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New jobless claims drop to 601K; retail sales rise
Washington, DC—The number of newly laid-off Americans filing jobless claims fell more than expected last week and retail sales grew in May for the first time in three months. But a rise in the number of people continuing to receive jobless aid signaled that an economic recovery is still far off.
The Labor Department said Thursday that initial claims for unemployment benefits fell last week by 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 601,000.
Save That Driftwood for Them
“Driftwood is the new Costa Rican mahogany” is Mark Welsh’s new sound bite.
As a copywriter and brand consultant for companies like West Elm and Cole-Haan, Mr. Welsh (in foreground at right) is a seasoned sloganeer. And this one he built to go with his new business, Carter and Cunningham, a joint venture with his partner, James Salaiz (shown standing behind him), named after their mothers’ families. The two are handmaking mirrors, sculptures and furnishings from salvaged materials (or “plundered trash,” as Mr. Welsh calls it), driftwood and Mr.
MIMOBOT® Brings Sith Lords To USB Ports Everywhere
Boston, MA – Mimoco’s STAR WARS MIMOBOT line of designer flash drives will explore the dark side with an all-new collection, featuring fan favorite Sith Lords and new versions of classic designs. In addition to the previously announced Darth Maul design, the fourth installment of the popular USB devices will also include a re-imagining of the original MIMOBOT series’ centerpiece – Darth Vader. The new Darth Vader Unmasked MIMOBOT features a removable helmet, underneath which lurks the scarred countenance of Anakin Skywalker, as played by Hayden Christensen.
ThemeNaps Voted Best Of Stationery and Gift Industries in the U.S.A. and Canada.
Atlanta, GA — They’re clever, they’re fashionable, they’re functional and now, ThemeNaps are officially the newest must-have item for stationery and gift buyers in the United States and Canada.
Each year, hundreds of new products vie for recognition as the Best New Product at the National Stationery Show in New York and for one of 10 coveted spots on the Canadian Gift and Tableware Association’s (CGTA) Top 10 Products Awards list.
Laura Secord faces off against Tim Hortons
Could Laura Secord be the next challenger to Tim Hortons?
The veteran retail chocolatier is looking at new retail formats to invigorate the chain and increase sales, including test marketing a cafe concept at several of its stores across Canada, chief executive Bryan Crittenden confirmed Tuesday.
“If I look at the research in terms of building a growth agenda, the consumer is very much asking for coffee in our locations and that is something that we are evaluating,” he said.
Longtime resident opens new Wauconda wine shop
Maria Weisbruch recently opened a wine and gift shop in the community where she grew up and is now raising her family.
Weisbruch and her husband, Scott, launched Bliss Wine & Gifts at 201 S. Main St. in downtown Wauconda. The couple believes the area is in need of this type of shop.
“It’s a friendly downtown gift shop with wine and specialty beer,” Maria Weisbruch said.
The store features 140 wines from all over the world, starting at $8.99 a bottle.
Giant banners transformed into tote bags for charity
Giant vinyl banners boasting of the latest McDonald’s burger promotion used to go in the trash when the sale ended, but a local franchise group is experimenting with a way to keep them out of landfills while helping sick children.
Golden Empire Operators Association, a trade group of nine owners of 31 Bakersfield area McDonald’s restaurants, is working with a northern California company to recycle the colorful banners into bags that will be sold to benefit the new Bakersfield Ronald McDonald House.
Ronald McDonald houses provide deeply discounted food and lodging for loved ones
Reeves International, Inc., to Introduce Four New Lines at Astra
Pequannock, NJ – Reeves International, Inc., parent company of Breyer Animal Creations®, announced today that it will be introducing four new product lines at the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) Marketplace to be held June 14-17, 2009 in St. Paul, Minn. Making their American debut at the ASTRA show under Reeves’ distribution will be AquaPlay®, Enchantmints™, Geomag™ Kids and Gbaby by Geomag™, and WWF® – Games by Terra™.
Back-to-School Shopping To Test Retail Resilience
Chicago – As students study for final exams, the retail industry is gearing up for its biggest test so far this year — the back-to-school shopping season.
After cutting costs to cope with slack consumer demand during the recession, retailers hope the economy will start to recover in the second half of the year.
The back-to-school season, which begins in July, will be the first big chance for investors to see if retailers can lure in U.S. shoppers that have a laser-like focus on value.
Crepes! Art gallery in Waddington to offer them
Waddington — A gentle breeze carries the scent of cinnamon and chocolate through the Artworks Gallery Gift Shop, as a crepe slides off a pan in what soon will be a cafe housed at the business.
The Creperie at Artworks restaurant won’t open for a couple of weeks, but gallery owner Mark Scott and his family were busy this week taste-testing the delicate French pancakes, both savory and sweet, that came out of the tiny kitchen run by Maria J. Hunt.
