Our QVC Adventure
Mosaic Lamps started out in a small, 300 square foot shop in the East Village of New York in 2011. In 2018, we relocated our store to Traverse City, MI and since then, things have really accelerated for us—capped off with an inquiry from QVC to feature our products.
I remember early in our conversations with QVC, I was out one night with some friends laughing, having dinner and drinks, and I met a nice gal who happened to be a buyer for Macy's. She was telling me about herself and when the topic of selling QVC came up, she said very flatly that “QVC is really tough.” I have to admit that my heart sunk a tiny bit when she said that, but I brushed it off and continued to enjoy the night.
Unfortunately, her words foreshadowed our interaction with the sales giant as every step seemed to be nearly impossible. QVC's vetting process proved to be very strict and it required us to jump through hoop after hoop. There was a very steep learning curve and many times it felt like we would not be able to get everything together for one reason or another. It seemed that so many things were beyond our control; Dates were set in stone, delivery windows were scheduled down to the exact hour—nothing was easy when we're dealing with products coming from almost 10,000 miles away.
As a small business run by my husband and me, the process brought the two of us together, closer than ever, and we were determined to make it happen. As I held down things at our Traverse City furniture store, my husband traveled to Istanbul as we developed samples for QVC to approve. He even stayed overseas for an extended period of time, overseeing the creation of the final products themselves, inspecting them for quality before shipping them back to the US. The quality assurance standards QVC sets are second to none, and I must say, going through their process took our products to another level. It required some blood, sweat, and tears, but we made it though, and we're a better company for it.
This October, Mosaic Lamps went live, on-air with QVC showcasing some of the very best products we've ever offered. We were given the opportunity to highlight what makes our lamps so special and we had an amazing time doing it. The show was a resounding success and we can't wait to do another with them!
My friends ask me if I was nervous to go on live TV, and strangely enough, I wasn't at all. I think that we had been through so much up until that point, that I was just ready to have some fun and enjoy the fruits of all our efforts—And that's just what I did. Being on the QVC campus was very exciting, it's massive and impressive with its 30+ studios. I learned a lot and I really enjoyed it.
I was so proud of our lamps we brought to the show—they were perfect. Each one was made to the highest level possible. The clear glass globes were blown beautifully, the brass bases were amazing, and the mosaic work was perfect. It makes me so happy to be able to share something that captivates people's imaginations, while also supporting local artisans in Istanbul. Our lamps are nothing short of gorgeous and they have a way of just making you feel good.
- Melissa