All of our products are 100% Made in USA

Pineapple Welcome plaque created by Al Pisano

Pineapple Welcome Sign

Pineapple Décor and a Sign of Hospitality

I love carving Pineapples!  Pineapples have a wonderful round shape with an intricate pattern-and the  green top with spiky leaves. The Pineapple plaques and signs I create from my carvings can be hung in your home as a symbol of hospitality.  From Colonial America to today, the Pineapple still symbolizes those wonderful feelings of hospitality and warmth you want to create in your home for friends and family.

How did the Pineapple become a symbol of hospitality?   It actually started way back with Christopher Columbus. Columbus and his crew “discovered” the pineapple in Guadeloupe in 1493. They called it the piña, as it resembled a pinecone. They brought the “exotic” fruit back to Spain where it became very popular in Europe and a curiosity for centuries after its European arrival

Back in America, colonists began importing the pineapple from the Caribbean in the 17th century. Due to its exotic qualities and rareness, the pineapple soon became a symbol of hospitality.It was also considered a significant achievement for a host to procure a ripe pineapple for guests. New England sea captains who, upon returning from trade routes in the Caribbean or Pacific, would place a pineapple outside their homes as a symbol of a safe return.

Due to its association with warmth and friendliness, pineapples in America were often used as the “crowning” piece in large displays of food. The pineapple symbol was used frequently in the 18th and 19th centuries to decorate bed posts, tablecloths, napkins—anything associated with welcoming guests.

Even today, the pineapple motif still says “Welcome!”

The first Pineapple Welcome plaque I made was about 25 years ago for a company called Country Loft.  They are not in business anymore but we had phenomenal sales from that pineapple plaque.  You can hang it indoors or outdoors—and makes a great Welcome sign for your front door.

Since them I have carved several other Pineapple wall plaques, door toppers and tables.  Pineapples are so graceful that they look beautiful as a door topper.  I have also carved Pineapples with bamboo and rattan accents which make these Pineapple plaques perfect for any tropical décor.

Pineapple door topper by Al Pisano. Made in USA

I also made a Hospitality Clock that features a Pineapple in the center and an antique plaster finish. If you are decorating with a Pineapple theme, the plaques and clocks and tables that I have created are a great way to extend the Pineapple Hospitality theme around your house.

Pineapple clock by Al Pisano. Made in USA

All of our pieces are made proudly here in the USA.  Please contact me if you have any comments or questions!  AL

I suppose the biggest change in that all of the large companies we used to sell to now import products from China.  We just can’t but help feel that this is really hurting the American economy.  While the Chinese government works to make sure they have full employment, our government works to make sure we have cheap goods to sell to consumers. 

 Would we have an unemployment problem if we had a trade balance with China?  Or if China didn’t manipulate their currency to keep the value of their Yuan low so their exports are cheaper?    

When we started our business we felt it was important to also develop our manufacturing capabilities so we could maintain control over quality.  Our manufacturing capabilities have also enabled us to develop many more new products and not be forced to sell what is in inventory.  We only make what we sell.  So we have developed over the past 20 years an amazing library of artwork that we believe stands the test of time.  We have never really followed desig trends anyway–always sticking to concepts that we thought were timeless.

When we started in business 20 years ago we sold to companies like The Country Loft and Sturbridge Yankee Workshop and Faith Mountain.  Our Dove Door topper was a big hit in Sturbridge Yankee Workshop catalog.

Our Dove Door topper was featured for several years in the Sturbridge Yankee Workshop catalog.

For Country Loft I created a Pineapple Welcome sign–it’s still popular today. As you all know, pineapples are an historical symbol of prosperity and many people use them in the traditional theme homes for decorative purposes.  It’s still one of my favorite pieces.

Handcrafted Welcome sign with carved Pineapple

We also did a lot of work for LL Bean and designed a series of perpetual calendars for them.  They were a nightmare to assemble but we finally got efficient at it–and they sold very well. 

Wildlife Perpetual Calendar

Perpetual calendar

 That led to a series of Children’s room signs that we did for LL Bean and I personalized each one of them.  I think we sold thousands and I hand lettered each one!  Now we use a router to actually carve the name in to kids rooms signs.  All those kids I created signs for are now all grown-up!

Moose Kids Room sign, created for LL Bean in the 1990's

When we first started in business I designed several furniture pieces.  One that I am most proud of is our Americana Game Table. I carved the top (it is 40 inches x 20 inches) and there is a lot of detail in the carving.  Plus I recessed areas for game pieces.   We also apply epoxy to the table top which gives it a fantastic surface–almost glass-like–but extremely durable.  There is a small bit of assemly in putting together the base.  We also send game pieces with the table. I think anyone with a cabin or lake house would really appreciate how this table would fit into their decor.

Our Americana Game Table is coffee table size. There is minimal assembly involved.

By the end of the 1990′s the Country theme had faded away and we decided to do an Italian plaque as a gift for a family memeber.  And as an afterthought we took it to the Atlanta gift show and it was a big hit!  It is our Vive Bene door topper.  It actually translates to Live Well Love Much Laugh Often in Italian.  It is a beautiful door topper–and there are many companies that have copied it from us–but it originated with us!

Vive Bene Speeso L amore Di Risata Molto, translates to Live Well Love Much laugh Often

Well that was my walk down memory lane.  We are very sorry to see so many small manufacturers disappear but we also believe American consumers value products made in the USA so as long as that sentiment exists we will continue to design and make our own products and offer them for sale in our webstores.      Al

Al Pisano, a dimensional artist originally from New York City, graduated from the School of Industrial Design in New York City and attended Pratt Institute of Art. Al had a 30 year career in New York City as a commercial artist creating and design artwork for advertising agencies, publishing companies, and many corporations. Al won many awards for his art and design work. He is a member of the Society of Illustrators in New York.

Al started his art career as a paste-up artist in New York City. He quickly became an Art Director for an advertising agency and then opened his own studio. After a trip to Italy, he was inspired to try dimensional work and so he did a wood carving for one of his clients. It was a big success! And that launched his art career in a new direction. His talent at carving and sculpting became well known around the world and he flourished as a dimensional artist—working not only in wood and plaster but also clay, leather and paper sculpture. He has won numerous awards for his unique art.

In 1991, Al started a new venture. With his partner, he started a business selling his artwork to the gift and home design industry. His versatility and creativeness in this industry is tremendous. He creates wood carvings for the Lodge market, carvings with nautical themes, beautiful Italian plaques created in plaster and clay, and works of art with Inspirational themes.

He creates his artwork in his studio in Miami, Florida. All of the art he creates is done the old-fashioned way—by hand! He starts by drawing the design and transferring the drawing onto wood, clay or plaster. Then he carves or sculpts the design using knives, chisels, and a mallet.

Nearby is his factory that then molds his art using very high quality silicone rubber. These molds pick up every nuance that Al created in the original art. Reproductions are then cast. Everything is hand painted and finished under his supervision. As a result, the artwork created by him and reproduced at his factory is unique, special and American made!
All of our artwork has been designed and created by Al Pisano. There are many knock offs of his work but here is where you can learn about where to buy the REAL artwork by Al Pisano as well as information about the artist himself.

Made TOTALLY in the USA.