Square Deal: Heath Ceramics introduces a line of budget-friendly tiles

摘要

ON THE DAY LAST SEPTEMBER when Lehman Brothers imploded and the Dow was in free-fall, Robin Petravic and Catherine Bailey were sitting in a hotel room in New York watching the grim news on television. As co-owners of Heath Ceramics, the high-end tile and tableware maker famous for its handicraft and classic modern aesthetic, the couple wondered how the market turmoil would affect their business. Heath's annual sales of around $7 million had already begun slipping as the roiling economy scared away core customers like architects and designers-and, more important, discerning homeowners with a taste for expensive decor.