Two Workshops Too Costly; Shirley Shop Closes

By Desiree Parker Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Shirley Pewter’s Williamsburg workshop on Jamestown Road officially closed May 21, according to new owner Danforth Pewter of Middlebury, Vermont.

In August, Danforth announced it had acquired the local pewter line, making the company the exclusive manufacturer and marketer of Shirley Pewter. Danforth also owns the Shirley Pewter Shop on Merchants Square and the Shirley website.

“These days, closing any production facility is a painful decision,” said Vice President of Sales and Marketing Bram Kleppner of the Williamsburg facility closure, “but we didn’t have any choice.”

The company couldn’t keep two workshops running, so the decision was made to combine the two and keep production in Vermont, according to Kleppner. “We decided to combine the two after making every effort to keep the Williamsburg workshop viable,” he said.

Vermont has the greatest concentration of skilled pewter craftsmen of the two locations, he says, and the Williamsburg shop was down to just three craftspeople. Those three were offered positions in Vermont but declined.

Kleppner said some positives would come out of the consolidation; one being that no outside contractors will be needed for any part of the crafting processes. Shirley had used contractors in some instances. Also, some Shirley tooling equipment was getting old, which Danforth will repair in Vermont. This will allow for the restoration of some original designs that had fallen by the wayside as machinery began to age.

This move “will make the workshop stronger going into the future,” Kleppner says, and is “part of our commitment to continuing to make things in the U.S.” He says the company will maintain the same techniques and commitment to quality that both pewter companies are known for.

The Shirley Pewter store in Merchants Square, which now carries Danforth and Shirley designs as well as other nationally made lines, will not change. Pieces currently offered in the Shirley line will not change either.

“We’re a small manufacturer ourselves,” says Kleppner, “and we’re all sad when another small manufacturer moves. We understand how they feel.”