San Diego—The team behind the Sovietski Collection catalog has decided to travel farther afield. In March the company launched a spin-off, Treasures from a Bygone Era. The 52-page book mailed in March to 500,000 Sovietski Collection customers and prospects.
Unlike Sovietski Collection, gifts and decorative items from Eastern Europe, Treasures from a Bygone Era sells tabletop items, apparel, and gifts from all regions of the world. “We are not limited geographically,” says president Mitch Siegler.
The cataloger launched the spin-off largely to target women, who make up the majority of mail order buyers. With a focus on Soviet gadgets and surplus from the Cold War, Sovietski Collection caters largely to men. Nonetheless, about half of the items in Treasures, such as Russian porcelain and wool shawls, are also sold in Sovietski. But Treasures also sells merchandise such as British phone booths and French bistro tables.
Siegler expects to publish Treasures twice this year, with the next edition coming out for the fall/holiday season. Three editions are planned for next year.