continued. . . 

Cable, who named the products for the tiny village of Nambé ten miles north of Santa Fe at the foot of the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains, was a stickler for design and who she sold to, establishing Nambé as a regional supplier with an almost cultlike following. Cable’s beautifully sculpted designs were ahead of their time, modern-day classics at home in any decade. Nambé steady sellers like Tri-Corner and Butterfly extend back to Cable’s tenure, timeless art which firmly positioned Nambé in a league of its own.

Even today Nambé stands at the fore of the design field, working with pre-eminent artists (Eva Zeisel, Karim Rashid, Neil Cohen) whose award-winning creations appear in the permanent collections of 23 museums. “We’ve always maintained the principles that Pauline established,” Hillenbrand exclaims. “Principles like integrity of design and uncompromising quality. All of us are passionate about Nambé. We never looked at this company as ‘Let’s triple its size in a few years and cash out.’ It’s not about squeezing every penny. This has been a long-term business for our family and as we move into new categories it’s critical we maintain that focus.”

Nambé’s principal category – metal giftware – has been greatly impacted by low cost imports and amplified competition. Its once core competency has been knocked off every which way at bargain basement prices. “What others do we have no control over,” Hillenbrand maintains. “We have standards and our quality is uncompromising. Nambé is unique enough to set itself apart and command the price it commands. What we must do is focus on educating our customers. “We’re the gold standard.” Adds Varakian, “Competitors may be cheaper, but they’re not our quality. Others aspire to be as good as Nambé which is enviable for us and a chase for them.”

It’s a pursuit that the inspired execs intend to take into warp speed. “It’s a wonderful fresh perspective Nambé brings,” says marketer Eggers. “Our challenge is to sustain the excitement we all felt with this year’s wonderful directions, maintain the finest level of design integrity, and protect the brand.” And key to this mission is stepped-up product development. At the last New York Tabletop Show well over 100 items were unveiled; in the past, one-tenth of that figure was the norm. (Metalware continues to be manufactured primarily in the U.S.; the other categories are sourced in Asia and Europe.) “It’s about looking at obvious opportunities for expansion,” suggests Eggers.

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