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Mall threat a familiar tale for Provo retailers
Provo – Karl Thalman hasn’t forgotten what happened to downtown Provo when University Mall opened in neighboring Orem.
He said the mall – which opened in the early 1970s – almost killed the downtown business district as merchants either relocated to Orem or struggled to find ways to survive the new competition to the north.
“When they built University Mall, I wanted to go out there but didn’t, and I kicked myself in the butt,” recalled Thalman, a former municipal councilman who ran a downtown jewelry store for decades.
Gift cards growing in popularity
Got an idea what will be the most popular holiday gift? Computer? iPod? Elmo doll? Jewels?
Gift shop is fruit of woman
Gift-giving is a way of life for Suzie Couraud, owner of Silverton’s new gift shop, Pomegranate.
On one wall of a small corridor close to the store’s front door hangs three floral oil paintings that are not for sale.
“My mother, Marian Dike, painted them. She passed away less then a year ago. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known,” Couraud said with a deep sense of gratitude. “She’s here with me. This store would not be happening without her.”
Couraud’s dream to open her own store was made possible by the money her mother left her with.
New Sparkling Clean location features gift shop
Coleen James of Sparkling Clean can not only keep your house tidy for the holidays, but she can stuff your stockings and deck your halls as well.
Come into Sparkling Clean and Gifts, located at 3515 Mockingbird Suite C in Orange to schedule a fullservice clean and to shop in her extensive selection of quaint gifts.
Coleen sells a full line of aromatic candles, designed to bring the holiday spirit right into your home.
CPSC delivers the ABC
Washington – As gift-givers shop for that perfect toy this holiday season, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is emphasizing the importance of shopping safely. Knowing your ABC’s of toy safety will make for happy holidays: (A) awareness, and knowing the (B) benefits, for (C) consumers – (Awareness Benefits Consumers).
Awareness is not only knowing there is a CPSC and what the agency does to protect consumers but also being aware of what poses the greatest risks.
”Invisible” Costs of Offline Shopping Spur Increase in Online Holiday Spending
Los Angeles, Nov 20, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) — SSP | charts | news | PowerRating — Although offline retail sales are expected to be soft this holiday season online retailers are anticipating a merry season as consumers shift their holiday spending to the Web. What is driving this shift?
Sustainability: Design for a Better World Returns & Expands for Winter 2008 NYIGF
White Plains, NY – Encouraging sustainability as a business paradigm is the focus of SustainAbility: design for a better world, a special curated exhibit and two-track seminar program to be presented at the 154th semi-annual New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF), February 1-6, 2008, following a resoundingly successful debut in August 2007.
Open to all NYIGF exhibitors, the SustainAbility display will emphasize new materials, as well as old materials used in new and innovative ways.
Celebrity Interior Designer, Alexandra Stoddard, is Featured Speaker During December
Las Vegas – Las Vegas Design Center at World Market Center, a resource in Las Vegas for the interior design community, will welcome internationally celebrated and acclaimed interior designer, Alexandra Stoddard on Friday, December 7, 2007.
Stoddard will present “A Personal Glimpse into Alexandra Stoddard’s Life at Home,” in which she will give attending designers a guided tour through her apartment in New York and 18th Century cottage in Connecticut.
Stoddard, author of more than two dozen books and a sought-after speaker on the art of living, has been called a “house doctor.” She is th
Black Friday is Busiest Day in Key Holiday Gift Categories with More than One-Third of Gift-Buying to Occur Before 10 a.m.
Purchase, NY – Black Friday was the busiest day for holiday shopping last year in the top five traditional gift-buying categories (brick-and-mortar department, discount, clothing, electronics/appliances and sporting goods/toy stores), with more than one- third of MasterCard payment transactions occurring before 10 a.m.*, according to the MasterCard Worldwide Holiday Shopping Insights Report(TM).
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving and commonly thought of as the busiest day of the year for shopping and the start of the traditional holiday shopping season in the United States.
Rising Energy Costs Dampen Holiday Spending Plans
Washington – Rising costs of gasoline and home heating are putting pressure on consumers to cut back on their holiday spending plans, according to data from the eighth annual survey on holiday spending conducted by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the Credit Union National Association (CUNA).
