Inspiring minds
Like all truly successful businesses, A-19 is fueled by inspiration –
inspiration that is reflected in our work. And our customers, who bring our
ceramic lighting fixtures into their homes, share the passion and inspiration
of our artists – and the company – that created them.
Creating Distinctive, Usable Art
We go to great lengths to ensure that each ceramic and glass lighting fixture
carries our distinct signature of quality. A-19 successfully blends innovative
vision with the traditions of gifted artisans. Our talents are poured into each
piece we create with a driving motivation to produce the highest quality of
distinctive, usable art.
Taking Pleasure in the Work We Do
Through our exceptional teamwork, we’re able to come up with new designs, new
solutions, new insights to meet your most demanding needs. It’s the approach we
take with every interaction. We take the time to understand our customers. We
know what makes them tick. What inspires them to buy ceramic and glass lighting
fixtures– and why they come back to buy from A-19 time and time again.
The Signature of Quality
Our family-owned, Ontario, California-based company has the flexibility to
produce a full range of light fixtures. All our products, from beginning to
end, are made by hand in America. Our wall sconces and pendants are designed,
molded, fired, sanded, finished, assembled and shipped directly from our
factory in California. Moreover, we respect the impact our business has on the
social and physical environment. This is why we hire locally, treat each
employee like a member of our family, and promote education and creativity in
our community. We also recycle the clay we use to create the lighting fixtures;
filter the water we use before it leaves our factory; and use recycled boxes,
bubble wrap and office materials. From concept through delivery, we ensure
consistent **quality and 100% satisfaction with each and every piece.
Our Story
Like many successful businesses, the idea for A-19 began on the back of a
cocktail napkin. Fueled by one Margarita too many after a high-stress work
week, Cinnamon Alvarez and a friend sat down at a local watering hole and
dreamily hatched their plans to run their own shows. They’d do what they really
loved and inspired them. They’d treat their employees like family. They’d make
their own hours. They’d never work weekends and take long vacations. They’d
change the world! (Okay, maybe they’d just make a difference.)
The following day and over the weekend, Cinnamon’s excitement over starting a
new career grew and grew. By Monday morning, she could hardly contain her
enthusiasm. A now clearer-headed Cinnamon sat her boss down, looked him square
in the eye and launched into her jaw-dropping proposal: She either wanted to
purchase the company or start one of her own. To her surprise, he thought it
was a great idea and encouraged her to explore it.
Left Brain Meets Right Brain
Flash forward a couple of months. Reality soon set in: Crunching numbers and
creating a business plan made it very clear that there was much more to this
entrepreneur thing than vision and determination. Cinnamon needed support – and
lots of it. So her ex-boss became her mentor; she then approached key
co-workers – each an exceptionally talented craftsperson – to see if they were
passionate enough to make a go at starting a new company. And A-19 was born.
That was 1995, and the drive to create the highest quality handmade lighting
fixtures and to provide a level of personal attention and service unparalleled
in any business still lives on.
Functional and Beautiful
Today, A-19 is among the few remaining U.S. lighting manufacturers. Our
collections of handmade ceramic wall sconces and pendants are designed, molded,
fired, sanded, finished, assembled and shipped from our factory in sunny
Ontario, California.
The success of A-19 is a result of our continuous commitment to our customers’
satisfaction. With the needs of the most discriminating end-user in mind, our
lighting fixtures are both functional and beautiful. Working in ceramic allows
us to capture many styles and adapt to almost every type of décor including,
modern, classic and rustic, among others. Like our design team, our lights are
bold, they’re are smart, they’re now.
Put Us to the Test
We invite you to see all that A-19 has to offer. We welcome your questions and
feedback and hope you will become another proud owner of a piece of our passion
and pride.