Atlanta trophy shop owners talk about awards

What services do you offer?

Ray Sonshein: "Plaques, etched crystal, acrylic, trophies. We do a lot of business and corporate awards."

Charles Hall: "A complete line of awards including plaques, trophies, crystal, acrylics and four types of engraving."

Sean Mahoney: "We provide traditional awards and trophies as well as custom picture framing and promotional items."

Why should people choose you over an online company?

Sonshein: "We've been in business 35 years and have an excellent reputation. We maintain high quality standards."

Hall: "We do all of our services in-house and can offer pretty quick turnaround."

Mahoney: "Online photographs don't do justice to the product. People can come by our showroom and get a firsthand experience."

Are trophies becoming more or less unique today?

Sonshein: "More unique. There are a lot more materials that are available now than there used to be. We can custom design most anything. It's gotten a lot more creative."

Hall: "Your traditional trophy is still popular amongst the youth, but acrylics are more popular with adults."

Mahoney: "There's been a trend in the last few years toward resin figures, so they've been more creative in the type of materials. They're always coming out with something new and different."

How do you charge for trophies?

Sonshein: "It varies. It can range from $25 up to several thousand. Most of our items are priced including the set-up fees, etc."

Hall: "It depends on what they're made of, but a good average is $1.50 an inch. A 12-inch trophy would be around $20. The engraving is extra and costs 10 cents per character."

Mahoney: "We have our standard trophies which include some engraving that are very affordable. A 9-inch trophy is $7.95."

Are trophy shops a dying business?

Sonshein: "I don't know if it's a dying business, but the technology has certainly changed over the years. There's still a big demand for it."

Hall: "Absolutely not. Recognition is here to stay. Even through hard times, companies will still give awards to employees."

Mahoney: "No. In good times or bad, there's always Little League."

Have you ever made any trophies or awards for anyone famous?

Sonshein: "We've made fundraising awards for Morehouse College who then presents them to major contributors like Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby."

Hall: "Years ago, we did some for the president. Also, we made the case for the World Cup soccer trophy."

Mahoney: "We've worked with the Falcons. I've also made one that was being presented to Ludacris and Usher."