Wilson Craigie of Richmond, VA says look overseas:
Steuben Glass has been the hallmark in the US for extremely artistic, high
quality crystal art objects for many decades. A consumer of hugh amounts of
energy, I am sure the tremendous rise in costs has frustrated Steuben’s
efforts at cost control and thereby competitive pricing practices. Right now,
contemporary Steuben pieces may be attractive to foreigners
potentially buying with inflated Euros or other currencies. However, Steuben has
been a US producer, catering to US consumer tastes. I believe that any potential investor in The Steuben Glass Co. is going to look at potential for growth in exports. This would not be easy as there are other makers of crystal objects in many countries. For the company
to remain a “Luxury” producer, Steuben must have the capital to market abroad
and develop a stronger international appeal. “Luxury” producers are able to pass on the costs of production worldwide. “Mass” producers cannot.

We in the Carder Steuben Club want the company to succeed, but that is a
financial/investment issue. For collectors, especially collectors of American
“Luxury” Steuben objects made prior to 1932, I am absolutely convinced that there will be a time (probably after I’m gone) when Carder Steuben objects of glass art will be highly coveted in China, India, South America, Russia and to some lesser extent, Europe.
The Steuben Glass Company can compete: but it must set a production and
marketing effort with strength that is realistic in our evolving global economy. EVERY producer worldwide is dealing with high energy costs: it’s the marketing and distribution decisions that will make or break our company.

An unidentified members says:
As a collector-dealer in both Carder and Modern Steuben this announcement is
of more than passing interest to me. The announcement was no surprise to me.
Corning has remade itself into a high-tech company and much as it pains me to
say so, Steuben is a vestigial organ. The harsh reality is that Steuben’s cost/price structure is out of whack in a global economy. To the high-end buyer it may not matter – conspicuous consumption still exists. To the middle market buyer the price versus perceived
value just isn’t there. What is there about a hand cooler to justify a price of
$250? And yet, this may not be profitable for Steuben. If you look at the price
of items that Steuben has made for a long time, the price increases over time
have out-paced inflation.

Glass artist Debbie Tarsitano sees the modern age:
I do think Steuben can join the ranks of other companies who were able to modernize and enter the sphere of what young consumers want today. For the first time in a long time there is tremendous hope for the Steuben name. So I see this as a good step in the right direction. I see a buyer who knows the potential of Steuben , buying it and changing the direction for the better to include a new generation of buyers.

And our economic forecaster Gerry Eggert says:
We are heading into a recession. A Democratic Administration is going to
increase tax rates on high earners. Where is Steuben Glass going? Bigger losses!
As someone pointed out, Tiffany sells “cheap” imports with their “Tiffany” paper
label. Baccarat had a 15″ crystal owl advertised for $6,500 in a recent New York
Times. So there is high end glass available. Fenton could not make it in West Virginia.
How can Steuben Glass make it in Corning? It might be a difficult time to sell. A
lot of venture capital has dried up.

Kathleen Herdell of St. Helena, CA thoughts are:
As a new collector of the Carder glass, my thoughts are probably naive in the big
picture, but here are a couple.

First, I’ve purchased Waterford and nice crystal in the past. I’ve purchased
only a few Steuben figurines in my day as gifts to special friends. But, I haven’t
even done that in the past 15 years. Unfortunately, the crystal, while stunning and beautiful, just isn’t “hot” anymore, and has not stayed current with the younger tastes. For example, I shopped for a wedding present recently, and of all the glass items the store had to offer, the most practical and elegant was a somewhat modern salad server and matching smaller salad bowls by Waterford. It wasn’t cut crystal or etched. The bride commented it was the nicest gift they received. Wanting to stay “luxury” is nice, but perhaps Steuben needs to have the secondary lines like Waterford that are younger in style, are still of good quality, yet maintain the Stueben mystique in order to retake some of the Xgen market that has been so drawn to the “hot” youth-oriented designer
names lately. Such a small percentage of the market will ever purchase a luxury
line of Steuben, but a huge percentage of the market would purchase a secondary line like I did with Waterford. I am sad this is happening to Steuben, but it is happening to so many companies in the current economic climate. Also, don’t forget that right now the economy is slowest in all sectors that have anything to do with housing, and the ripple effect is far and wide, including purchasing showcase items like Steuben. I talked recently to a friend in the pool table industry who reports that there will only be one or two American companies left in business by the summer because if houses aren’t being built and decorated, and if people aren’t buying houses, but are instead losing them, then, there is no one to purchase the items. You’re right back to the point I was making about there being a limited percentage of the marketplace who will still be buying luxury home items.

Second, as to the notion of producing colored glass again, I say fine, but we need
to ensure there is no way the original glass can be confused with the
reproductions. I don’t know if there is a market for the reproductions, but if
there is, I can’t help but think it will make our collections more valuable…you
know, the old idea that if one can get the “originals” which are rarer, it drives
the market up on those items.