“This has been a difficult year for all of us with the COVID-19 pandemic, the school shutdowns and world-wide interruptions in supply chain,” said Scott Shoham, the company’s CEO and son of founder Al “Alvin” Shoham.
Tuesday, September 08, 2020
Alvin & Co. Closing After 7 Decades
“This has been a difficult year for all of us with the COVID-19 pandemic, the school shutdowns and world-wide interruptions in supply chain,” said Scott Shoham, the company’s CEO and son of founder Al “Alvin” Shoham.
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6 comments:
I think that it is very unfortunate that Alvin & Co had to shut down. As I think about it, I can understand their CEO’s position, as he does not want to continue operation, but I wonder why he could not just have someone outside of his family operate the business. It would keep both his and his father’s legacy alive for years to come and all the customers would not have to deal with a major disruption like this. I hope that they sell off their assets to other art supply companies.
Alvin & Co is one of those companies where you can not think of them, when thinking about a specific object. Alvin & Co just is drafting equipment, it's hard to think of one without the other. Between Alvin & Co and Staedtler, I don't think I can name anyone else that makes drafting equipment. While I prefer Staedtler pencils, nothing beats everything else Alvin makes. It is sad to see more and more companies closing for good due to, or at least partially due to, the Coronavirus. Seeing such a successful family business go down the drain doesn't give a lot of hope to other similar companies. The one thing that this makes me think about, is if all the old drafting supplies I've been saving may be worth something one day...that being said, I wonder if another company will purchase Alvin & Co's assets and continue to manufacture drafting equipment.
Oof, this is definitely a sad thing to read. Alvin products make up a solid portion of my current set of supplies. It truly is a shame that future art students may not have access to such high quality products. It was at least comforting to read that the company was not in a “dire” situation or facing bankruptcy, so at a bare minimum the family running it is closing because it is their choice. I suppose they must have been facing some degree of COVID-related stress on the company, given that it seems they laid off half their staff since the start of all this. I hope there is someone who picks up where they left off. Art supplies truly are expensive, and Alvin was very true to the original founder’s words of “quality product at a quality price.” Accessible quality supplies are essential in creating a balanced and fair playing field for students, now and going forward into the future. This will most definitely be a very personal loss for the art community.
It hurts my heart to hear that Alvin & co is closing its doors. When I was learning how to draft, Alvin & co (alongside Staedtler) was /the/ brand for equipment! Though I understand that Mr. Shoham wants to retire, I find it disappointing that he has decided to close instead of finding a successor to carry on his and his fathers' legacies. Despite difficulties with the pandemic, the company is in good financial status and could successfully run for many years to come. One of the issues with drawing and drafting equipment that people face is finding a good balance between price and quality, which is what made Alvin & co a success. The original Alvin said that he made a "quality product at a fair price", and I couldn't agree more. Though I rarely draft by hand anymore, I do like to start all my tech designs with a napkin sketch or redlining an existing drawing, so I still frequently use my drafting tools.
Well this is sad. When I was a kid, and I am really dating myself here, the big deal was the Sears and Roebuck Toy catalog, also known as the Sears Wishbook. For a kid, it was almost as good as Christmas itself. Now as an adult, I get excited over theatrical supply catalogs. Most companies no longer distribute printed catalogs. Alvin has been a mainstay in my tool chest for some time. I have never had an issue finding something that I needed for myself or for someone else. This will be sad to see them go. I understand wanting to get out of the business, but I am sure that someone would have wanted to take them over. It is a tough time for a lot of businesses but also this is going to affect a lot of loyal customers. This brand has been one of the best drafting brands that I have seen. Now I have to find something else, which will undoubtedly be subpar in comparison to Alvin’s product line.
Hello All,
Your comments about the Alvin brand were quite moving and very encouraging to myself and my team. I worked for Alvin for five years, and I share many of your sentiments about the quality and the heritage. I am happy to announce that Alvin has been purchased by Ascendent and will continue on making and providing products for drawing, drafting and design. In 2021 we will be bringing back the best products from the core line, and working with all the same manufacturers. The big change is Alvin will only be focused on drafting tools, much like we were at our start in the 1950's. We aim to retain the credo, "Quality at a fair price".
Brett Bryan
GM
Alvin
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