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Christopher Radko
is now in his 20th year of designing and producing
keepsake ornaments, gifts and home décor
for every special occasion and season that the
calendar brings. His hand-made, brilliantly colored
and glittered ornaments and holiday decorations
adorn millions of homes, from celebrity collectors
and historic residences to the house next door
to yours (and perhaps yours, too). His sparkling
creations have become collectors items
and favored gifts, making a lasting “keepsake
connection” among the friends and families
who give and receive them in celebration of life’s
milestones and memorable occasions. Christopher
Radko is proud to present America’s premier
collection of home holiday decorations. |
It all began with a family calamity: In 1984, Christopher
Radko decided that his family’s rusty old Christmas
tree stand had served long enough. He replaced the stand
and put their 14-foot tree in a gleaming new aluminum
model. His family decorated the tree as always, with
a treasured collection of over 2,000 mouth-blown, European
glass ornaments. As it is for most families, their Christmas
tree was a family diary with a story to go with each
ornament. One week before Christmas, tragedy struck.
The new stand gave way and the tree crashed to the floor,
shattering almost every ornament. Many cherished memories
and family traditions lay among those broken pieces,
heartbroken, Christopher was determined to restore them
for his family.
Trying to replace his family’s heirlooms proved
to be a daunting task. Ornaments sold in the United
States were, at that time, made of plastic and styrofoam,
certainly not capable of replacing the handmade treasures
his family had collected over generations. The following
Spring, while visiting cousins in Poland, Christopher
began looking for glass ornaments. While he didn’t
find the treasures he was looking for, he DID find a
man eager to revive the art of his great-grandfather;
a tradition once thought to be lost forever.
Christopher encouraged him to recover antique ornament
molds, supplied him with sketches of his own childhood
favorites, and for good measure, new designs from his
own imagination. Several dozen ornaments were produced
for his family, but those ornaments never made it to
the family tree. Instead, friends in New York purchased
all of them. On his next trip abroad, he brought back
more ornaments: many for his family, and some extras,
which sold out, as well.
Christopher realized he had discovered something wonderful!
While at his job in the mailroom of a talent agency,
he spent his lunch hours going door-to-door to stores
in New York City, showing his designs. Georg Jensen,
a top of the line jewelry store, was his first retail
account. Through hard work Christopher achieved $75,000.
in sales by the end of his second year. Now in its 19th
year, his company continues to thrive.
Since that first collection of 65 ornaments in 1986,
Christopher has created over 10,00 designs in glass
and Home for the Holidays products. His company has
grown from a lone glassblower to more than 3,000 people
commissioned in cottage workshops in Poland, Germany,
Italy and the Czech Republic. Today Christopher Radko
creations are sold in over 2,500 stores. These include
retailers such as Bloomingdale’s, Lord & Taylor,
Macy’s, Marshall Fields, Bergdorf Goodman and
Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as London’s legendary
Harrods and Fortnum and Mason, all of whom feature the
collection during the holiday season. Of the many fine
independent gift shops and specialty retailers that
carry the line all year long, Christopher Radko designates
premier locations as Rising Star, Starlight and Galaxy
Stores. These designations are based on the exemplary
service and selection they provide to customers year-round.
Additionally, Christopher makes appearances on HSN,
where viewers have the opportunity of purchasing and
participating in programs featuring product made exclusively
for HSN consumers.
The ChristopherRadko.com web site went online January
1, 1998 as a source of information on available product,
news for collectors and a calendar of events and appearances.
In October 1999, the site’s online store opened,
selling annual charity designs and select glass ornaments
from the line.
Even as sales have skyrocketed, Christopher’s
attention to quality and detail has never wavered. Each
ornament still takes seven days to product. The skills
of mold making, glass blowing and hand painting have
been proudly rekindled by the workers abroad, many of
who are the great-great-grandchildren of the original
craftsmen.
Christopher retires approximately one-third of his
designs annually, thus enhancing their collectability.
With each passing year, demand for the earlier ornaments
rises. “Partridge In a Pear Tree”, originally
priced at $38.00, has sold on the secondary market for
as much as $1,000.
The popularity of his ornaments has stimulated the development
of other Christopher Radko holiday home décor.
The Home for the Holidays collection, first introduced
in 1996, has grown to include new categories including
table top Santas, limited edition nutcrackers, needlepoint
and pre-arranged floral and wreath arrangements. Shiny-BriteTM
by Christopher Radko, first launched in November 2001,
continues to expand on its collection of vintage 1940s-themed
accessories and ornaments.
Christopher also designs a select number of ornaments
for charitable fundraising annually. “Most holidays
or special occasions, and Christmas traditions in particular,
are about coming together and sharing our blessings
with others who may be less fortunate. It is rewarding
that my ornaments can help people and extend the genuine
meaning of the holidays in this way,” Christopher
says. This year’s designs benefit AIDS, breast
cancer, pediatric cancer, animal care, diabetes and
heart disease.
Radko ornaments adorn the Bush family Christmas tree
and at the request of former President Clinton and Vice
President Gore, Christopher has decorated both the mantel
of the White House and the entire Vice Presidential
Residence. His creations have graced the Connecticut
Governor’s Residence and Gracie Mansion. In addition
to being featured on such programs as The Today Show,
The Oprah Winfrey Show, Extra, The Other Half, Donny
and Marie, Rosie O’Donnell and Entertainment Tonight,
Christopher has won the Designers’ Challenge on
HGTV. His ornaments are in the collections of Elton
John, Ricky Martin, Oprah Winfrey, Robert Redford, Kim
Basinger, John Travolta, Robert DeNiro, Dolly Parton,
Elizabeth Taylor, Whoopi Goldberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger
and Maria Shriver. It was at the request of Barbra Streisand
that Christopher designed and produced his first Hanukkah
ornaments.
Whether his creations are for the White House, an orphanage
abroad or any location in between, Christopher continues
to pour his heart into his work, as he has done for
nineteen years.
This year, Christopher is proud to celebrate the 20th
anniversary of his company. Exquisite workmanship and
handcrafted details are the hallmark of his premier
anniversary collection. Bring warmth, color and sparkle
into your home as you celebrate life’s heartfelt
connections. More than just ornaments, a Christopher
Radko ornament is a work of heart!
Courtesy of Christopher Radko Official Site.
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