I got my 30th anniversary edition of the Rejuvenation Light Fixtures catalogue yesterday and promptly sat down and "Ooohhed and Ahhhed" at the fixtures. Then I thought about when I got my first light fixtures from them in 1997 and whether the prices were much different. So, what do you think I did? Actually I went to my closet and looked through a bunch of old catalogues that I have kept and found the 20th anniversary catalogue from 1997 and the 12the edition catalogue from 1998! Then I went through and compared some fixtures. My findings are quite interesting. If anyone from Rejuvenation is reading this I'm certain there is a perfectly good explanation to what I am about to reveal and it would be quite appropriate to post it in the comments. I am posting this purely as information and without malice or intent to cause problems. I would expect a 30% average increase over a 10 year period based on a 3% cost of living adjustment per year so any results in that range would be satisfactory. Some of the results are way beyond that range.
There are many more fixtures now then there were in 1997 and some of the old fixtures have been discontinued or at least aren't listed in the new catalogue so I can only compare fixtures that are still in production or only slightly different from the original. I am also only listing the fixture price without any shades since that could cause the price to vary in an unfair manner. I'm not going to post pictures of the fixtures, you can go to their website to view them if you want. I haven't listed all of the fixtures either because I don't have the time. Instead I have listed 10 fixtures of increasing compexity and then another 5 with a big increase over the 1998 catalogue price since some weren't in production in 1997. I have listed the current name and model # of the fixture and have listed prices in the catagory 1 finish (the least expensive) since I understand that metal costs have increased substantially in the last three years for certain metals. I have also listed the 1997 price as well as the current price and the % increase as a % of the 1997 price. I shall not express any opinions or conclusions other than, if you plan to purchase certain fixtures in the next ten years you may want to do it now. Otherwise start saving.
I can't post this in a chart format with Blogger so the figures may not line up properly with the column title.
The "Not so Bad News"
Model # /NAME /$1997 /$2007 /$Increase /%Increase
AA9479 /Burnside / $54 / $79 / $25 / 46%
AB0976 /St Helens / $57 / $72/ $15 / 26%
AB6982 /Carlton / $112 / $126 / $14 / 13%
AA2513 /Upshur / $63 / $81 / $18 / 29%
AA4819 /Mocks Crest / $156 / $212 / $56 / 36%
AA0399 /Abernethy / $310 / $409 / $99 / 32%
AA3858(4) /Brooklyn / $284 / $375 / $71 / 32%
AA9047 /Fremont / $272 / $352 / $80 / 29%
AA1696 /South Shore / $1269 / $1595 / $326 / 26%
AA6068 /Nob Hill / $2255 / $2836 / $581 / 26%
The "Really Bad News"
Model # /NAME /$1998 /$2007 /$Increase /%Increase
AA1312 / Vincent / $115 / $223 / $108 / 94%
AB4868 / Lafayette / $74 / $128 / $54 / 73%
AB3763 / Oceanside / $70 / $140 / $70 / 100%
AA2417 / Drake(Salem) / $895 / $1549 / $654 / 73%
AB5685 / La Grand / $65 / $113 / $48 / 74%
The "Excellent News" for you Art Deco people. These two are on the clearance list and discontinued. Per their web site.
NAME /$1998 /$2007 /$Increase /% Increase
Clearance Lotus Isle / $270 / $190 (orig $353) / -$80 / -30%
Clearance Tropicana / $215 / $160 (orig $297)/ -$55 / -26%
Other interesting information is that the push button switch plate (single) was $9 each in 1997 in one finish only and are now $15 each with a choice of 14 finishes for the same price. A 66% increase only if you buy the polished brass finish. In 1998 they offered a catagory 2 finish for $11 each and a catagory 3 finish for $13.50 each.( An increase of 27% and 11% respectfully)
The old style carbon filament bulbs were $10 or $11 in 1997. They were $10 or $12 in 1998 and are now $12 and $13.
I have not been compensated for this report but if anyone from Rejuvenation would like to compensate me for my time and want a few photos of their fixtures in the "Old Crack House" for the next catalogue and wonderful praises for the life of this blog, there are a couple of ceiling lights I have had my eye on for the last six years that I won't be able to afford in another 4 years (unless they are discontinued) that would look perfect in my house!
