CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
The Trophy House is run by Loving Farias and Tammy and Mark Carson, who originally met there.
Colors. First place for trophy-making
stays in-House
By Nick Abramo
nabramo@starbulletin.comThat's the obvious first impression when looking at the display window and walking into the showroom of Trophy House Inc.
The King Street corporation, owned by Tammy and Mark Carson, has been in business since 1958.
All kinds of colors -- gold, blue, green, purple, orange, aqua, red, yellow and rainbow -- add zest to the trophies and plaques that various sports organizations purchase in quantity.
The company also has a large non-sports customer base, which includes businesses needing awards for employees, executives and salespersons of the month.
Engraving -- another service the Trophy House offers -- is done on belt buckles, nameplates, watches and other jewelry.
The Carsons took over the family business in the early 1990s from Tammy's aunt and uncle, Clarysse and Peter Crane, who owned the shop since the early 1980s. Sam Nip was the original owner, and there were a few others through the years.
The Trophy House also has a variety of special, and sometimes odd, ornaments to adorn the trophies -- a miniature set of golf clubs, for instance, or a lemon, a real tennis ball, a Valentine's Day-style heart, a beer can, a golf ball and more. And, of course, they still have the standard athletic statuettes, large championship cups and ribbons.
According to manager Loving Farias, bowling leagues used to be a large part of the clientele, until those leagues went to cash awards instead of trophies.
Now, without question, the biggest chunk of business comes from soccer, and the busiest times of the year are the fall and spring soccer seasons.
Tammy and Loving originally got involved in the Trophy House in the early 1980s, working for Tammy's aunt and uncle. It was about the same time the computer engraver replaced the more tedious and labor-intensive panograph.
"With the computer, you can pretty much set it up and walk away," Tammy said. "The biggest change since then has been the laser engraver, which we've had for about seven years. It makes a big difference in the quality. A lot of people really love the highly detailed look on wood, colored brass, acrylic and glass."
Loving, as her name implies, is adept at friendly and quality customer service among many other duties.
Mark is the vice president and he helps with engraving when needed, but he has a full-time job as a software engineer elsewhere.
A hang glider, Mark walked into the Trophy House in 1986 to order trophies for an event, and it was Tammy who helped him. They were married four years later, and soon after that, bought the company.
"Who would have figured I would meet my future wife," Mark said. "It just shows you how unpredictable life can be."
For Tammy, the company president, pleasing customers brings the most satisfaction.
"The best part is when we get nice comments when people come to pick up," she said. "Sometimes they're amazed at how nice it comes out and they let us know about it in notes or letters."
