Triple Play

I love it when proud and happy customers send in photos of our curtains installed in their homes! We've just received this one, wherein a client used three Prairie Sumac panels side-by-side. Our seamstress was able to modify the length to fit the windows exactly and add a bottom rod pocket to keep the lace curtains in place, as these windows swing into the room. Please contact us with any measurement or installation questions you might have, we're delighted to be of assistance!

I Share Your Frustration.

@%$#&^%$!

I am appalled at just how terrible customer service seems to be with many online companies.  I want to use much stronger language, but I'd rather not offend anyone who doesn't know me well.  Those who do know me can easily imagine the actual words currently being flung around my office.

This past week, instead of being in the position of assisting customers, I had to be one; I'm helping a design client with some major purchases for an Arts & Crafts style home spa, and have been commissioned to source materials.

My client is spending thousands of dollars, and I CAN'T GET THE COMPANIES TO CALL OR EVEN EMAIL ME!!!

Hello, certain hot tub and sauna companies: you come up high on the search engines, but you refuse respond to very basic technical questions: You're off the list.

Decorative finish company that can't seem to produce a sample? We went to your competitor.

We at Cooper Lace hear the same sort of complaints from our customers who looked elsewhere first:
They get bumped to voicemail or their emails are never returned. No one helps with measuring. There's a complete indifference to those who want to buy something!

What's so difficult about communicating with your clients?
I LOVE speaking with you!
Day or Night.
Weekday, Weekend or Holiday.

I've spent countless hours over the last 20-odd years with one spouse on the telephone and the other on a step-ladder with a tape measure.  Bring it on; I'm here for you.

Do you have a question about our lace? Call or email me NOW. The office line forwards to my cellphone in the off-hours; I shut it off when I'm sleeping.  Otherwise, we're open for business. I promise to respond to your email as soon as possible; usually within the hour (once again, unless I'm sleeping or on an airplane).

Click here for our contact information and the best customer service of any company, anywhere.

That's my promise to you, Dear Client.

Dan

With Thanks To You All

Seven years ago, on Thanksgiving weekend, I quit my job of 16 years. I was deeply unhappy, and after taking a little time off, decided to create the best lace curtain company in existence. It was a field I knew intimately, and I wanted to offer the most distinctive patterns that were unrivaled for their artistry and quality. Additionally, I was determined to have the finest customer service, not only for any company selling lace, but for any company, anywhere. 

To make my task even more challenging, I launched just as the Great Recession began taking its toll on the global economy. It was damned scary for the first couple of years, but I stuck it out, steadily adding patterns and always keeping my customers' interests in the forefront. My goal was and is to always satisfy my clients and to do it as quickly as possible, even with the typical bumps and glitches that every retailer experiences.  In fact, I received this email today:

"Mr. Cooper, We would like to state that the exchange occurred because of my error. We noticed that when we made you aware that an exchange was needed that you immediately sent the replacements even before receiving our payment.  We have thoroughly enjoyed doing business with you."

Today, Cooper Lace is the largest retailer of Scottish Cotton lace in North America. We now offer more than seven times as many patterns as when we started with our Exclusives, including our recently added Historics line which features the highly popular Meadow Lily Arts and Crafts pattern. We've grown so much, that I've enlisted a colleague, Christine Light, to handle fulfillment for this and our Traditionals line.

Yes, I'm blowing my own horn, but only because I wanted to show just how very grateful I am to all of you for contributing to that success.  I am humbled by your patronage and your faith in the company that bears my name.

Thank you, and I wish you all the happiest of Thanksgivings.

Dan Cooper

Thanks on Loan

Cooper Lace just received this touching, handwritten note from a very happy customer, and we're very flattered. She's not only thanking us for her curtains, but also for our Lace-on-Loan sample program, which has been hugely popular:  we'll send out entire panels for a two-week loan so that you may examine them in your home at no cost to you, other than the return postage.

If you'd like to see any of our lace curtain panels, please contact me or Christine Light.

Grecian Surprise

Volttage Pictures/HitRecord FIlms

Usually, we're well aware of when Cooper Lace will appear in a film or television show, but this time, we had no idea. If you're going to see "Don Jon", the new film starring Jason Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore, keep your eyes open for scenes towards the end of the film in Ms. Moore's Craftsman-style home. You'll most likely see our Grecian Panels artfully hung in the French doors.

Rushing Alpha House

Cooper Lace was just selected to provide a large number of our William Morris Cherwell Lace Curtains for an upcoming episode of Amazon Prime's Alpha House starring John Goodman and Bill Murray. As with most film and television productions, time was of the essence, and we were able to deliver 18 custom-sized panels in record time, thanks to the efforts of our seamstress, Ana Sousa. We'll post the air date as soon as we have it!

