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Burlington, Vermont – Rich Frog Industries, a toy manufacturer from Burlington, Vermont, is a company that does things a little differently. Whereas most company owners would choose to call themselves President or CEO, at Rich Frog, Maarten van Ryckevorsel’s business card reads Frog Prince. His wife and business partner, Sarah, holds the title Queen Bee. “Hey, if we were selling pipe fittings or copper wire, it would be a different matter,” says van Ryckevorsel, “but we’re a toy maker!
Mimoco Highlights GURP GreenBot USB Recycling Program with User-Submitted Video Contest from Earth Day through Mother’s Day
Boston, MA – Mimoco, the company known for their character-based MIMOBOT® designer USB flash drives, announced a three week long video contest kicking off today to celebrate Earth Day. The GURP for Mother Earth (GURP4ME) contest, ending on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 10th, promotes recycling via Mimoco’s MIMOBOT GreenBot USB flash drive Recycling Program, or GURP for short.
GURP encourages earthlings to recycle old, worn out, or otherwise unwanted USB flash drives that can be traded in for gift certificates good towards MIMOBOT designer USB flash drives.
CandyRific, LLC Introduces Five New Novelty Candy Products
Louisville, KY – CandyRific, LLC, a leading novelty candy manufacturer, is taking some of its most popular M&M’S® and Skittles® products—candy fans, candy banks, tins and more, and giving them a new look for 2009.
CandyRific will launch a line of four M&M® Transformer products in time for the June 24 release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
M&M’S® Transformer Fan- These decked-out, child-safe candy fans come stocked with a .53 oz bag of M&M’s® original candies. Available in two favorite characters; Red or Yellow.
Company C Launches New Collection and Celebrates 15 Years in New High Point Showroom
Concord, New Hampshire – Company C, a Concord, NH-based designer and manufacturer of hand-crafted area rugs and home textiles, recently announced the company will move its showroom to the International Home Furnishings Center® (IHFC) for the upcoming High Point Market, April 25 to 30, 2009, where the 15-year-old company will introduce its Fall 2009 collection and celebrate its anniversary.
“The Fall 2009 collection is one of our most creative collections yet” said Christine Chapin, design and product development director for Company C.
Museum wants gift shop to bolster downtown Lake City
Lake City — The directors of the National Bean Market Museum hope their new gift shop will complement other downtown Lake City stores and attract more businesses to the area.
“We go to great pains to make sure we bring in items that won’t take away from the other shops,” museum Associate Director Sherri Moore said.
Earlier this year, the museum purchased the inventory of Holt’s Gifts and China on Main Street.
Madison Etsy explorations: Aunty K’s Crocheted Guyz
Recently I was shopping for a children’s gift and found it hard not to be overwhelmed by the vast number of branded toys reaching out to grab my attention. I am not a Barney fan and frankly, I’ve never seen Dora the Explorer. I understand the attachment children feel towards their favorite characters, I’m still fond of My Little Pony and Rainbow Brite, but there is a nice calm that exudes from toys that are just that, toys.
Reusable shopping bags come of age in style
A lot of folks have moved beyond the “paper vs. plastic” grocery bag debate, having settled on neither.
Today, there are so many other bags from which to choose, made from materials both familiar and unusual, at price points both affordable and astronomical.
It appears everyone — from grocery stores to online sellers — wants in on this eco-friendly game.
Main Street merchants encourage you to shop locally
Following last year’s successful inaugural event, Hyannis Main Street Business Improvement District is organizing Shop Local Day as a way to highlight the importance of spending dollars locally. More than fifty businesses on Main Street will be offering sales, discounts and deals on Saturday, May 9, for Hyannis Main Street’s third bi-annual Shop Local Day.
In a slower economy, where consumers spend their money is extremely important.
Small store, but choices galore
Brooksville – They sell custom clothes and accessories from wrap dresses to neckties.
They embroider everything from aprons to baseball caps.
The city’s newest shop owners also can sell uniquely designed tumblers and sippy cups.
Sweet T Boutiques might be a small store, but it has an impressively vast selection.
“People want something different,” said co-owner Jana Knox. “Those who want to get someone a more-thoughtful gift, they come here.”
The store, located at 10 W. Jefferson St., opened in March.
OneCoast Launches Industry’s First eShow
OneCoast, the largest and only national provider of sales and marketing services to vendors and retailers of home décor, gift and collegiate products, announced that it will launch the industry’s first multi-line virtual show, called the eShow, on June 8, 2009, running for six days through June 13.
“We are offering an easy, fun and multimedia-rich way for retailers who aren’t traveling to shows this summer to buy the newest products for their stores,” said Jeremy Hirsch, VP of Marketing, OneCoast.
