Tuscan Wares Seek Markets

Florence, Italy — There are some 24,000 companies producing traditional and contemporary glassware, ceramics, fashion accessories, and other products in the famous Tuscany region of northern Italy. While many are very small operations, others are large, long-established companies, producing both branded and private-label glass, silver, and ceramic wares for export to leading U.S. retailers. To heighten consumer awareness of Tuscan products, Emporio Toscana, a retail store featuring a wide range of goods produced by small and medium-sized Tuscan manufacturers, opened last June in Siena, Italy. Organized under the auspices of Artex, a regional governmental association representing the 24,000 Tuscan companies, the Siena store is the first of a proposed network of Emporio Toscana shops and franchised boutiques throughout Italy, and abroad. In other promotional efforts, Artex presented a "Tuscan Lifestyle" exhibit at the 2002 Tendence show in Frankfurt, Germany, and is testing the waters for a similar display at a U.S. trade show.