Archives: News
Wholesalecrafts.com Reports 2011 Year-End Sales Results
Wholesalecrafts.com, the premier online marketplace for retailers to source artist-made American and Canadian crafts, announces 2011 year-end sales results.
Total online shopping cart sales placed by retailers to artists throughWholesalecrafts.com’s online marketplace for 2011 came in at $3,997,187 – a 15.6% increase over 2010, and our highest recorded annual online sales amount to date. 16,087 total orders were placed online – an 11.5% increase from 2010, and the highest number of annual orders ever recorded.
Catalog Spree 3.0 iPad App Accelerates Social Shopping
Catalog Spree, the highest-rated shopping app for the iPad®, today announces the release of Version 3.0 with Facebook login. This allows users to have multiple Catalog Spree accounts on the same iPad®, synchronize favorites between multiple devices, and share products with friends on Facebook instantly.
With Version 3.0, Catalog Spree further enables the “shop with me” trend that its users have been clamoring for.
Zak Designs Is Helping Kids Develop Environmentally Friendly Habits with New Good to Go Line
Being environmentally friendly is a choice. But that choice is much easier to make once it becomes a habit. And that habit is much easier to form if it’s learned at a young age. It’s with that goal in mind that Zak Designs is launching Good to Go – a new line of on-the-go mealtime products designed to help children develop more environmentally friendly habits in a fun way.
Every day, in cafeterias across the country, children toss away disposable containers that the food in their lunches are packed in.
Build-A-Bear to Open Second Hospital-based Store
St. Louis, MO – Build-A-Bear Workshop is planning to open a store Feb. 27 in Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, the retailer’s second store to be located inside a hospital.
The St. Louis-based retailer, whose stores allow customers to make their own stuffed animals, said its Sinai Hospital location will offer clothing and accessories for the toys themed specifically to the medical center.
A Candy Store Grows in Galion
Galion, OH – After working in administrative and human resources-related jobs for years, Beth Cramblett wanted to follow her passion for creativity, event planning and decorating.
A Candi Bar was born.
Cramblett has combined her passions, along with her love of candy and other unique items, to open a quaint, little shop on the east side of Galion that offers candies, teas, coffees, nuts and even lip tattoos.
“People can come in, grab a coffee and a sweet treat, and be on the road,” Cramblett said.
Port Erin Toy Shop Re-Opens After Major Refit
Port Erin, UK – A CARD and gift shop in Port Erin has re-opened fully following major expansion work.
Mantons Card and Toy Store on Station Road, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, was re-fitted last month.
According to the owners of the shop the work has created a “much more open feel” as well as room for “hundreds more quality cards and gifts”.
Chris Beards, the co-owner of Mantons, said the work had been carried out following success at the Retas national greeting card competition last year.
Local Stores Happy with Christmas Sales
Natchez, MS – Talk about the economy for the last couple of years has often been terse. In the now recently past holiday season, however, Natchezians seemed to feel a little freer with their cash, and local retailers say their customers spent more time shopping and spending locally.
For Tamara Johnson, the holiday shopping period represented a special challenge.
Made in St. Louis: Rachel Shelton
St. Louis, MO – Rachel is a creator of eco-friendly handmade bags and other accessories from recycled and natural materials. She is the owner of Sew Good and Trendy. She makes the Eco-Wrapper, a reusable place mat and napkin, and a reusable snack sack for kids. It has a waterproof, food-safe polyester fabric inside for easy cleaning. You can find the Eco-Wrapper at Home Eco, 4611 Macklind Avenue. To shop her product line, visit sewgoodandtrendy.com. You can email her at rachel@sewgoodandtrendy.com.
When did you start your business? In 2009.
Women in Business: Jan Beale
Montgomery, AL – Jan Beale has successfully transitioned from selling the family machine works business to operating You Name It! embroidery and gift store off Atlanta Highway in Montgomery.
In between those two ventures, the Auburn University accounting major ran an accounting service out of her home.
The Montgomery native sold the family-owned Capital City Machine Works in 1999. From that point she started balancing books for small businesses.
But the number crunching took a back seat to a pastime that soon became a small business.
307 First Buy Local Campaign Hopes to Make a Difference
Casper, WY – A new state-wide buy-local organization, 307 First, held a rally in Casper on Feb. 2 to encourage individuals in Wyoming to consider the benefit of spending persoanl money in their local economies.
Robert Moberly of Wyoming Financial Insurance told the crowd of more than 100 people that the reason they had gathered was very simple: preservation of local jobs.
