I recently saw an internet posting of a very fine piece of woodwork. There were many compliments, including “that could be in the Louvre!”

Then the commentator added, “Ethan Allen would be proud to have something like that in their showroom!”

The idea that an Ethan Allen showroom would be on par with the Louvre is what struck me. We have seemingly lost our understanding of what real craftsmanship and artistry is.

We live in a world where a potato peeler is likely to fall apart after two or three uses. We tend to shrug it off and go buy another because (1) they’re cheap or (2) we are so accustomed to having things fall apart after two or three uses it is simply not surprising.

Those of us who came up trying to maintain a high level of quality and refusing to compromise in order to compete with cheap, poorly made goods are finding it more and more difficult to convince people of the value of quality.