Cole is the artist for the crafts
June 9, 2008 · Updated 6:57 PM
If you think there arent enough customers for your business, consider Scott Coles problem.
He designs custom interiors for ultra-high-end yachts. With the boats costing from $4 to $20 million, one would think there arent too many buyers.
There are actually more than you think, said Cole, principal in Ardeo Design. On an international basis, there are probably more than 100 yachts bigger than 100 feet built every year.
The flip side of such a rarefied atmosphere is that the customers arent interested in cutting corners to save a few bucks.
The expectation for the level of finish work is much higher than in even the most luxurious home, he said. When people walk onto these yachts, they are very, very particular.
Given the amounts of money involved, its not surprising that the high-water mark for custom yachts occurred in the middle and late 1990s, the same time the stock market was bubbling. Nor is it surprising that demand has ebbed some in the wake of the markets subsequent dive.
Many of my customers are what you might call industrialists, but some are also part of the new computer-driven economy, Cole said. In my little world, it sounds like we may be over the hump with th
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