When someone can see and hold a Wendell August piece in their hands, more times than not the products sells itself. After all, they are beautifully handcrafted, one by one, with American artisan pride. We also know that retailers need some help getting people to the store to see these products, and knowing the story behind product produced can definitely add value, and push a potential buyer to becoming a customer. For these reasons, we’ve created have introduced the Wholesale Toolbox.

Harnessing the suite of information and materials in the Wholesale Toolbox empowers our partners. They can speak to the rich history of Wendell August that has transpired over nearly 80 years, and the 100% American made craftsmanship and the handcrafted production process that ensures each piece is just a little bit unique. Also included are beautiful photographs that can be used in advertising, and product sheets showing the collection for merchandising on the floor.

It is our job to provide what is needed to help our partners sell, and we believe this is a huge leap in providing selling support. We are not done. We will continue to add to these materials, and provide a level of service unmatched in the wholesale industry.

If you are a Wholesale Partner, and have a need for information and materials that are not met by the Wholesale Toolbox, let us know. We will make every effort to put the right tools in your hand.

Shortly after graduation, she was recruited in 2008 to work for Wendell August Forge as its first female craftsperson. But it’s when she began designing jewelry for the company that she found her true calling.

In June 2009, she began a line of “upcycled” jewelry using aluminum and bronze pieces that did not quite pass inspection because of small imperfections on the giftware. She eliminates the imperfections and creates jewelry using the rest.

“I’ll use pieces and not realize where they came from, but then I’ll see a piece a wood grain, for example, and I recognize it from a baby plate that we make,” she explains. “Depending on the size of the piece and the surface size of the design, I’ll turn it into a long necklace or earrings or a ring – I let the piece determine what type of jewelry it will ultimately be.”

During the summer of 2010, Emily is excited to share the new Wendell August jewelry collection. Designed completely by her, Emily describes the collection as “pieces that will appeal to any demographic and can be worn for any occasion.”

“It was important for us to create a jewelry line that will fit in perfectly with the style of Wendell August,” she says.

In her spare time, Emily enjoys watching movies, going out with her friends, traveling, drawing, and painting.

An honor…

Wendell August is excited to partner with the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation for our second release of Civic Arena Roof products. A portion of the proceeds will go to the foundation to benefit the area’s youth.

Own a piece of history…

More than a building, the Civic Arena has inspired with its performances, provoked camaraderie with its sports, and imbedded itself into the fabric of Western Pennsylvania. However, often overlooked is a historical significance that goes well beyond our region. The Igloo was the first major sports venue in the world to have a retractable roof.  America’s first high school basketball All-Star game was held under the dome. Elvis Presley would play his final New Year’s Eve show there on December 31, 1976. At the Civic Arena, history happened.

The Igloo lives on…

The Civic Arena witnessed decades of change in Pittsburgh. While it saw the demise of the steel industry, and the loss of hundreds of thousands of residents, it also experienced the city’s renaissance. Smokestacks came down, and modern glass skyscrapers went up. Smog dissipated and life came back to the city’s rivers. While one of the most recognizable skylines in the world is changing… change in the Steel City is nothing new. In Pittsburgh, “change” is an asset. The Civic Arena was part of that change, and in each of these pieces, The Igloo lives on.

Wednesday February 8th at 9:00 AM EST, join us as we celebrate the many memories that were had at the arena with the Civic Arena Collection. Fifteen pieces are available to you, all of which can be put to use, or held with other treasured possessions in the display case.

The Atlanta show is a wrap, and we couldn’t be happier with the results. We met a lot of people, shook a lot of hands, and in the end, ushered in an impressive group of unique partners to the Wendell August family through our newest division, Retail Partners. Highlights from the show include:

1. 157 new partners
2. Representing 38 states from Maine to Washington, California to Florida, and all points in between
3. American’s aren’t the only ones loving Wendell August products. We are now in Canada, and officially international!
4. 10% of the stores are actually located on Main Street
5. We have new partners in an array of industries including resorts, hospital gift stores, museums, and national parks.
7. One of the gift shops in San Francisco, has been buying and selling antique Wendell August Forge pieces for many years, and recently sold the entire collection to the William Randolph Hearst family!

We couldn’t have asked for a better way to launch this new division of our company. With this kind of momentum Wendell August’s American craftsmanship will quickly spreading through shops and households all over the American continent.

Wendell August is teaming up with Molly Nece from the Molly Sunshine Group to host Wendell Women & Wine. Events will be held four times a year in our retail store and jewelry studio on Main Street at Exton, and attendees can expect to get a lot accomplished while having lots of fun.

Molly is leading expert in the development of human potential and will be motivating attendees for success! At each party, she will engage you with fun ways to make meaningful connections with women in the room sharing similar passions. After all, people like doing business with people they like! We’ll help connect you with other women who can meet your personal and professional needs, and what better to help you mingle than a little fine wine, of course. Who would have thought networking can and should be fun!

