Archives: News
Local Business, 4 U Gift Celebrates 3rd Year Anniversary!
4U Gift, located in the Town Center, is preparing to celebrate it’s 3rd Anniversary on June 8th. The owner of 4U Gift, Nuray began her business about 6 years ago on a small cart in Willowbrook Mall.
With credit from the Small Business Administration she grew her business and moved to the Town Center in Kingwood. She says “I chose the Town Center in Kingwood, because it is the most unique shopping center in this area with its architecture and location.
Dogeared Jewels & Gifts Launches Latest Trend Collection at May Market
Los Angeles, CA – Dogeared, a trendsetting brand that creates handcrafted jewels and gifts in Los Angeles, previewed their latest line at the New York Accessories Circuit & Intermezzo, to great success. Significant summer trends highlight natural beauty, a casual comfortable and California-inspired attitude, layers of handcrafted jewelry, and the inspiration and power of nature.
Dogeared’s new Seeds Collection epitomizes these trends and received great reviews from attendees. These new necklaces are “fun sized” and come in 3″ by 2″ gift boxes.
Green Product Showcase Highlights Significance, Saleability of Environmentally Friendly Products
Atlanta – The world’s largest collection of gift and home furnishings product sets the stage for AmericasMart’s first showing of eco-friendly, sustainable source designs and lines from some of the most conscientious manufacturers on the planet—exclusively in the AmericasMart Green Product Showcase.
Aeromax takes dress up to a whole new level
Lake Barrington, IL – If your future firefighter, junior astronaut or little physician likes to create authentic-looking costume designs from your personal wardrobe or raids your kitchen pantry for props to take on his backyard space mission, then you’ll be delighted (and relieved) to know that Aeromax’s Get Real Gear costumes will make your child perfectly outfitted to look like the real McCoy.
Peking Handicraft Signs New Licensing Agreements
San Francisco, CA – Peking Handicraft, Inc., an international manufacturer and wholesaler recognized for its variety of styles and high quality of home decor, tabletop and giftware items, designed by renowned licensed artists, announces the signing of new licensing agreements with Jim Shore, Amy Brazil and Julia Junkin.
Jim Shore is an award-wining artist with enormous popularity. His renowned artwork combines elements of folk art with vibrant color palettes and applies it to traditional themes, creating intricate and colorful designs that reflect American heritage.
It
Chester — When Stacy Padilla was four years old, she would sell pages from her coloring book to people walking past her house.
“Most kids sell lemonade; I sold pictures,” Padilla said. “My mother was always amazed that people bought my pictures. I know I wasn’t a child prodigy. I think they bought them because I was cute.”
Flash forward 30 years, and Padilla’s childhood pastime has grown up. At the end of the Heritage Trail in Chester, sandwiched between a barber shop and an ice cream parlor, is a store that houses not only one-of-a-kind gifts, but also holds a women’s dream.
104-year-old Retail Alliance welcomes first female boss
Norfolk – Susan Milhoan estimates that she has visited about 200 retailers, from Williamsburg to the Eastern Shore, since mid-February.
Some have told her about parking problems near their stores. Others talk about the challenges of finding good employees. Most suffer from a lack of free time.
All of them have introduced her to the work that lies ahead.
This month, Milhoan takes over a 104-year-old organization that is entering a new era.
Find out what’s in the store
Staying in the flow is the goal at River Place in Frankenmuth.
Last year, a 20,000-square-foot expansion at the attraction bolstered optimism that the complex would retain its appeal.
Officials funneled $1 million into a project to increase retail space and make aesthetic improvements throughout the 57,000-square-foot grounds.
Landscaping with watery mists and more walkways with “snowmelt systems” round out the expansion.
Owners estimate the business attracts 1 million visitors annually and may increase that number this summer as in-state vacationers look for ways to save money on g
Downtown merchants fight flight
Delaware, Ohio — A bicycle-shop owner knows a dip in the road when he sees one. He also knows how to ride it out.
“A year ago, there was essentially 100 percent occupancy downtown, and now there’s 12 vacancies,” said Dan Negley, who operates Breakaway Cycling in the former Delaware livery at 17 W. William St. “But this is probably the third time it’s happened since I opened in ’91.
burton + BURTON Acquires Pacific Rim Customer List
Today, burton + BURTON announces the purchase of dissolved Pacific Rim Import Corporation’s customer list, trademark, and domain names.
“This is an exciting time for us and the industry,” says Maxine Burton, President and founder of burton + BURTON. “Pacific Rim’s departure from the market left a void in the gift and home decor industry.
Time’s Up/Time Out animals appear in two national magazines
Time’s Up/Time Out has hit the national stage, as our animals were just recently prominently featured in Parents and baby couture magazines.