From log house to farmhouse. Farmhouse to townhouse. Townhouse to apartment house. Apartment house to crack house. Crack house to our house. Our house to our home.
12 comments:
If I had started saving a decade ago, we *might* be able to afford one of the gorgeous chandeliers from Rejuvenation. If someone were to surprise me with a Macleay Park fixture, they would have a new best friend for life.
I can't even bring myself to buy a small sconce from them even though I drool over the catalog every time it comes.
A 73% increase seems a bit much... but I guess you can't blame them. Someone must be willing to pay that!
Interesting. Thanks for taking the time to research this. Some of their fixtures really are beautiful (and others you can find for cheaper elsewhere). I wonder if these price increases reflect a general trend in the industry. DIY is a pretty new trend, rising sharply in the last 10 years or so, is it not? Maybe they're just responding to the demand. I wonder if it's worth it to send your findings and blog link to rejuvenation directly...
rr
If the demand has gone up, the prices should go down and least relative to increases over the years. Hey, it costs money to print those catalogs and host a web site!!!!
Not that I am in any way going to try and justify some of those increases, but I will point out that cost of materials and cost of living may only be a small part of the equation. According to their web site the first mail order catalog went out in 1982. That seems to be about when they became a serious company. As a young company they had newer employees with lower wages and probably few benefits. In 2007 they are a much more mature company with long established employees, a higher payroll, and most likely better benefits to keep a talented workforce.
I don’t think a company the size of Rejuvenation will ever be big enough for the economies of scale to kick in in such a way that their products will see big decreases in cost. If that happens, the quality will drop along with the price and they will cease to be what they are: A high quality, niche-market lighting manufacturer.
Now, if anyone from Rejuvenation is reading this, I’m in the market for a pair of 4-light Garfields.
This kind of math is the reason I dropped out of grad school, but according to my calculations a 3% cost of living increase every year for ten years comes out to an almost 35% net increase - which makes your good news even better and your bad news not as bad. Plus, now that we're all trying to be more globally and socially aware, third-world sweatshops aren't quite the bargain that they used to be...
Besides, if all prices rose only according to a 3% cost of living increase, none of us would have had to buy fixer-uppers in the first place, now, would we?
I emailed a heads up to Rejuvenation this evening. Don't know if I'll get a response, besides a canned "thank you for your comments" one. I'll let you what I hear though.
Jim Kelly, owner of Rejuvenation, emailed me back. Shock! Let me know if you want me to post his reply.
Amanda
(amanda.stroud@montgomerycollege.edu)
I love Rejuvenation fixtures and have them all over my 1917 Craftsman house. I live near Portland and go to the store to purchase the "marked down" merchandise. The majority are fixtures that people had custom made and then returned. I found a Whilshire 4 arm chandelier for $325, new it would have been almost $900!. I also shop on Craigslist (2 outdoor lights and a school house) and Ebay. If you are persistant, you can find what you like/need. I have also bought newly made custom fixtures too (ouch) but they are worth it when I get compliments on the authentic restoration of my house!
I found another good source of antique reproduction lighting fixtures at customlightingfixtures.com. While prices are comparable, I found, after ordering my lights, that CLF has a pluthera of many more custom design options than rejuvenation EVER had. OK the price to customize may go up a bit, but to get my choices just right, well it was totally worth it.
I am very pleased with this company and slightly displeased with Rejuvenation who declined to even OFFER us certain modifications which we wanted. This stopped us from being able to design the groups of matching sconces and chandeliers for our home. Customlightingfixtures.com got them spot on without any hesitation plus they helped US design the lights.
Hi Gary,
My name is Laurie and I work at Rejuvenation. My duties include keeping my eyes and ears peeled for customers with intersting stories, and also finding loctions for our catalogue.
If you ever wanted to send me a few photos of the Old Crack House that would be great! I would love to learn more.
I can't compensate you for these photos, but if we ever did do a real photo shoot, there is some modest compensation.
Thanks Gary!
Nice I love the idea of being able to personalize and customize your home decor. The result is having something unique that no one else does. Recessed Lighting
Some of your readers offer to be friends for life with anyone offering them a period fixture. Hope you're happy with the fixture shipped yesterday--I can always use more lifelong friends! ;-)
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