Lace of the (Boardwalk) Empire

-HBO/Home Box Office

Once again, Cooper Lace has been selected to provide the lace curtains for the HBO series "Boardwalk Empire". It was a tall order, literally, as we rushed dozens of our longest panels overnight to the Brooklyn, New York set from our warehouses in the United States and Scotland. Among the patterns used were Victorianna,  Lucynda, Brownstone, Grecian, Regency, and Neo-Grec.  Look for them during Episode 11!

We're a Bargain!

A friend sent me the above image: it's an 1850s Illinois newspaper advertisement for lace curtains, and it proudly proclaims lace curtains priced at "$5 to $100 a pair"  I did a little research, and it seems that an 1850s dollar, with inflation, would be worth $27 today.  Thus, this firm's cheapest curtains would be $135 a pair or $62.50 a panel.  In fact, our Cottage Lace Panel starts at only $69 a pair! We don't have anything, though, that costs $2700 a pair or $1350 a panel...

SNEAK PREVIEW! "Bellflower"

Cooper Lace has long been the leading resource for English Arts and Crafts movement lace curtains, and as of today, we've adding yet another pattern by the English architect and designer C. F. A. Voysey. Bellflower, a circa 1900 design, is one of our most intricate patterns to date, and has subtle shading and an alternating repeat that delights the eye. Bellflower was originally a carpet design drawn for the Tompkinson's/Steele's mill, and it, along with Oak & Acorn, create stunning curtain panels when interpreted in 100% cotton lace. Bellflower and Oak & Acorn join The Stag for our current selection of Voysey patterns, along with William Morris' Cherwell to complete our selection of notable English patterns.

Fastest Lace in the West

Neo-Grec

Victorianna

In the heat of the summer,  you'd think things would quiet down in the World of Lace. Not so; in fact, Cooper Lace's Historics line has been flying off the shelves. For those in search of Nottingham cotton lace curtains in the Victorian and Arts and Crafts styles, our extensive selection of long-time favorites such as Victorianna, Neo-Grec, Meadow Lily, Kelvin Rose. Not only does Cooper Lace offer these at the lowest prices, we promise to deliver them in less than 10 days from date of order, or the shipping is free. As of this writing, every pattern and length is in stock, and we've been making a lot of customers very, very happy with our speedy delivery times and personalized customer service. If you're reading this from outside of the United States, we'd be delighted to be of assistance! In the past month, we've shipped to Italy, Finland, Australia, Russia and Canada. Please contact Christine Light at 866-286-6552 (toll free in the US) or 781-718-9339, or email her at christine@cooperlace.com. 

Kelvin Rose

Meadow Lily

We're Adorable...

While Cooper Lace has been featured prominently in many films, television programs, and museums, this is the first time the world of fashion has come knocking on our door:  Adore Me, creators of a beautiful lingerie line contacted us recently; they were in need of lace curtains for the set of a fashion shoot, and were seeking something light and airy that would accentuate their latest additions to their line.  We sent them a large box of samples from our Traditionals collection, and they selected several, including Lydia.  We were mightily impressed with the results; although we admit to being upstaged just a little by the enchanting model....

We're The Best! Ask our customers....

We've always felt that Cooper Lace had the finest customer service, best patterns and largest inventory, but this unsolicited email appeared in our in-box this week.  I promise you this was a new customer, one previously unknown to us, and someone who had absolutely no interest in promoting us:

Oh my God! You guys really take first place! Your website is amazing and you have the best stuff. I have been trying to find just the right lace curtains for months now. No one ever has anything in stock and some don't even respond to emails. I am holding my breath for my curtains to arrive. I cant wait! 

Thanks for being so great.

My best,

(name withheld)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Excelsis Brownstone

Cooper Lace was selected to provide the lace curtains for Mableton in Santa Rosa, California; possibly the finest restoration of a Victorian mansion in recent memory.  Overseen by Steve Rynerson and Paul Duchscherer, the window treatments have been executed by the extremely talented Victoria Lenox of Lenox Interior Motifs.  She recently shared these photos of our Brownstone lace, designed by Bradbury & Bradbury wallpapers, and hung in a Turkish Revival room.  We'll be displaying more of our lace shortly, but wanted to show you this right away!

Overly Sensitive?

Every so often, I get a call from someone who suffers from being extremely allergic to chemicals in their home environment, and they want to know if Cooper Lace curtains will be safe for them.  Their questions typically focus on fabric content and and post-weaving treatments such as Scotch-guarding (which is kind of ironic, as our lace curtains are woven in Scotland...)

