Archives: News
Kim Rieck Named General Counsel of International Market Centers
High Point, NC & Las Vegas, NV — International Market Centers, L.P. (IMC), the world’s largest operator of premium home furnishings, gift and home décor showroom and exhibition space, announced that Kim Rieck has joined the company as General Counsel.
In the newly created position, Rieck will be responsible all legal matters across the IMC organization.
Elm Avenue Greenhouses opening gift shop
The Elm Avenue Greenhouses at 1445 Walnut St. is ready to kickoff the spring and summer months when it opens again for the season bright and early Monday morning.
This year, however, owners Ray and Vicky Lippis and daughter Heather Lippis have a brand new addition to the flowers, plants and gardening supplies and accessories they have offered the community for 25 years.
The Gift Shop at Elm Avenue Greenhouses, an extension of the business, will offer solar roasted, specialty coffees and a wide variety of unique home, garden and patio décor.
Jackson Prison Tour Guide Judy Gail Krasnow to Open Old Prison Gift Shop in Art 634
Jackson, MI – Art 634’s newest shop will be unlike anything the building has featured before.
On April 14, the Old Prison Gift Shop is scheduled to open. The shop, which will be managed by Judy Gail Krasnow, will be dedicated to selling prison-related items, including literature, poetry and art created by prisoners who are part of the Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP).
Krasnow started Historic Prisons Tours of Jackson several years ago, which initially included the old prison at Armory Arts Village, which is located next door to Art 634, 634 N. Mechanic St.
Bella Ink Designs Nominated for Two Louie Awards
Bella Ink Designs, a boutique stationery design studio and manufacturer just outside of Chicago, Illinois, has been nominated in two categories for the Greeting Card Association’s 24th Annual Louie Awards.
CC-93, Feel Better Soon
Bella Ink Designs’ CC-93 greeting card has been nominated for a Louie Award in the Get Well/Feel Better Above $3.50 category. This folded note features two French bulldogs, one with a glittery cone around his head. A cameo above the dogs frames the words “I hope you’ll feel better soon.” The inside is blank for a personal, hand-written message.
Prinz Premieres “Artful Expressions” Collection
Creating a unique decorative statement in any area of the home is a snap with Artful Expressions, Prinz Ltd.’s newest framed art collection debuting for 2012.
Pillow Pets Provides Comfort, Warmth and Support to Hospital Patients
Pillow Pets® products, beloved by children, adults, and everyone in between, have become a staple at hospitals and hospital gift shops nationwide. Pillow Pets original folding plush is a popular item for hospital patients because of the multiple functions they provide. They have topped crutches, propped up broken limbs, and most importantly, provided security and comfort to those who have needed it most.
Women and Tools: A Conundrum or Myth
With the increased numbers of professional women in the workforce they find themselves in a dilemma when it comes to simple “fix it” projects around the home. Does a woman wield a sludge hammer to hang a picture or call a handyman? Tiffany’s Tools announces the first and only patented designer household toolkit on the market for woman.
Scandle, LLC Celebrates Earth Day With Contributions to The Arbor Day Foundation
Scandle® LLC, the leading manufacturer and wholesaler of the finest quality massage candles and eco-friendly spa beauty products, today announces their Earth Day month of donations.
For the entire month of April, 10 percent of all eco-friendly Scandle Massage Candle sales will be donated to The Arbor Day Foundation in celebration of Earth Day (April 22nd) and National Arbor Day (April 27th).
“Our contribution will help support all Arbor Day Foundation educational programs and highlight the importance of encouraging a responsible use of resources.
Seattle Teacher-Rockers Join the Circus!
Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, and children of all ages! Celebrated independent children’s recording group Recess Monkey brings high flying thrills and spills straight from the big top to their circus-inspired, eighth studio CD, In Tents (Monkey Mama, $14.99, for ages 3 – 8, run time 47 minutes. Release date: June 19, 2012. Distributed by Burnside Distribution Corporation).
Right from the start, it’s apparent something big is going to happen on In Tents, as Recess Monkey enters the world of the all-American fantasy: running away to join the circus!
The Gourmet Market Expansion and Renovation Is Underway
Dallas Market Center today announced that The Gourmet Market is undergoing an expansion and renovation in anticipation of the June Total Home & Gift Market (June 20-26).
Work Underway for New Gift Shop and Café
Wahpeton, ND – Work on a new café and gift shop is underway inside the former Rosenberg property at 68 Dakota Ave. in Wahpeton. Brenda Gjesdal and Linda Kutzer, along with a handful of contractors, are converting the 2,800-square-foot grey and white Victorian-style home into a new business for Twin Town residents to enjoy.
