Romancing the Product

Maestro of Crystal by Brian F. Havel, tells the story of Miroslav Havel and his role in Waterford Crystal. For a Waterford retailer, selling  the book could vary a display and produce an add-on sale at an affordable price point that complements, without competing with, crystal offerings. 

Making it required reading for sales associates could also deepen their ability to "sell a story". While most people think of the romance of the artisan as the province of individual crafters, not long-established major brands like Waterford, author Brian F. Havel traces Miroslav’s early life in Czechoslovakia, his training at Prague’s Academy of Art and Industrial Design, his experience during the Nazi occupation, and his journey to Ireland, originally only for three months, at the age of 25. (The name is not a coincidence, Brian is Miroslav’s son as well as a law professor.)

Instead, Miroslav continually extended his stay in Ireland while he and business partner Charles Bacik revived the Waterford Crystal tradition which had all but ended a century earlier. After Bacik sold his interest to a group of Irish entrepreneurs, Havel remained in Ireland to adapt antique designs to modern production.

At a time when Waterford’s tenure in Ireland is again in transition, it is also a heartening reminder than the great brand has weathered major changes in the past.