Luxury Branding and Destination Marketing at Simon Pearce

Glassblowing at Simon Pearce

Simon Pearce, a glassblowing and pottery company, has been producing high quality handmade products for decades. The company’s founder, Simon Pearce himself, began glassblowing in 1971 in Ireland and then moved his work to the United States in the town of Quechee, Vermont in 1981. In the area of hand crafted home decor this company is a branding example worth emulating. 

Simon Pearce does not simply produce glassware and pottery pieces; they produce works of art that are supported by a luxury brand strategy and destination marketing. Glass blowers spend anywhere between two and five years mastering the art of glassblowing before they begin producing hand-blown glass for the company. Their pottery is hand thrown and hand dipped in glaze by experienced potters. Since each piece is handmade, no two are exactly the same, giving the products all their own unique and distinct character. Each piece of pottery and glassware produced by Simon Pearce is hand inspected to ensure only the highest quality products leave their stores.

Yet simply reading about the company’s creations doesn’t do them enough justice. You must visit Simon Pearce. This is why at the Quechee and Windsor, Vermont locations visitors are able to experience the craft by watching the artists create their hand blown glass masterpieces. The viewing process adds to the luxury of the brand by showing the intricate process that each Simon Pearce product goes through. The time and dedication that goes into each of Simon Pearce’s creations makes for a truly beautiful finished product (click here to view some of the company’s creations).

The Quechee location also offers a fine dining restaurant overlooking the Ottaquechee River on top of their retail store and live glass blowing. The beautiful location of the Quechee Simon Pearce adds to the appeal of the brand. People associate the glass and pottery with the scenic river and beautiful renovated mill building that is home to the store and restaurant.

Glassblowing molds

Together, the location, high quality products and amenities of Simon Pearce in Quechee promote their luxury brand. It is because of the brand perception that the high cost of the products is accepted. Sure, you could go to Target and get a glass vase for $20, however the quality and craftsmanship would be nowhere near that of a Simon Pearce vase enables the purchaser to tell a story and it becomes part of their own identity. With Simon Pearce, each piece is hand stamped with the company’s cross mark logo, providing a simple yet effective way of promoting their brand. This logo becomes a symbol of artistry and promotes a sense of exclusivity that insiders recognize when they come across the products. These brand evangelists enjoy the identity the Simon Pearce brand provides as well as the uniqueness of the experience at the location and the timelessness of each handmade product.

The Simon Pearce website effectively markets the company’s luxury brand with photos that romanticize the place and product descriptions that convey luxury. There’s also a partner’s area of the website which provides tools to help partners of Simon Pearce promote the brand through the use of marketing materials that adhere to the company's brand standards. It includes an image library and index of the company’s media publicity for use in advertisements.

Simon Pearce started as a glassblowing company and over the years has become a well-known brand through their sales of handcrafted goods, including pottery, glass and other hand crafted items. Their Quechee Mill location provides consumers with a breathtaking view of the Ottaquechee river, fine dining and a lavish shopping experience- proving that place and location can make a significant impact on the success of a company. The success in their luxury place marketing strategy is evident in the growth of the organization. Since its arrival to the United States, Simon Pearce has expanded its production to Windsor, Vermont and Maryland, and it still maintains the original Quechee location. The company’s glassware and pottery is also available nationwide at specialty retail stores and online.To learn more about Simon Pearce and browse their products, visit their website.