The Trenton Times published the following article on March 2, 2014. To read the full article, click here.
Owners of Boehm Porcelain manage to keep the business afloat while navigating their own struggles
By Nicole Mulvaney/The Times of Trenton
on March 02, 2014 at 6:30 AM, updated March 03, 2014 at 10:32 AMEWING — When Sharon Lee Parker was a young girl growing up in Vermont, her Latvian grandmother always told her, “American girls can do anything.” It’s a piece of advice she’s used to guide her decisions throughout her life.
When she walked into Boehm Porcelain tucked off Princess Diana Lane in 2009 and learned the figurines, which had been made in the United States since the company’s inception in 1950, were to be manufactured overseas, Parker saw an opportunity to prove her grandmother right, she said.
“It’s so key that in America, we have the ability to produce. We’re not only a consuming nation, but we need to be a producing nation,” said Parker, who is co-owner of the gallery with her husband, George Parker. “I’ve been saying this since the day I saved it: You can make something this gorgeous in the United States of America.”
The porcelain figures, handmade by about a dozen studio artisans, range from a few hundred dollars to more than $100,000 for larger pieces.
They are showcased in museums around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, and the Vatican museum. Boehm’s art has also been presented to world leaders, including Queen Elizabeth II, and to every U.S. president since Dwight D. Eisenhower.