Archives: News
Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea Welcomes its 2 Millionth Visitor
Berea, KY – At 2:15 p.m. on Friday, May 11, the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea welcomed its 2 millionth visitor, Jennifer Price, from Louisville. Jennifer was traveling on Interstate -75 with her husband, James, and their three young children, Madeline, David and Julianna.
Umbra To Receive Industry Achievement Award
Gift for Life, the gift, stationery and home decor industries’ leading charitable organization, announced today that Umbra and its co-founders Les Mandelbaum and Paul Rowan will be honored with the Gift For Life Industry Achievement Award during the Gifts & Decorative Accessories 60th Annual Retailer Excellence Awards, taking place on Sunday, August 19, 2012, in New York City.
Umbra began in 1979 with a single design of printed paper window shades. Umbra’s products have since become design icons and remain best-sellers in the marketplace.
Sassy Dog Get in Touch with their Animal Instincts
Grrrrrr’ Douglas’ newest Sassy Dogs™ are taking a walk on the wild side as they get in touch with their animal instincts in fun, flirty and wild animal print couture. Animals have had a presence in the fashion industry for years; so, why not add a bit of animal print to these precocious pups!
The newest Sassy Dogs™ are not your run of the mill kennel mutts.
Douglas Company Readies the Runway for Fall Holiday With More Fashion Fun Ruffle Totes
Douglas Company’s Ruffle Sak™ line adds four new bags to the collection for the upcoming fall holiday season. The plush toy maker and lifestyle gift creator launched the Ruffle Sak™ line at the winter gift shows, and already there is a demand for more layers upon layers of frilly fun and fashion. Each bag is 8-inches in width and is the perfect size for all those must-have items that little girls love.
The Spirographix Ruffle Sak™ is inspired by jewel tones of olive green, gold, rustic orange, deep royal blue and eggplant purple.
SnapRetail Announces Marketing Summit for Retailers
SnapRetail, the only technology company that helps local retailers drive store traffic and increased sales , has announced an Online Marketing Summit that will be held May 22nd-24th, 2012from 12-1pm EST each day. Open to retailers of all types, these online seminars will cover social media, marketing ideas and overall strategies to boost retail sales.
National Housewares Events Launching in Dallas This June
Dallas Market Center today announced a series of national events and key expansions promoting gourmet food and housewares products in advance of the June Total Home & Gift Market, June 20-26. The Gourmet Market is undergoing a complete renovation and expansion, two new categories of gourmet food and housewares are being added to the FINDS Dallas Temp Show, and multi-line showrooms Source One Marketing and The McLendon Company are increasing their size.
Natural Impression Design Announces Release of New Wedding Invitation Line to Benefit the Wish Upon A Wedding Charity
Natural Impression Design will debut a new invitation line benefiting the Wish Upon A Wedding charity at the 2012 National Stationery Show. A portion of the sale of each invitation order will be donated to Wish Upon a Wedding.
“We are thrilled to expand our support of Wish Upon a Wedding’s efforts to provide Wedding Wishes to couples facing terminal or serious illness,” said Eddy Martinez of Natural Impression Design.
New Shops Offer Women Accessory Hunters Options
Annapolis, MD – If she had to pick, Barb Troxell would whittle her favorite fashion accessory down to earrings.
But the Edgewater resident is just as passionate about bracelets, large, colorful handbags and just about any adornment that has to do with feathers.
“The older I get, the bolder,” said Troxell, 65, who searched the new Lou Lou Boutique for a gift. “It takes certain accessories or jewelry to make or break a dress, jeans or shorts. You almost need earrings, and the rest comes with it.”
Huntsville Retailers Seeing Healthier Spending this Mother’s Day
Huntsville, AL – Tracy Lowery was thrilled Saturday to score a spectacular Mother’s Day bouquet of long-stemmed pink roses at Glenn’s of Huntsville florist shop for his wife, April.
“They’re her favorite,” Lowery said.
Lowry and his youngest son, Bailey, 14, had already been to Bridge Street Town Centre, where they fought a “wall-to-wall” crowd to buy April, the mother of five, a ring and bracelet at Brighton.
Judging by Lowery’s experience, this year appears to be a happier Mother’s Day, at least for retailers.
Greenwich’s Privet House Featured in ‘The Shops at Target’
Greenwich, CT – Privet House, which dubs itself “An Emporium of Home Goods, Antiques and Curiosities,” with locations in Warren and 18 Grigg Street in Greenwich, has reportedly signed an agreement with Target to participate in the big box retailer’s new design initiative, “The Shops At Target.”
