WINDSOR — Owners of an Upper Valley-based snow globe business now have no plans to close in spite of nearly shuttering in April amid skyrocketing tariffs.
The owners of Windsor-based CoolSnowGlobes are taking the 15% reduction in sales in stride.
“I guess when you make snow globes, you’re eternally optimistic,” said Liz Ross, who owns the business with her husband, David Westby.
The globes are designed in the U.S. and manufactured by two family-owned factories in China. The company took a hit in April when U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports spiked to 145%.
The spike came right as Ross and Westby were planning to celebrate the business’ 25th anniversary with a CoolSnowGlobes coffee table book and commemorative globe.
As Ross said in April, the celebration nearly became a funeral.
Tariffs have more recently come down to 35%, she said. CoolSnowGlobes is predicted to sell around 40,000 globes this year, compared to an annual pre-tariff volume of roughly 50,000.
“It’s still high. And factories are raising their prices too, because they’re getting fewer orders. It’s the trickle-down effect from Washington.”
The globes currently cost around $70, when in April the average price was about $60. In an effort to boost sales, Ross has created a new line of snow globes.
“It’s geared a bit younger,” Ross said of the new designs. “There’s Day of the Dead, an evil eye, yoga, a cannabis leaf. We’re hoping (the new line) will keep the interest up.”
After 25 years, Ross “can’t even entertain the idea of shutting down.”
“Our staff is incredibly loyal,” she said about the three employees of the business, working remotely in administrative roles. “We’ve managed to eke out bonuses and some raises this year just because of how much they’ve all done for us and how we really want to keep the business alive.”
The dust is being brushed off the 25-year anniversary coffee table book and the CoolSnowGlobes-themed globe is set to be launched in the spring.
“It’s going to be fabulous,” she said.