In citing influences over their holiday spending plans, 38 percent of those responding said the cost of gasoline and home heating would cause them to somewhat or greatly decrease their holiday spending.
New location gives Warm Splendors Country Shoppe exposure
Bradenton — There’s lots to look at in Terri Vickers’ shop – cows, pigs, apples, gingerbread and roosters.Amid the menagerie is plenty of style – Americana, Primitive and Retro.
The Warm Splendors Country Shoppe on 301 Boulevard three blocks east of the DeSoto Square Mall reeks of ambiance. Even the structure of the shop – part frame building, part converted semi trailer – adds to the atmosphere.
Shoppers making lists, checking twice
Madison County shoppers are finalizing their gift lists, dusting off their shopping shoes and clearing out their trunks in anticipation of the day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday. It’s considered to be the official start of the holiday shopping season and undoubtedly the biggest shopping day of the year.
“My sister and I do it every year,” said Pam Carson of Madison.
Flower shop hopes to make the grade in old Ledgeview schoolhouse
The old schoolhouse at Dickinson and Creamery roads in the town of Ledgeview has been a piece of history for many in the area who attended school there or, in more recent years, stopped in to explore antiques.
The school recently underwent a makeover and welcomed a new occupant — a store with a mix of yesterday and today rolled into one.
The Cutting Garden, owned and operated by De Pere resident Carmen Carter, opened as a full-service florist and gift shop that offers what Carter calls a unique and personal touch.
“I realize everyone has something different that they like, and w
Safety first with toys
As children make out their Christmas lists this year, parents may add a request of their own: toys without lead paint, harmful chemicals or hazardous parts.
The Christmas shopping season moves into full force this week.
Entrepreneur chooses Market Square
Marte Bowsher had already planned to open a gift boutique in Market Square shopping center before new owners took over the 28-acre property on the north side of Lafayette.
Mayor Tony Roswarski helped Bowsher cut a ribbon Friday morning to officially open Froglegs and Cattails, a shop that features country decor, gift boxes, candles, floral arrangements and other items.
“I’ve been writing a business plan for a couple of years,” said Bowsher who previously worked at two stores in Lafayette — Things Remembered and Factory Card Outlet. “I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur on my own.
NYIGF’s At Home Division Expands and Evolves for Winter 2008
White Plains, NY – An expanded collection of hard lines and a refined concentration of soft goods will be among highlights in At Home at the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF), February 1-6, 2008, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and Passenger Ship Terminal Piers 92 & 94.
Eco-Friendly, Natural Products Among Top Trends at Beckman’s this January
Chicago – As eco-friendly and natural products grow in demand among shoppers, exhibitors at the Beckman’s Handcrafted Gift Show are poised to meet the market’s needs for this enduring trend. The trend-forward merchandise found at the show has the added value of being unique, one-of-a-kind items, providing an important element to the success of many independent retailers.
Beckman’s offers a forum to “Meet the Artist,” allowing independent retailers to understand how products are made and who the artist is, helping them explain the work’s story when selling to their customers.
Rachel Tribble: Giving the Gift of Fine Art
Rachel Tribble-Stuart, Florida resident and nationally known fine artist-has her paintings hanging on the walls of some of the finest homes internationally. She has been featured in several national magazines, including American Style, Florida Design, and Garden Design, and in Februaryof this year her painting, Dragonfly, won First Honorable Mention in theMartin County Arts Council’s regional juried exhibition of fine art inStuart, Florida.
Planet Dog Foundation Unleashes Grants
Portland, ME- The Planet Dog Foundation (PDF), Planet Dog’s non-profit, is proud to announce the recipients of its Fall, 2007 grants.
New Kate McRostie Collections to be Launched with Certified International and CounterArt at Atlanta Market
Wilmington, NC – Kate McRostie DesignWorks, Inc. announced today that Certified International and CounterArt will both be launching new product collections featuring the designs of Kate McRostie at the January 2008 Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market.
Certified International adds three new coordinating McRostie tabletop ceramic collections to their showroom. “Sea Catch”, a fresh take on coastal seafood festivals, “Sail Away”, a collection of sailboats cruising into the horizon, and “Red, White, & Blue” a nautical stripe collection featuring patriotic colors.