What ever happened to Santelli NYC?

[Hollywood Troy]

I've been out of the scene for a little while, but back in the day it seemed like every club in the US and almost every fencer had Santelli stuff. There also wasn't too much of a debate as to quality. It seemed like just about everyone liked it and it wasn't too expensive. Anyway, anyone know why they went out of business? It seems like if a company made good products at a good price and everyone liked them, they should have done okay.

[noodle]

good question.

i have a feeling that they ended up being a middle-of-the-road vender. if someone wanted cheap stuff, there were cheaper options, and if someone wanted high quality stuff, there were higher quality solutions. they could've gotten caught selling middle-of-the-road stuff in a market where there aren't many middle-of-the-road purchases being made. most fencers are either spending too much money on equipment and want to spend less, or money isn't much of an option for them, so they'll go full tilt.

but thats just a guess.

[DHCJr]

This I got second hand. Another company in the area suggested they join together on buying some equipment from Europe and their brother had a shipping company that could ship it cheaply. Santelli, did not get the equipment and this was a large amount of money and being on a very tight money situation, things escalated. Their landlord locked up their shop, which made it difficult to sell items to get back in the black.

I also miss them and agree wholeheartedly that they are missed.

I have not heard anything lately, if they will try and revive it.

[gtmac]

Also second hand, but I've heard that Salle Santelli was being mismanaged and drained funds from the combined coffers of the salle and equipment division.

My first jacket was a Santelli and I haven't had anything that has fit quite as well since.

[rsy]

Originally Posted by DHCJr

This I got second hand. Another company in the area suggested they join together on buying some equipment from Europe and their brother had a shipping company that could ship it cheaply. Santelli, did not get the equipment and this was a large amount of money and being on a very tight money situation, things escalated. Their landlord locked up their shop, which made it difficult to sell items to get back in the black.

I haven't a clue why they got into money problems, but DHCJr is right that the precipitating factor in closing was a nasty dispute with the landlord that ended when the landlord padlocked them out of the building. I don't know what happened to their inventory and equipment, but the landlord might have asserted a lien against it. Becasue they were a manufacturing facility it could have bee a very powerful type of lien called a Loft Act lien. In any event, Santelli stuff appeared on eBay for the next few months, and then...that was all she wrote.

-r

[sabreur]

It's a real pity. They used to make a padded cotton sabre jacket that was great for practice, especially if you replaced the velcro closure with a heavy duty zipper. I got my last one just before they went belly-up.

[jeff]

I knew the players quite well, and the failure was a combination of several of the above reasons. Money was tight for several years - hard to manufacture with US wages compared to China, and no longer exclusivity on quality good made in Europe (LP, Allstar, etc). There was discussion of a merger/joinup with low cost overseas manufacturer with middleman linked to other companies in the US, with some question as to whether that was just a delay tactic to get them deeper in the weeds and then buy the inventory and customer list at depressed price. The president of the company who had held the thing together for many years despite challenging situation quit in protest when that last part was going on; the owner took over operations, but was completely unprepared to run a company and flew the plane into the ground. Probably best if I'm not more specific.

I started fencing at Salle Santelli, was fencing there when it closed, and bought almost all of my stuff from them for many years.

A very sad story - a great tradition in US fencing brought to an end

[fencerbill]

Feynman Problem-Solving Algorithm: (1) Write down the problem. (2) Think very hard. (3) Write down the solution.
************
I heard it differently.
************
1. Here is the problem.
2. Here is the solution.
3. Bewildered student "Is there an alternate way to do it"?
4. Feynman thinks very hard.
5. "Yes, there is!"
6. Writes down same solution.

[jeff]

That's a good one too, Bill! (these two posts will be incomprehensible after my next signature change!) -- cheers, Jeff

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

Originally Posted by DHCJr

This I got second hand. Another company in the area suggested they join together on buying some equipment from Europe and their brother had a shipping company that could ship it cheaply. Santelli, did not get the equipment and this was a large amount of money and being on a very tight money situation, things escalated. Their landlord locked up their shop, which made it difficult to sell items to get back in the black.

I also miss them and agree wholeheartedly that they are missed.

I have not heard anything lately, if they will try and revive it.

This sounds like a stan deal...