While you are in the shop, you will be the first to see newly released jewelry designed by Wendell August’s own Emily Hendrie. Not only will you get to see it, you’ll get a free charm just for attending! With your new charm, you’ll need a charm bracelet, so attendees for our first event will get one for free. Need more than jewelry? You’ll save 20% off your entire purchase, and we’ll donate 10% to Wings for Success, a charity organization helping survivors of domestic violence, crime victims, homeless women, women recovering from addiction, and women transitioning back to the workforce.

So come get motivated, meets some new friends, make connections, get FREE jewelry, save on some of the best American made entertaining pieces, benefit a great charity with a great purpose, and meet Molly. Have her sign a copy of her book for you while you’re here. With so many reasons to come, why would you stay home!? Tickets are only $20. Only 50 lucky women can attend, so don’t wait too long.

Purchase your tickets online at http://mollysunshinetour.ticketleap.com/wendell-august-women-and-wine/

A schedule of events along with the topic of Molly’s keynote speeches are below:

Feburary 15^th – Sunshine Productivity: The Four Things that Can Cost You or Launch You into Greatness!

April 18^th – Chasing Stars: The Five P’s to Dreaming Big and Shining Bright

June 20^th – The Good Life: The Five Essentials to Pursuing Happiness

October 17^th – Be the Donkey: Shake it Off and Step it Up

Wendell's President, Will Knecht, speaks with soon to be retail partners

Few words can describe our experience thus far in Atlanta. It has been nothing short of phenomenal. Wendell August’s new exclusive collections for our retail partners are being very well received.

We’ve spent a lot of time on our feet. Our booth has been filled at all times with virtually zero lulls in activity or interest. We haven’t had time to get a tally, but it is clear our partner count will be in the triple digits before we leave Atlanta, which is unbelievable considering this program was just launched two weeks ago! What is really exciting is the diversity in the shops we are meeting. We’ve shaken hands with owners of small niche boutiques and well known international retailers in a variety of flavors.

Retailers aren’t the only ones giving notice. Whenever we could spare a man in the booth we’ve been sitting down with the editors of a number of national publications. Flower Magazine, HFN, Gourmet Business, HomeWorld Business, Hoffman Media (publishers of Taste of the South as well as Cooking with Paula Deen) were among the many publishers we’ve sat down with. All had glowing reviews our 90-year-old, made in America, story and our strong foot forward into the wholesale world. They loved the new exclusive collections, especially the floral patterns and entertaining items.

We feel truly blessed for the business, honored for the recognition, and proud of the talented people in our workshop that make this possible.

Wendell's own Leann Smith poses with our first retail partner who comes to us out of Tulsa, OK

We’ve made the trip down the coast from Pittsburgh to the Atlanta Gift & Home Furnishings Market run by AmericasMart. As our first show promoting our newly created Retail Partners Program, tomorrow marks a truly historic day in the history of Wendell August as the show officially opens.

We enjoyed a fabulous final prep day today, and are ready to share Wendell August with the world. The show hasn’t even opened yet, but we’ve already partnered with two retailers and took their orders. If this is a sign of what is to come, Wendell August will soon be a household name. The anticipation waiting for the show to open is almost unbearable. We hope to see you tomorrow in Atlanta!

A look at the new Picasso Collection from our Impressions Series

It is no secret that Wendell August takes great pride in providing their retail customers with heirloom quality, hand crafted, and American made objects of beauty. Our die engravers and craftsman painstaking pour themselves into each and every piece that leaves the workshop floor so that people around the country can cherish what seems to be becoming a lost art.

Retailers around the country have taken notice, and we’ve created a program specifically for them. January 2012 marks the launch of our exciting new Retail Partner Program. As part of this program gift and décor stores will have access to exclusive collections ONLY available to the our retail partners. Becoming a partner is free, and the minimum order size is not aggressive, making it easy to join the program.

It is no surprise that top notch service is a priority with this program. In turn, dedicated customer service staff been put in place for our retail partners. We are also in the process of creating the first version of our partner website that will provide tools for advertising, merchandising, downloadable resources, along with digital purchase orders.

Needless to say we are excited, and from the feedback we are already receiving from store owners around the nation, we do not stand alone in our excitement. If you want to become a retail partner getting started is easy. Visit http://wholesale.wendellaugust.com today to submit a request for membership. We look forward to having you as part of the Wendell August family!

Workers pull of tiles of the Civic Arena Roof so that Wendell August can bring you the Civic Arena Ornaments

The excitement around the Civic Arena Roof Ornaments has been phenomenal. Partnering with the Pittsburgh Penguins to create pieces worthy of the building’s history has been no easy task. Tens of thousands of these ornaments are being handcrafted one-at-a-time, allowing for the Civic Arena to live on. While the process is painstaking, it’s the same process the company has mastered for nearly 90 years. We’re honored that Wendell August Forge will now forever be linked to the life, legend and lore of the Civic Arena.

See the entire process by clicking the button below.