Retail Sales
To the Editor:
I would disagree with your article (Jan. 15) re: sales in the South, USA. Here at Jones Furs, Inc., based in Greensboro, NC, our sales paralleled results of the Midwest with increases of about 25%. We have had the best increases in better female coats retailing from $3,500 to $5,500. Our repair work and cleaning have also increased.
It is true that Southern women hibernate during the snow, but the weather is reason to celebrate! It will affect sales of both new furs and services for the next several years.
I operate at two freestanding locations and a leased department as well as well to a variety of specialty stores in North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia.
Hugh Jones
Jones Furs
Greensboro, NC
Chicago Tribune
To the Editor:
(The following is a letter written by Fur Commission USA Communications Director Marsha Kelly to the Chicago Tribune following an article published in that newspaper.)
Denis Gosselin, Editor
Chicago Tribune Magazine
PO Box 4041
Chicago, IL 60611
Although the cover story on fur farming by writer Bill Brashler was generally fair and accurate in its presentation, the cover art and headlines were appalling examples of journalistic sensationalism at its worst. Worse yet, they seem to bear little relationship to the story they accompanied. One of the major points of the story was that farm-raised mink are responsibly and humanely treated, and generally lead a comfortable, even pampered life. That being the case, the headline on the cover is particularly incomprehensible. And why would anyone think that wearing mink is tough? It's warm, soft, durable and gorgeous. If it weren't, fur sales wouldn't have gone from $300 million to $1.2 billion over the past decade.
Although the headline implies otherwise, fur farming is not a game. It is a demanding and challenging business, requiring farmers to be knowledgeable about every aspect of animal care, from nutrition and health to genetics and reproduction. Fur farmers take this responsibility seriously. That's why the industry established its own humane care standards program, which relies on independent veterinary inspection of fur farms to verify high standards of animal care.
It is easy for urban dwellers to forget that much of their food and clothing comes from animals raised on farms like Skip Lea's. Bill Brashler's story could have contributed something positive to public understanding of animal agriculture in general. However, the tacky cover art and deliberately inflammatory headlines offset the merit of the piece, making it look like just another mindless attack on animal agriculture by a big city newspaper that ought to know better.
Marsha Kelly
Fur Commission USA
St. Paul, MN
We welcome your comments to the Editor.