christopher radko 17 by Editorial Zone
Published Date: 04/12/07
Just as for many artists and inventors and other creative, innovative individuals who have a story to prove the old clich?, ?necessity is the mother of invention,? Christopher Radko tells a fascinating story behind his twenty-one years of classic, Old World, European, and Polish Christmas ornament design. He had replaced the family Christmas tree stand, which was worn and rickety, with a brand new one. The family?as they did every year?decorated their tree using the 2,000(!) hand-blown ornaments they had collected over the decades. The new stand, however, gave way and toppled the tree, destroying many of the keepsakes and mementos that were precious to the family.
Christopher Radko, feeling terrible, set out to replace the ornaments. But this was the early 1980s and the place was the United States--and ornaments were nowhere near the quality and class of materials used in the originals, which, having come from Europe generations earlier, were nowhere to be found where Christopher Radko and his family now lived. Worse, the new ornaments were flimsy, made of Styrofoam and plastics, and nowhere near resembling any of the lost originals.
The following spring, Christopher Radko went to Poland to visit relatives. While he was there?and with the devastating loss still clear in his mind?he searched for more replacement ornaments. Again he was dismayed to realize the originals were not to be found. But, as the Christopher Radko biography on his website reveals, Radko did find a man to help to resuscitate the art of crafting Christmas tree ornaments?which, evidently, his grandfather had once practiced.
On that particular trip, Christopher Radko urged the man to recover old molds for the ornaments, and as well, sketched designs for him?of the destroyed family ornaments and of new ideas for ornaments. When he brought the collection back to the states, his friends bought them up before his family could acquire them! So Christopher made another excursion, brought more pieces back, and completed his family?s collection while at the same time making more sales, both by word of mouth and by door-to-door efforts he made on his lunch hours.
Christopher Radko had created a new business, one with a history, a need, and, evidently, a great demand: from his first clients?esteemed jewelers?to high-end retailers?like Macy?s and Bloomingdales?to his celebrity customers?like President Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, and Elton John?and from a young man and his mentor artist/glassblower a creative staff of over 3,000, Christopher Radko brings continued tradition of cherished keepsake ornaments?.
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