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Art gallery shines light on folk artists
The home’s clapboards were falling down. The roof was caving in. Drywall was crumbling. The kitchen’s floorboards were gone.
“The grass was all growing up, and there was a raggedy, raggedy fence,” recalled folk artist Alania Osborne-Currie.
In other words, the dilapidated home at 7102 Line Ave. was exactly what she sought.
“I didn’t see the raggedy house,” Osborne-Currie said.
Retailers brace for ho-ho-hum sales
Kim Letke bought her first Christmas gift of the season recently when she found the Moon Sand castle play set for her kids.
But the Timonium woman believes it’s probably going to be a tough season for her family because the work her husband does in the home improvement business has slowed along with housing sales.
“We might be spending a little less this year,” said Letke, as the stay-at-home mom watched her kids run around the play area at Towson Town Center recently.
Retailers are hearing similar consumer concerns, and many merchants are braced for sluggish sales as they prepare for
Recent recalls raise concerns about holiday buying
Addi Belle Rudman of Ramsey celebrated her first birthday a week ago. Among the gifts she received were a clock, a beanbag chair and other furniture for her playroom and bedroom; books; and gift certificates for clothing.
Two of the toys she got were whisked out of sight by her mother: a Little People toy, one of the brands hit by recalls, and a Dora the Explorer toy, because her mother has vowed never again to let a Dora toy in the house. “Dora the Explorer was the most recalled character,” said Brigitte Rudman.
As airports look to retail revenue, travelers get more shops
New York — If you’ve done any traveling lately, you’ve likely noticed that many airports are looking more like malls.
“I was kind of surprised to see jewelry here,” said Jackie Steven of Aberdeen, Scotland, while doing a little preflight shopping at Newark Liberty International Airport one recent afternoon. “You don’t expect jewelry.”
But jewelry is just one of the many new retail offerings popping up in airports. Fliers are as likely to find a Brooks Brothers or Victoria’s Secret as an overpriced doughnut cart. Weary road warriors can spend layovers in a spa as well as a bar.
Cynthia Webb Designs Assists Effort to Rebuild Camp Stevens; Sales of Popular Piece Will Help Repair Buildings Damaged by Fire
San Diego gift designer Cynthia Webb is donating 100 percent of the proceeds of her “Quiet Time” treescape ornament to help rebuild Camp Stevens, the Julian conference and retreat center heavily damaged by a Sept. 15 fire. The quickly spreading flames destroyed much of the picturesque mountaintop refuge, including 15 cabins and lodges, the outdoor chapel and over 100 acres of forest.
“I designed this piece to evoke a feeling of peacefulness, of serenity,” explained Webb. “Camp Stevens has been that place for my whole family to feel renewed, to take a break from our busy lives.
STUDIO Development Continues With Exhibitor Selection & Logo Introduction
White Plains, NY – Suppliers of the industry’s most-trend forward merchandise are gravitating towards STUDIO , a new lifestyle division debuting at the winter 2008 New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF).
STUDIO – a showcase for inspired lifestyle merchandise across a broad range of categories – will debut at NYIGF in February 2008.
ImagiPLAY makes Green Pages list
Boulder, CO – Just as children are the offspring of human beings, human beings are the offspring of the earth. And it’s her passionate belief in that philosophy that drives Barbera Aimes, founder and President of Boulder-based toy company ImagiPLAY. Her desire to make toys that will enrich the lives and imaginations of children is inextricably tied to her need to make those products in a manner that shows respect to the larger toy box into which children are born.
Manual Woodworkers & Weavers Inc. Features Annabelle’s Blossoms
Hendersonville, NC – Manual Woodworkers & Weavers, Inc, introduces Annabelle’s Blossoms, a beguiling home decor collection including tabletop ceramics and finely woven tapestry decor.While autumn reaches its peak with the leaves, rewind the hands of time to take back your favorite elements of spring and summer and sprinkle them about to liberate and redefine fall furnishing. Achieve a soft, vintage allure with distinguished details. Delicate scalloped edges rise and fall full circle to delight the eyes in antiqued accents.
Mother and son turn glass making into business
Phyllis L’Hommedieu planned to be a computer scientist.
But her interest shifted when she took a stained glass class at Cal State Fullerton.
Unfortunately, she had to drop the class after one of her son’s suffered an accident and needed special care. Ten years ago she took an online glass class and began attending a conference in Las Vegas.