Time’s Up/ Time Out appeared in the article “Time-Out for Toddlers” (page 68) in the May 2007 issue of Parents Magazine. Parents Magazineis one of the leading magazines on raising happy and healthy children with a circulation of just over 2.2 million subscribers.
The animals were also recently featured in the spring issue of baby couture as part of the cool gifts for mom feature in time for mother’s day.
Custom cookie business fills sweet niche
Over here there’s a pirate, a green ogre and Uncle Sam.
Over there a sailboat and a yellow smiley face with a mortarboard perched on its head.
These and many other cookies have been dipped in white, brown or colored chocolate and decorated as party favors for baby showers, birthdays, anniversaries and holiday parties, part of a booming niche business in Chandler.
“The challenge becomes how many designs can you get on a round circle,” says Kelle Bingham of Ocotillo, who owns the cookie decorating business Favorz along with her sister, Kathie McAfee.
JCKstyle Editors Outline Fall Fashion Trends
Retailers who attended the Wednesday afternoon “Make Your Store Fashionable for Fall 2007” session learned about upcoming fashion trends and got tips from JCKstyle magazine editors Carrie Soucy, Jennifer Heebner, and Laura Finkelstein.
Soucy led the presentation with a summary of 2007 clothing trends and complementary jewelry. For example, pieces with clean bold looks best complement fall’s A-line silhouettes and full sleeves, and geometric shapes and statement pieces pop when paired with cropped jackets and miniskirts.
Retailers Still High on Watches
Are watches passe?
That’s what many news and blog reports worldwide claimed in recent months, citing widespread use by young people of cell phones and iPods, which have time displays. In March, JCK reported on watch industry leaders’ reaction to that.
Now we turn to those who actually sell timepieces and deal with the watch-buying public to find out what they think. Earlier this year, JCK surveyed hundreds of U.S. retail jewelers of all sizes in all regions across America.
Another MT shop center? $30M Main Street-style complex, featuring Dick
Lancaster County, Pa – An estimated $30 million shopping center is being proposed in the Granite Run Corporate Center, along Route 283, but the development faces some high hurdles.
Berkshire Development, based in Springfield, Mass., is planning a 190,000-square-foot “main-street style” shopping development between Manheim Pike and Fruitville Pike.
Dubbed Granite Town Center, the Manheim Township project would join a strong concentration of retail business in that densely populated part of the county.
Park City Center, Red Rose Commons and Hawthorne Center (anchored by Wal-Mart) are am
Start-ups downtown get a boost
Trenton– As part of its ongoing efforts to breathe new life into the capital city’s downtown, the Trenton Downtown Association is assisting with a retail incubator project.
Entrepreneurs who want to start their own shop can do so by utilizing the Gift Gallery incubator at 125 S. Warren St., according to Eric Maywar of the TDA.
Purse Parties Carry Panache; Customers design their own made-to-order bags
It’s only 10 a.m. on a recent Monday, but it’s party time at bag lady Christina Cabrera’s Orangecrest home.Six women, all homemakers, sip coffee and chat as they peruse a panoply of purses, portfolios and pocketbooks and sift through 45 swatches laid out in the living room.
The guests itch to mix and match fabrics, choose linings, ribbon trims, handles, hardware, inside pockets, straps and monograms to customize a bag that exudes “purse-onality.”
Cabrera shows them samples ranging from hot pink dotted diaper bags to black-and-white giraffe printed garment bags.
Culinary couple keep shop alive; Millette’s Kitchen Store changes ownership
In early February, Bend residents Jake and Ginger Aguirre strolled into Millette’s Kitchen Store on Northwest Newport Avenue in Bend looking for a teapot – three months later, they would own the longtime Central Oregon shop.
Ginger Aguirre, 53, remembers asking owners Pat and Rollo Millette why they were selling.
Small-town treasure awaits: Shop Adel, Pella and Winterset
On a sunny spring day, shopping at the mall seems more like an act of self-denial than a real outing.
Why not rid yourself of any lingering cabin fever, once and for all, by exploring some of the varied shopping just outside the metro area?
In less than an hour’s drive you can take in a rich assortment of local art — and find a funky new purse.
You can explore a wealth of British pottery and furniture.
Pressman Toy and Pokemon USA Announce New Licensing Agreement
New York – Pressman Toy Corporation, the third largest U.S. games manufacturer, and Pokemon USA, Inc. have reached a licensing agreement under which Pressman Toy has the right to develop board games, matching games, travel games, puzzles and dominoes under the popular Pokemon brand in the United States. The first game in this new product line will be released in fall ’07.