Owned by Suzanne Cassano and Richard Lambertson, both of Litchfield County, Privet House offers an unusual selection of antiques, vintage finds and decorative wares, including tableware from Hotel Silver, Libeco linens and Royal Boch, as well as European glassware.
“The quirky assortment
Kingdom Greetings 4U Debuts at the National Stationery Show
Kingdom Greetings 4U®, a distinctive Bible-‐based stationery line, will exhibit at the National Stationery Show for the first time in booth #1167.
New and Returning Exhibitors Highlight NYIGF’s At Home
When At Home opens at the summer 2012 New York International Gift Fair® (NYIGF®), buyers will find leading brands as well as a significant influx of new participants – both brand-new and those returning after a hiatus from the New York Market. At Home will present 550 suppliers of hard lines and soft goods, along with a series of home-focused educational programming in partnership with leading industry associations, August 18-22, 2012, at New York City’s Jacob K.
June Holiday & Home Expo to Offer Inspiration & Innovation
Dallas Market Center today announced that the Holiday & Home Expo®, the nation’s only tradeshow devoted exclusively to permanent floral, seasonal décor and related decorative accessories, will offer thousands of new seasonal décor products as well as seminars, product demonstrations, walking tours and daily cash giveaways. The show will be held June 20-26.
Tiny Gift Shop Big on Collectibles
Comox, BC – A gift shop that specializes in finding new, loving homes for people’s “gently used treasures” has been so successful it’s now one of the core fundraisers for the Filberg Lodge.
The gift shop opened last May as a way to raise a little bit of money to help maintain the historic site.
Gift & Gourmet Returns to Downtown
Seguin, TX – The newest business to open in downtown Seguin actually marks the return of an establishment that originated downtown.
Gift & Gourmet, owned for the past six years by David and Mary Reiley, opened May 9 in its new location at 212 S. Austin St. on the northeast corner of Austin and Nolte streets.
“We’ve been here for three days,” Mary said Friday. “We were working nonstop to get in here before Mother’s Day.”
‘Cash Mob’ Brings 150 Shoppers to Greenspace in Santa Cruz on Friday
Santa Cruz, CA – For a mob, these shoppers were awfully polite. They didn’t scream or fight over the merchandise, and most of them used credit cards rather than cash. But they did make the register sing and that put a smile of the face of Greenspace owner Lydia Corser.
Her store was the location of the first Santa Cruz “Cash Mob,” a new approach being used nationwide to support locally owned businesses.
She estimated 150 people had come in as of 5:30 p.m.
World Market Center Las Vegas Names Grand Prize Winner in Growing Rep Rewards Program
Today World Market Center officially kicks off its referral program that thanks and rewards industry sales representatives who refer new, qualified buyers to the Summer 2012 Las Vegas Market. In addition, Las Vegas Market will bring back its popular Rep Appreciation Day by hosting a summer barbeque and networking event for reps in the courtyard on Sunday, July 29 from 12 to 2 p.m.
At the close of the January Market, World Market Center Las Vegas awarded an independent sales representative with a $5,000 Grand Prize as part of the Winter Rep Rewards Program.
Sky Scrapers Take Kids to New Heights (of Fun!)
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… an Aeromax Sky Scraper! This amazingly cool new flying toy lets kids launch plastic disks over 100 feet in the air just by pulling a string. That’s right…100 feet! And unlike some superheroes that we know, there’s no quick changes in telephone booths required. Want to know how to get it? Look! In Booth 928 at the ASTRA Marketplace! It’s a toy, it’s a launcher, it’s the best new flying toy since the tangle-free parachute that originally started Aeromax 15 years ago!
50 Fifty (HK) Ltd. passes USA Distribution to DARON World Wide Trading Inc.
50 Fifty HK, known for the Original CHUCKLE BUDDIES Electronic Rollover Plush and Unique Novelty Toys & Gag Gifts has passed US Domestic Distribution to Daron WWT of Fairfield, NJ. Daron the leader in Collectible and Toy Replica Airplanes has strong presence in the Toy, Hobby & Gift channels. The lines naturally complement each other, allowing greater offerings to the specialty and independent retailers. 50Fifty products were formally distributed by Jumpin Banana.
Dallas Total Home & Gift Market Presents Fresh Resources, New Tech-Know Spot & Special Appearance by Curtis Stone
Dallas Market Center today announced that the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market being held June 20-26, with a Preview Day on June 19, will include many exciting special events and seminars including: dozens of new and expanded showrooms featuring fresh resources for buyers, new Tech-Know Spot information booth, live cooking demos by renowned Australian chef Curtis Stone and other well-known chefs and much more.