NYIGF Features Extensive Selection of New Resources
White Plains, NY — Access to more than 400 new gift, home and lifestyle suppliers, coupled with an unparalleled breadth and depth of sophisticated and fashion-forward resources, will draw savvy buyers to the 157th semi-annual edition of the New York International Gift Fair® (NYIGF®), Saturday, August 15, through Thursday, August 20, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and Passenger Ship Terminal Pier 94.
Gallerist Educates on the True Value of Art at Las Vegas Design Center ‘First Friday’ Event May 1
Las Vegas — Did you know that art can routinely outperform real estate, the stock market and other traditional forms of investment? That will be the focus of Naomi Arin of Naomi Arin Contemporary Art, Friday, May 1, as part of First Friday at Las Vegas Design Center at World Market Center Las Vegas.
The Las Vegas-based gallerist and art advisor will take the audience through the ABC’s of collecting art as a personal or corporate investment strategy.
In Earth Day Tie-In, Beauty Retailer Offers Virtual Gift on Facebook
Sephora launched a Facebook campaign tied to Earth Day.
The beauty products retailer is offering a virtual gift called the Sephora Pretty Planet Shopper. The virtual tote bag can be sent from one Facebook friend to another. Those who send the virtual gift are awarded a promotional code they can redeem, with any Sephora.com purchase, for a real, limited edition tote bag.
The creative was executed by Susan Kare at Facebook, who is responsible for creating most of the gifts in the Facebook Gift Shop.
Mother, daughter blend experience, love for animals into business
For years, Teri Hoppe and her daughter, Kim Fickel have talked about opening their own business together.
Using their previous business experience and their love for animals, the duo made this a reality in launching Hearth and Hound in Grayslake.
Quilted Treasures: Huntington quilt shop owner at the heart of the business
At Quilted Treasures gifts come from the heart and Michelle Anderson is the heart of the business. She is the owner/employee in this quilt shop located at 185 North and 100 West in Huntington. Anderson was born in Illinois and spent 10 years there before moving with her family to Price where her father worked for Peabody Coal. She attended Emery High. “I learned to sew in Home Economics in junior high school. My mom always sewed and made our clothes but quilting wasn’t something we had grown up with.
Suhm fun at new Birmingham gift store
Every so often, you find a store that is so comfortable and interesting, you want to visit it over and over and over. That’s the deal with Suhm-Thing, a new shop in downtown Birmingham. It’s full of home accents such as cheerful doormats, distressed wooden picture frames, cool lunch bags, candles, wall decals and lots more — including a nice selection of very fabulous totes and purses by Jane Marvel.
What’s so cool about Jane Marvel bags? They’re happy, many with colorful prints. You don’t see them everywhere. They’re well-made. They’re vegan.
Woman’s snacks gain popularity
Covington – Marilyn Baker’s life changed for good in 2004.
That was the year her beloved Sheltie dog, a 12-year-old pooch named Yankee Doodle, died. As a speech language pathologist, Yankee Doodle would accompany Baker to the nursing homes she would visit. She became known as “The Lady with the Dog.”
In her grief after the dog’s death, Baker started to cook – a lot. It helped her cope with the sadness.
Glass beads are works of beauty, whimsy and wonder
Dozens of unique, colorful glass beads shimmer in the sun’s rays at Kimberley Adams’ new Flat Rock business, Transformation Glass.
A long pink bead with shiny sparkles and a blue design with white stars is especially eye-catching. So is a light translucent blue bead that sparkles with a glittery turquoise color in the sunlight.
Creating beautiful, unique glass beads is Adams’ passion. She literally wrote the book on the subject — “The Complete Book of Glass Beadmaking,” Lark Books/Sterling Press, 2005 — and her work is shown in galleries throughout the country.
‘Pride of New England’ West Gloucester gift shop makes its regional mark
Local business owner Pauline Bresnahan can officially be called the “Pride of New England.”
Bresnahan’s business, Pauline’s Gifts, has been designated one of the best gift shops in New England, after receiving the Boston Gift Show’s highest honor, the “Pride of New England Award.”
The most coveted of all awards given away at the show, the fourth annual “Pride of New England Award” is given in recognition of outstanding customer service, merchandising creativity, community involvement, and — of course — a strong sense of New England pride.
Nominated months ago by an ano
Todd Carr’s works to be featured at local shop
Todd Carr became interested in woodworking when he was a child.
His primary influences trace back to his grandfather, a contractor/woodworker, his own father who also worked with wood and a childhood trip to Biltmore, the Vanderbilt mansion located in Ashville, N.C., where the woodwork is particularly spectacular, he said.
“I’ve been making things out of wood ever since I can remember,” said the craftsman whose works will be featured next weekend during a showcase exhibit at Persnickety in Madison.
This will be the first exhibit for Carr whose talent has until recently bee