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AUGUST
6TH,
2012 UPDATE
NEW W.T. KIRKMAN SHOWROOM NOW OPEN:
We are pleased to
announce the opening of our new full-line showroom and electric
lamp and fixture fabrication, restoration, and repair service
facility. Showroom hours are from 10:30am to 5:00pm,
Monday through Friday, or by appointment. Will-call orders
can be placed by calling our toll free number 877-985-5267.
Walk-in orders are also accepted. We will also maintain
our dealer spaces in the Original Old Town Ramona Antique Fair,
which is open 7 days per week. Click on the photo of our
new showroom location for a map.
To help find a dealer in your area, we have just added a
DEALER LOCATOR PAGE for North America to our website.
Prospective dealers will also more easily find our
Dealer Terms and Application
SHIPPING RATES:
UPS and FedEx have both raised their shipping rates 4.9% as of
January First. The U.S. Post Office has also raised rates
for most all parcels. While these increases are in line with the
increases we've seen over each of the past few years, it makes
shipping a single item more expensive than ever. Shipping a second item will
reduce the shipping cost per item substantially, so we encourage
combining orders, or ordering spare parts in advance.
PREMIUM GRADE LANTERNS:
Our premium grade
#1 Little Champ,
#2
Champion, and newest model
#350 Little Giant, galvanized
lanterns are continuing to sell at unprecedented rates, mostly
due to emergency preparedness orders. (The #350
model is a nod to the Embury
Little Supreme and Little Air Pilot lanterns, cousins of the Dietz
Little Giant, first introduced in 1926.) Our premium grade models are without a doubt the best tubular lanterns made.
The #350 Little Giant, shown above, will burn for over 40
hours on one filling, and is virtually tip-proof. Our #2
Champion is the largest and brightest of our premium grade
models, and is also our most popular lantern model.
Here is an outside review of the No. 2 Champion worth reading.
Fall 2009:
Current State of Affairs:
It has been obvious to us for some time, (at least since
November 2008,) we are experiencing a movement not unlike that of
1999 when everyone was preparing for the power to go off in Y2K.
We have also been adding a record number of new lantern dealers
around the country. With the increased number of orders we
are processing, we have added extra help to maintain timely
shipments. We are also now automatically sending tracking
numbers via e-mail for all orders placed on-line and shipped via
UPS or FedEx. If you need expedited shipping, give us a
call toll free at 1-877-985-5267
In response to numerous e-mails requesting a list of
items that we produce in the U.S.A., we have added
an
American Made Items section
to
our E-store that lists the items that we offer that are made
or assembled in the U.S.A., or that feature
accessories that we make here in California.
This Just In:
Scientists are predicting that it is only a matter of time
before Earth is hit with a solar storm similar to the one
that hit in 1859 that shorted out telegraph systems and started
fires in North America and Europe. A major solar storm has
the potential to interrupt power grids and communication systems
world wide that could take months to restore. The next
peak in solar activity is expected in or by 2012. Here is
a link to a
January 8th, 2009 Fox News story on the topic. Here is
a link to a Space.com article from October 27th, 2003 on the
1859 Solar Storm.
UPDATE: June 10, 2010
"The sun is waking up from a deep
slumber, and in the next few years we expect to see much higher
levels of solar activity," said Richard Fisher, head of NASA's
Heliophysics Division:
Electronic Armageddon? Congress
Worries That Solar Flares Could Spell Disaster
UPDATE: June 14, 2010
NASA warns solar flares from 'huge
space storm' will cause devastation
UPDATE:
December 12th, 2009
LW Books, one of the largest publishers of specialty books for
collectors, has closed their doors. As a result, we have
sold out of "Collectable Lanterns" and "Collectable Dietz
Lanterns, 1917 Catalog Reprint," and are unable to restock these
titles. Additionally, Golden Hill Press, publishers of
Tony Hobson's "Lanterns that Lit Our World" has discontinued
Volume II, and most likely will not continue printing Volume I.
Earlier this year they discontinued the "1926 Dressel Catalog
Reprint."
Something to
Consider:
There is a substantial savings on shipping by combining multiple
lantern orders with your neighbors or congregation members.
Call us toll free at 1-877-985-5267 for assistance with placing
combined orders.
In Other News. . . .
Lehman's Hardware in Kidron, Ohio, famous for their Non-Electric
"Amish" Catalog, has added our Galvanized No. 1 Little
Champ and No. 2 Champion Lanterns, and our Polished Brass No. 1
and No. 2
Climax Lamps to their Lamp & Lantern Department, paper catalog,
and website.
(Plan on spending at least a few hours if you visit Lehman's
newly remodeled retail store.) We have also started
shipping our No. 2 Champion lanterns to McMaster-Carr again.
Best Regards,
Woody and Dawn Kirkman |
