciting.

My grandmother and grandfather lived in Belmont and my great-grandmother lived in Brookline. When we got to my great-grandmother’s house we would have supper around a card table in the hall – since the dining room was already set for the big meal!

Thanksgiving day was wonderful and we would sit around in the parlor and play games -  like “Twenty Questions” – with other relatives who had come to share the day with us. It was always pretty formal but we thought that was just the way Thanksgiving was. We liked dressing up for the big day! And I was in heaven  – spending the day with my grandmothers.

My great-grandmother and my grandmother and me

Thanksgiving dinner was fabulous, of course.

Then on Friday, my great-grandmother would take us three kids off in her tiny Austin Cooper to go clothes shopping. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. We didn’t have any clothing stores in our town in NY so this was really a thrill.

1968 Austin Cooper

Great Grandma Barbara Crosby was in her early 80′s in those days and she really liked to move out in that car. We rolled around in the back, laughing so hard since we were actually terrified but didn’t know how else to express it!

I never knew my great-grandfather since he had passed away many years before. But he was the grandson of Captain Elijah Crosby – in whose honor I named our company.

Our business started out as The Tin Woodsman Pewter Company. Both of my grandmothers had passed away by the time we changed our name to Crosby & Taylor.  I know they would have loved to see the Crosby name being honored.

Holidays – memories – and family names – they all kind of merge – and isn’t that nice!

All of us at Crosby & Taylor wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you enjoy making new memories together.

Ok, so we may have lost to USC this week-end, but here at Crosby & Taylor we are still big Oregon Ducks fans and we have big news! We recently learned that our trademark licensing application at the University of Oregon has been approved! We are one step closer to being able to make U of O licensed products.

We will keep you posted….in the meantime- lets show the OSU Beavers  how its done this Saturday!   GO DUCKS!

Duck! It's Crosby & Taylor!

I realize that I may be biased, but seriously…..do we not have the cutest mascot?

Cutest mascot!

The Duck with Afro!