OneCoast Reports Record Breaking January Sales
OneCoast, the leader in nationwide sales and marketing for gift, baby, fashion, and collegiate vendors and retailers, reported record breaking January sales for its National Division One (ND One) show, road and e-commerce sales.
“The healthy increases in sales and traffic, positive retailer feedback appears to be a trend this January market across the industry,” says John Keiser, OneCoast CEO. “I am very pleased with the January performance of the ND ONE Division.”
“Multiple factors contributed to our growth this month,” says Nora Chapman, Vice President of Sales.
SBA Lending Returns to Pre-Boom Levels
Washington, DC – A steady flow of new loans backed by the Small Business Administration in the Washington area is helping some institutions return to the pace of lending that was common in the pre-boom years.
Through the three months ended Dec. 31, the start of the agency’s 2012 fiscal year, 126 loans totaling $43.4 million were made to local mom-and-pop shops, comparable to loans issued during the early 2000s, according to the SBA.
The Chicago Market Report Attendance Up, Buyer Spirits Upbeat and Order Writing Steady
Just one week after it concluded its best January Market in recent years, the Merchandise Mart and The Chicago Market announce a healthy double-digit increase in attendance.
Eva Walsh Named VP of Business Development for Dallas Market Center
Dallas Market Center (DMC) today announced that Eva Walsh has been named vice president of business development, a new position within the DMC leasing division. In this position, Walsh will head the company’s retail sales force for specialty and major stores, as well as create new business opportunities for the Market Center.
“Eva possesses an inspiring tenacity and passion for our industry,” said Robbin Wells, executive vice president of leasing, Dallas Market Center. “Her innovative ideas will be integral in the continued growth of our business strategy.
Local Business Owner Hopes to Woo Shoppers with Iowa City Valentine’s Day Store
Iowa City, IA – Want to check out Valentine, the new Valentine’s Day themed craft and clothing store on the Pedestrian Mall that opened this week?
If so, you’ve got about two weeks.
For local business owner Catherine Champion, that’s more than enough time before switching to the next idea.
Champion, 45, owns nearby Catherine’s Boutique, as well as Cheap and Chic, a retail space at 105 S. Dubuque that temporarily closed so the space could be used for Valentine. After Feb. 15 or 16, the shop will become a swimsuit related shop in anticipation of Spring Break.
New Business: Floral Moments by Juju Buds
Chelmsford, MA – Floral Moments by Juju Buds opened for business at 48 Chelmsford Street in September. Although the shop is new, the owner, Judy Burke, has extensive knowledge and experience as a florist.
Burke said she worked for 22 years in a variety of occupations in the industry, holding jobs in design, wholesale, and retail. She began as an employee of Twigs and Sprigs, a Concord, MA florist, designing floral arrangements for corporate events and weddings.
Clover Shop Hub for Crafters
Clover, SC – Andrea Meglii enjoys making handmade crafts, but she grew tired of lugging her refinished furniture to craft shows. So she decided to offer a venue for local crafters to sell their wares.
Meglii opened Crafty Crafty, a new store that offers local crafters a place to sell their handmade goods. It also has classroom space, and she plans to offer workshops led by herself and other crafters.
“I like making things look new again that may have been discarded before,” said Meglii, who began refinishing furniture several years ago.
Venture Products Joins the Successful Licensing Program of The World of Eric Carle
Artwork by famed children’s author and artist Eric Carle has been licensed by Venture Products for incorporation into a new lineup of play and nap mats.
Three Gift+Home Exhibitors Awarded Outstanding Achievement in Visual Merchandising at Gift+Home at Las Vegas Market
Three gift and home décor exhibitors were recognized this week for Outstanding Achievement in Visual Merchandising at Gift+Home at the 2012 Winter Las Vegas Market.
Celebrity designer Monica Pedersen of HGTV and home products and trends editor Julie Smith Vincenti evaluated spaces on innovation, creativity, technique and aesthetic.
DDR Launches Set Up Shop, New Incubation Program for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs
Beachwood, OH, — DDR Corp. (NYSE: DDR – News) today announced the launch of Set Up Shop, a program designed to promote entrepreneurship, incubate new concepts and support the expansion of locally-owned businesses.
Set Up Shop will launch initially in specific locations within 24 Atlanta-area shopping centers. Qualified entrepreneurs participating in Set Up Shop will receive flexible terms designed to limit some of the barriers associated with starting a business.
Set Up Shop is an innovative and creative approach to small-shop leasing.