Antoinette’s on the River, named after Gjesdal’s teen daughter, Annie, who died in a car accident in 2009, will offer soups, salads and sandwiches as well as a large selection of interesting home décor and gifts for sale.
Changing Tides: Resurgence of Quilter’s Cottage After Dreams Washed Away
Allentown, NJ – A twist on an old saying commands, “When life hands you scraps, make a quilt.” For Janet and Denny Tafrow, this adage rings especially true.
The longtime owners of the Quilter’s Cottage faced the heartbreak of their shop’s inventory and building essentially being reduced to scraps after the flooding in August. Now, they have picked up the pieces and stitched them together in a way that is even better and more beautiful than before.
“The place looks great,” Denny said of the soon-to-reopen shop. “It’s bright, it’s cheery.”
Bookstore Stays Focused on Mission
Paragould, AR – Brenda Jordan doesn’t just run a bookstore. For her, the day-to-day operations at Lantern Bookstore at Paragould Plaza means so much more.
She and her late husband, Jerry, partnered with another couple to open the store in Nov. 1974.
The Jordans later embraced full ownership, but when Jerry died in 2002, it left Brenda to carry the torch for what she said had always been her husband’s dream.
“His dream was to own a bookstore because he loved to read,” she said. “We always looked at it as more of a ministry than just a way to make money.
Neumeister’s Carries on Long, Sweet Tradition
Plant City, FL – A new addition to the Plant City Historic Downtown is an old store with roots that reach back to 1800s Ohio.
Neumeister’s Candy Shoppe feeds a need, with sweets made onsite in a renovated building with a history of its own — originally housing a saloon and pool hall.
“You can see what I’ll be doing today,” owner Glenn Nicholson said on a recent Saturday morning, after surveying a partially empty candy display case as two large vats of chocolate warmed in the adjacent kitchen.
Cash Mob Infiltrates Citrus Park Business, Recruits Secret Members
Citrus Park, FL – She doesn’t smoke a fat smelly cigar, wear a $5,000 suit or surround herself with “the boys” packing lethal protection, but she will make your business an offer you can’t or – really wouldn’t want to – refuse.
To local businesses Kim Kenney is the ultimate Mob Boss.
The Secret Tampa Cash Mob, a grassroots movement to infuse the local economy and help small business, is the brainchild of Kenney, a Carrollwood entrepreneur.
Women Open Shop on Square
Covington, IN – A new storefront just joined the downtown retail community in Covington, Ind.
Byers’ Choice Host Region-Wide Craft Show
Byers’ Choice Ltd., makers of the handcrafted Caroler figurines, will support others in the trade by hosting a weekend-long Craft Show on May 12 from 10 a.m.—5 p.m. and May 13 from 10 a.m.—4:30 p.m. The event, which will feature more than 85 local artisans and craft vendors, will be held at the company’s Bucks County workshop.
The inaugural event will feature some of the most talented craftsmen in the region, spotlighting a variety of handmade items from traditional crafts to modern creations.
Julie Wurr from Heart ‘n Home in Laurens, IA, among Finalists for NRF’s “This is Retail” Nationwide Video Contest
The National Retail Federation announced today that Julie Wurr of Heart ‘n Home in Laurens, Iowa, has been selected as a top 20 finalist for NRF’s “This is Retail” nationwide video contest. The finalists, determined from scoring by prominent retail executives at NRF member companies, range from small business owners to vice presidents at national retail chains, and from wine shops to sporting goods retailers.
To view Julie Wurr’s video, visit RetailMeansJobs.com/thisisretail/JulieWurr.
English Gardener Gift Shop—It’s Brilliant!
Haddonfield, NJ – An open door at The English Gardener Gift Shop does more than invite pedestrians in. It lets the scent out. The heady mix of lavender, body lotions and scents and fine English soaps escaping from the storefront is a strong draw.
“You don’t notice it after a while,” says owner Denise Strojan. But her comment battles with a strong urge by every visitor to push the plunger on tester bottles and smooth clean-smelling lotion onto her hands.
Once inside, both men and women quickly can be hooked.
24th Annual ARTS Awards Call for Nominations
Dallas Market Center and the Accessories Resource Team (ART), the trade association representing the home accents industry, today announced the call for nominations for the 24th annual ARTS Awards. Dallas Market Center and ART encourage anyone in the home accents or furnishings industry to nominate their peers for these prestigious awards online now at www.dallasmarketcenter.com/artsawards.
The ARTS Awards, presented each January during the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market, recognizes top manufacturers, retailers, product designers and sales representatives from across the world.