Our History
ESC started business in March, 2000 with our first exhibition of a few dozen reproductions of fabric Santas. We started as a family business, and remain so today. Since then we have grown to a world-wide licensee, importer and distributor of an eclectic product mix including resin, paper-pulp plaster, wood, fabric, metal, pressed cardboard and ceramic designs, with thousands of customers world-wide.
Unlike many of our competitors, we have been very satisfied with measured growth, and carved out our own special niche within the world-wide gift industry by remaining true to two core values:
(1) All of our items are “Designed in the USA”, and meticulously hand-crafted by our carefully chosen factory partners to a quality level such that it is difficult if not impossible to differentiate the artist’s original from the reproduced item. Nothing is put into production until the artist has received and approved a “touch and feel” sample.
(2) We are artist-driven, not artist drivers. We do not dictate the quantity or the color or the direction for any of our artist partners. Instead, we rely on the individual creativity of each artist to take its own direction, with ESC dutifully following as directed; so far with very gratifying success.
Our artists are very different in many ways, but they all share several key traits. Each of our individual designers has an enthusiasm for design and a creative passion, and each has turned to ESC in an effort to widen the audience who can share the joy of their designs.
Most of our designers have been very successful selling their own hand-crafted originals, separate from the current ESC relationship. Many are self-taught artists, but others have had significant formal training. Some have a background in graphic design, others have a foundation in painting or drawing or sculpting. Many have been featured in national publications, and many have original designs in private collections world-wide. But most, when interviewed, will inevitably trace his or her passion to create back to a mother, or grandmother, many times citing a special childhood memory involving holiday decoration as an example.
Taken together, there is no better description of the ESC licensed product mix than as items inspired by nostalgic memories of years-gone-by, reminiscent of vintage Americana folk-art, old illustrations, or children’s tales. Our artists as a group inspire memories of whimsical, magical childhood years.
Each of us at ESC is blessed to have had the opportunity to help expand the joy that the collective licensed designs of our artists has shared with thousands of customers world-wide. We have worked hard over the years to earn the trust of our artist partners, and of our wholesale and retail customers. Our pledge to you is nothing less than a continuation of our efforts in the years to come. At ESC, the quality goes in before the name goes on.
Matt Colucci
President