Founded in New York in 1945, Miami’s Fine Art Lamps has resided in Miami Lakes for over two decades. Located just before Red Road at 5770 Miami Lakes Drive, the corporate office building of Miami’s Fine Art Lamps holds a lot more than meets the eye.
Beginning in the waiting room with some of their own fixtures on display, numerous corridors lead to a large work space. In there, workers put finishing touches of paint and detailing to each fixture-inprogress. Silver and gold specks from the flakes that adorn the chandeliers sparkle on the workroom floor.
Just miles away, Miami’s Fine Art Lamps has two separate shops for glass and metal works. In the glass shop, experienced staff mold and shape individual segments and carefully piece them together to make the necessary figures for their distinct lamps.
“There’s a sense of pride for what they do. Every piece of glass is handmade, every bent metal as well,” said marketing manager Jackie Hessler.
Hessler has been working for the company for almost 19 years. Her son also works for the glass shop, hand-making glass pieces for the electroliers. While making her way through the shops, Hessler is greeted with warm smiles and waves.
In the metal shop, employees wield and manipulate pieces to create organic shapes that form the skeleton of the lighting fixtures. All the pieces are taken to the main corporate building where they are then put together, wired through and shipped off to its desired customer. The whole process can take weeks for customized pieces, but pride and hard work is put into every individual fixture.
“We’re very overcritical, but you know what? It’s only the best of the best for our customer,” remarked CAD designer Leslie Miller.
Previously owned by Max Blumberg, whose family operated the business, it was recently sold to longtime employees and executives Rene Quintana and Laura Goldblum. And although it’s no longer a “family run” business, its obvious that the company still operates like one, with employees who’ve been working there for decades.
Although Miami’s Fine Art Lamps corporate office is stationed in Miami Lakes, the metal and glass workshops reside in Hialeah. The company has recently planned to consolidate all the work spaces into one location just a few miles away from their current position in Miami Lakes.