“It’s a food that’s simple but elegant. It can be breakfast, lunch or dinner,” Mr. Scott said. “Come in, relax.
Credit crunch victim aims to beat recession with own store
Beverley Welch didn’t spend much time wallowing in self-pity when she became one of the many victims of the credit crunch.
The 33-year-old was only made redundant from her job at an art gallery in April but immediately set her sights on setting up her own business.
Not to be phased by the gloomy financial climate, Beverley has now opened her own shop – Gift of Elegance – in Trinity Street in Dorchester and says the early signs suggest the enterprise is set for success.
She said: “It has been a very positive response since we opened.
“I had to reassess my fu
Nielsen Finds Consumers Cautiously Ready to Spend Again
Restraint will be the new mantra among consumers, according to the Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Survey. But that doesn’t mean they won’t start spending again in the near future.
Respondents to the poll, conducted in April across 50 countries making up 86 percent of the GDP, said they would continue to focus on fiscal responsibility. Yet, “they will allow themselves some of those little indulgences,” said James Russo, vice president, Global Consumer Insights.
Loyalty cards score points
The number of gift card purchases buzzing through the computer servers at SparkBase has decreased with the recession, but not by as much as loyalty card transactions have increased.
What at first might seem contradictory makes sense to Doug Hardman, CEO of SparkBase, a Cleveland company that processes gift and loyalty card transactions.
“People want to go where they’re being rewarded for things,” Mr. Hardman said.
New owner at Love Your Mother
Love Your Mother has a new owner.
The store – located at 39 North Main Street in downtown Three Rivers – is now owned by Peggy Deames. She took over on June 1st from Larry Farris, who opened the store in 2005.
Deames is familiar with the store, which features “Earth-friendly goods,” having worked there part-time for Farris since 2006.
OneCoast eShow Opens its Virtual Doors
OneCoast, the largest and only national provider of sales and marketing services to vendors and retailers of home décor, gift and collegiate products, opened its six-day eShow on Monday. The eShow is the industry’s first multi-line virtual trade show and runs through June 13.
Dozens of vendors are introducing thousands of new products at the eShow, more than 2 weeks before the first summer trade show season begins.
The Pink Elephant opens today in La Porte
Michigan City – The Pink Elephant, described as “a savvy resale shop,” opens today at 510 Lincolnway in La Porte. Among an array of antique stores, this one stands out because of its bright begonia color with architectural details highlighted in black.
The shop is filled with items as eclectic as its owners, Kathy and Marc Gleser, of Rolling Prairie. The couple has traveled throughout Europe during more than 25 years of buying and selling antiques.
5 Questions: Setting up shop in Pettigrew Heights
Ted and Bonnie Lambertus opened their gift shop, The Willow Tree, with little fanfare at the beginning of March.
But the store already is drawing upon the history of the Pettigrew Heights area where it’s located.
The house that their store occupies was built in 1922. The couple has a home only a few blocks away.
“The kitchen was in bad shape,” Bonnie Lambertus says, but they didn’t have to do a lot of refurbishing otherwise.
History played a role in the shop’s name, too.
“My grandma and Ted’s grandma both used to have willow trees in their front yards.
Cooks’ favorite apple
Chelan, WA — It’s not a Granny or a Honeycrisp or a Gala, but it’s an apple well known to area cooks.
It’s Mary and David Weldy’s Culinary Apple — a kitchen store that’s easy to walk into, but very hard to leave.
Kitchen gadgets of every notion hang from hooks, inviting close scrutiny.
A careful shopper will notice amazing things, like “Apples ‘n Spice Vacuum Cleaner Fragrance” or barbecue branding irons that burn the husky or coug insignia onto something as un-rivalry-provoking as a ground-beef patty.
What’s that by the checkout counter?
Unique toy store opens in downtown Pleasanton
A new toy store that promises to be as unique in its merchandising as its owners, Dee and Rob Nitzsche, are in their concepts about what a successful toy store should be opened in downtown Pleasanton Saturday to several hundred children and their parents after a 10 a.m. ribbon cutting.
Mayor Jennifer Hosterman and City Councilman Jerry Thorne helped cut the ribbon to open Your Stage Toys at 63 E. Angela St. during a crowded Farmers Market. The new store is in the building that Berry Patch occupied before moving across the street last month.
Russ Berrie’s widow finds joy as owner of Kate’s Paperie specialty paper chain
Angelica Berrie — philanthropist, former Russ Berrie chief executive and widow of that company’s founder — says she’s found new joy with a business venture that returned her to an old passion: paper.
Berrie, 54, bought the Kate’s Paperie company, a five-store chain of specialty paper, gift wrap and gift stores in Manhattan and Greenwich, Conn., last fall and recently acquired a majority stake in Boston International, an upscale paper products and party ware distributor.