“I just thought it was really fascinating; I was hooked,” said L’Hommedieu about learning to make art pieces out of melting glass.
Glorious glow: Gemstones are a key accessory here and around the world
Viewers who got a glimpse of KDKA-TV news anchor Patrice King Brown’s purple necklace last Tuesday night may have considered it simply a piece of pretty jewelry.
But to James Schuster, the amethyst and tanzanite adornment — a gift from Ms. Brown’s brother — is also a sign of the times.
The chic gemstone strand “just represents what all of my customers are looking for now,” said Mr.
Chinese toy recalls mixed gift for U.S. makers
Deborah Evanoff thought she’d traded her frantic Silicon Valley career for a lazier pace when she took over the low-tech toy company her parents founded in the late 1960s.
Instead, she’s ramping up Arrowcopter Inc.’s manufacturing operations and getting a record number of orders from retailers in 11 countries.
Retailers worry, but hope to fill Santa’s sleigh
Merchants are already shelving Christmas goods and trying to get a jump-start on what is expected to be a lackluster holiday season.
An ailing housing market, high energy prices and slew of Chinese toy recalls are playing on shoppers’ minds and budgets, analysts said.
“We have almost a perfect storm” for a flat holiday season, said Britt Beemer, chairman of America’s Research Group, a consumer behavior marketing company in Charleston, S.C.
The National Retail Federation, the largest retail trade association in the United States, has predicted only a 4 percent increase in holiday sales
Hiring for the holidays
Jack-o-lanterns aren’t carved yet, but Great Falls retailers, from big box stores to smaller caterers, are already looking for extra workers to staff their businesses during the longer and busier holiday shopping days.
Competition to hire dependable, seasonal workers in an extremely tight labor market has spurred some Great Falls retailers, such as J.C. Penney to start hiring earlier. Others, such as Sears, are providing more training, while several, including Wal-Mart, have boosted pay.
Family opens gift shop, finding a new season for their own dreams
Natchez — Their store may look and smell like autumn, but that’s exactly what the owners of new Natchez shop Seasons were hoping for.
Owned by mother and daughters trio Melva Findley, Melissa Findley and Sarah Roberts, the 406 Franklin St., gift shop has been open for approximately two weeks.
“This (shop) has been our dream for years,” Melva said.
Modest September Gains Reflect Conservative Consumer, According to NRF
Washington – Though September sales gains were moderate, they were better than expected, giving retailers a welcome surprise as they head into the ever-important holiday season. According to the National Retail Federation, retail industry sales for September (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) rose 2.2 percent unadjusted over last year and 0.2 percent seasonally adjusted from August.
Cottage Market to be expansion of Essie’s
This little store went to market.
Three cottages are already in place at Cottage Market at the corner of St. Louis Street and College Avenue, and more are planned.
In other words, Essie’s Gift Shop, in business here for more than two decades, is expanding.
“We’re overflowing at the seams here,” co-owner Mandi Kelley said.
Big Retailers Cutting Prices to Reverse Weak Sales
Retailers are in for a tough fall — and consumers are in for deep discounts.
Big chains reported a bleak September yesterday, with sales at stores open at least a year rising just 1.7 percent, the weakest performance in five years, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers, a trade group.
As a result, more than a dozen retailers, from the luxury emporium Nordstrom to the discounter Target, cut their earnings forecast for the final three months of the year.
Those troubles will be a boon to shoppers: To clear all that unsold fall merchandise in time for the crucia
Retail Sales Outlook Diminishes
Blaming unusually balmy weather that quelled demand for fall fashions, department stores and apparel retailers reported some of the most disappointing results. J.C. Penney Co., Nordstrom Inc. and Limited Brands Inc. all cut their estimates for third-quarter profits. Disappointing results at upscale retailers Nordstrom and Saks Inc.
New Product Introductions Inspire Retailers at the Fall 2007 Gift & Home Furnishings Market(tm) At the L.A. Mart
LA – The Fall 2007 Gift & Home Furnishings Market(tm) at the L.A. Mart stirred up retailers’ product mixes for the upcoming holiday season with an exciting array of unique new products and complete new product lines.
Iota Stationery Essentials Unveils 2008 Collection
Basalt, Colo. – Iota is pleased to announce its brand spanking new collection for 2008!