Small Artisan Business Enjoys Becoming Santa’s Workshop During the Holiday Season

Nov. 28, 2010 - PRLog -- Clarksdale, MS -- November 28, 2010 -- Every year as the holiday season gets under way we face a constant barrage of images featuring Santa Clause and his workshop full of elves.  For owners of the small artisan business The PerfectMirror.net, this time of year means the start of endless comparisons to Santa’s workshop, and to his elves - and it is a comparison that they enjoy.  And now these artisan elves are taking their workshop to the internet.

No newcomers to being compared to workshop elves, owners Mary Parker and Martha Winter continue to take pride in the tradition of making hand-crafted mirrors.  Hand-made mirrors have been coming out of their shop for over 30 years now - an impressive record that is no small accomplishment in an industry that shows an ever increasing reliance on technology and machinery.  Over the years many of their mirrors were even made on Christmas Eve to make sure that holiday shoppers got their gifts on time.  Now these veteran framers are taking that dedicated business ethic and making it available to an expanding client base through their new website, http://www.theperfectmirror.net .

According to Parker, “The question we get asked most often is, ‘Why do you still make everything by hand, why not join the 21st century and use some machinery?’  Well, we have joined the digital age by putting our mirrors on a website.  But there is an artistry to making these mirrors by hand, and we are very proud to be one of the few remaining artisan shops that still operates this way.  We like to compare our hand-made mirrors to pieces of heirloom furniture - it’s craftsmanship that you just don’t find anymore.”

To those struggling to justify the expense of buying an artisan mirror this holiday season, Parker offers advice based on her own experience:  Do the math.  If you buy a mass produced mirror, you are usually buying a plastic frame that is not intended to last.  The joints tend to be weak and the mirrors are usually really thin - when they get damaged in a fall, they can not be repaired and you have to pay more money to replace it.  Everything that comes out of our shop is made of solid wood, like fine furniture, and is made to stand the test of time.  It makes better financial sense to spend a little more and ensure that you are buying a superior quality product that is going to last and give you the best return on your investment.

“Style and taste may vary from person to person, but quality should always be important and it should be available to everyone.  We enjoy what we do and we take tremendous pride in the fact that we make a superior product,” Parker says.  “So in the end, I guess that does make us like Santa’s workshop - we are dedicated to the quality of our work just like they are.  I like that.”

The PerfectMirror.net is a small artisan business based in Mississippi.  Owners Mary Parker and Martha Winter have over 35 years combined experience advising clients on quality art, framing and decor.  Their online business, The PerfectMirror.net, can be found at http://www.theperfectmirror.net and is making their hand-crafted artisan mirrors available to clients throughout the U.S.

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The PerfectMirror.net is an artisan shop offering a unique selection of ornate, decorative, and wood-framed beveled wall mirrors. Superior artisan craftsmanship makes our mirrors some of the finest available anywhere.