Old World Christmas
A Spokane, Washington-based glass-blown ornament maker that revived 19th-century European mouth-blown techniques in 1979 and built a 1,500-design catalog that now reaches more than 2,000 retailers worldwide.
- Founded
- 1979
- Headquarters
- Spokane, Washington
- Founders
- Tim & Beth Merck
- Ownership
- Acquired 2014 (Gladstone Investment Corp)
- Catalog size
- 1,500+ proprietary designs
- New designs/year
- ~150
- Retailers
- 2,000+ worldwide
- Industry recognition
- Ornament Vendor of the Year (G&DA, 2023 & 2024)
The story
Tim and Beth Merck were running a Spokane antiques store in the late 1970s — a business that did well most of the year but slumped at Christmas, when shoppers wanted toasters and sweaters rather than antiques. On a buying trip to Germany, the Mercks (both German speakers) were inspired by traditional mouth-blown European Christmas ornaments. They obtained exclusive rights to factories in Germany with antique molds passed down through generations, and started Old World Christmas in 1979.
Beth Merck, who has a fine arts degree from Eastern Washington University, became the company's principal designer. Tim handled the business side. The line grew through trade shows and specialty retail accounts — including, eventually, the White House (chief florist Nancy Clarke called for a catalog in the 1980s and placed substantial orders), Bloomingdale's, and Neiman Marcus. The Mercks distributed German Inge-Glas ornaments in the U.S. from 1984 until 2001, when Inge-Glas began selling directly. Old World Christmas's own production then shifted to China, where it remains.
The company was acquired by Gladstone Investment Corp in 2014 ($24.4 million per SEC filings). Doug Lauer leads the current ownership group; the staff and operational approach remained largely unchanged through the transition.
What they make
The catalog is overwhelmingly mouth-blown glass figurative ornaments — molten glass blown into custom-carved molds, coated internally with liquid silver, then hand-painted and hand-glittered. The result is the brand's signature: high reflectivity, warm color, and substantial visual weight on a tree.
The 1,500+ designs run from straightforward Christmas archetypes (Santas, snowmen, gingerbread) to a notable strain of category-busting whimsy — a Stanley insulated tumbler, Brussels sprouts, slugs, narwhals, emojis, passport stamps, hamburgers, sushi rolls. Adjacent product lines include tree toppers, icicles, night lights, puzzles, advent calendars, candles, and greeting cards, but ornaments remain the core of the business.
How they sell
Distribution is wholesale through 2,000+ specialty retailers in the U.S. and internationally. The 35-person company runs a 60,000-square-foot operation at 4007 East Main Avenue in Spokane, including offices, warehouse, and a seasonal outlet store that opens for two weeks in July and again from October through December.
Old World Christmas exhibits at major U.S. gift markets and was named Ornament Vendor of the Year in 2023 and 2024 by Gifts & Decorative Accessories Magazine. Customer-facing exposure has expanded substantially in recent years through features in MSN, CNN, Today, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Forbes, Reader's Digest, and dozens of women's lifestyle magazines.
Why they're worth knowing
For specialty gift retailers and Christmas shops, Old World Christmas offers something rare: an ornament line that balances heritage credibility with steady novelty. The 150 new designs each year keep the assortment fresh; the manufacturing technique gives the product a visual quality that imported plastic ornaments cannot match. Price points work for impulse purchase ($10-25 retail typical), but the giftability supports higher-margin destination retail.
The whimsical end of the catalog — the niche-interest ornaments — gives independent retailers something to surprise customers with that big-box stores don't carry.
Where to find them
- Wholesale site: oldworldchristmas.com
- Headquarters: 4007 E. Main Avenue, Spokane, WA 99202
- Outlet store: Spokane warehouse, open two weeks in July and October-December
- Trade show presence: Atlanta Market, Las Vegas Market, Dallas Total Home & Gift, NY NOW
- Recognition: Gifts & Decorative Accessories Magazine Ornament Vendor of the Year, 2023 and 2024
Profile based on public information from Old World Christmas's official site, The Spokesman-Review's coverage from 2018 and 2024, The Seattle Times archives, and Gifts & Decorative Accessories Magazine. Updated July 2025. Return to all profiles →