Anyway, our Exclusives line is comprised of 100% cotton, with no synthetics. Our Historics and Traditionals lines are 95% cotton 5% polyester, but note that this tiny amount of synthetic fiber is the stitching on the edging.  We will be happy to loan you one or more of our curtains if you wish to test for adverse reactions.

The are no harsh chemicals used in finishing our lace curtain panels; if need be, a gentle washing in cold water before hanging is suggested for those who prefer to do this with
all fabrics entering their households.  If you or someone you care for is highly chemically sensitive and you have any questions about our lace, please call me at 888-433-7801 or email me at ceo@cooperlace.com

Yours,

Dan Cooper
President & CEO, Cooper Lace

Meadow Lily Lace Curtain Panel

Occasionally, I post a piece devoted to one of our lace patterns; to celebrate the debut of Cooper Lace's Historics line; I thought I'd give you a little background on one of the most popular ones: Meadow Lily

Meadow Lily (lower left)

The design for the Meadow Lily lace panel is taken from the 1910 Come-Packt Furniture catalog "F" (image courtesy of the Winterthur Museum Library).  Filled with Arts & Crafts style appointments including furniture, lighting and lace curtains, this catalog features a glimpse into the well-appointed Craftsman-style home from just after the turn of the 20th century. Meadow Lily is by far the most distinctive pattern of the lot and was recreated by the art department of the mill in Scotland.  We offer it in two widths; 30" and 50", and two colors, white and ecru (ivory).  The panel is also available in lengths ranging from 54" to 108".

For more information, samples or ordering, please contact Christine Light at christine@cooperlace.com or call 866-286-6552

Two New Lines; 19 More Patterns!

Meadow Lily 

Finally!  

Yes, I know I said February 1st, but in the scheme of things, March 14th isn't too bad.  So here's the news:

The Scottish mill that weaves our curtains has been so impressed with our progress (we're their largest North American lace curtain customer), that they've offered us two new lines of historic reproduction lace curtain panels to represent!

Our current line has been renamed Cooper Lace Exclusives, and the two new lines are Cooper Lace Historics and Cooper Lace Traditionals.

Our Historics line is composed of cotton Nottingham lace curtains woven in documented patterns from 1870-1930, and features such notable designers as C. F. A. Voysey.  There are also great mid-Victorian designs, and some wonderful Arts & Crafts patterns such as Meadow Lily (seen above), and a Mackintosh-inspired panel, as well as a Chinoiserie/Art Deco pattern.

Our Traditionals line, also of Nottingham weave, is assembled around the mill's archival patterns of late Victorian and early Edwardian designs; these are the finest examples available of floral and foliate patterns embellished with swags and wreaths. All of our new patterns are available in pure White or Ecru/Ivory.

Lydia from our Traditionals

Because we're literally doubling our offerings, I've enlisted the services of an associate, an old friend and colleague, Christine Light.  I met Christine and encouraged her to work with me for another firm  many years ago, and thus, she is very familiar with the Historics line.Christine is a terrific person, and in her, you'll find the same exceptional customer service and attention to detail that you've found at Cooper Lace Exclusives. You can reach her at christine@cooperlace.com or 866-286-6552.

Patience is a Virture

Or so I'm told...

In my last post, I told everyone to watch this space for a major announcement on February 1st.

The day came and went, and....nothing.

And today, a reader asked "Well?"

Sorry, I was premature.

It's nice to know that someone's reading our blog, though.

We still have a big announcement coming up, but our web designer and developer have been so busy implementing it, we haven't had a chance to launch.  It'll happen sometime this month, and I promise you, it's very exciting news in the World of Lace.  In fact, it will cement Cooper Lace's position as the leading resource of historic cotton lace in North America.

So, thank you for your patience and understanding, and stay tuned!

Yours,

Dan

Starting the Year Off Right

Happy New Year from Cooper Lace!

I received the following unsolicited email from a client recently, and it (along with many others) made my day:

"Just a quick note to let you know I got my lace yesterday.  That was fast; I really wasn't expecting them so soon.   I have to say, I Love them!  Thank you for the great service.  I've been looking at your web site for a while and always pictured how fabulous the lace would look in my home.  If you haven't guessed, it's an old A&C bungalow.  When you love your house it deserves the very best! Looking forward to placing another order in the future.  I will send some pictures soon."

Thank you, Cathy, and thanks to all of you who have purchased out lace curtains over the past five years!

 Also, Brownstone Lace is now available for your windows and doors!  

In closing; watch this space on February 1st, for we will have a very exciting announcement about our line of lace curtains!

Dan