Archives: News
National Stationery Show Launches Paper Craft Seminar Track
White Plains, NY – The spring 2008 edition of the New York Gift Cash & Carry Show Gifts to Go will present an ideal buying opportunity for retailers, offering convenient inventory-building options for the spring and summer selling season. Running April 3-5, 2008, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Gifts to Go will feature some 150 exhibitors, all showcasing products available for immediate delivery.
Barnstorm announces License Agreement with Carol Eldridge
Marietta, Ga. – As part of its 2008 mid-year product offering, Barnstorm will release two new home and garden collections designed by artist Carol Eldridge. Known for her bright, exuberant designs, Eldridge’s art is a natural complement to Barnstorm’s innovative perspective on garden accessories, gifts and decor.
“We are so pleased to be working with someone as talented as Carol. With her lighthearted spirit and unique point of view, she’s a perfect match for Barnstorm,” said Jeff Odell, Barnstorm’s president.
Grant Dawson Collections Debuts at NY Tabletop Market
McLean, VA—After more than a decade working in the decorative arts field, well-known artists and designers, Sheri Gorsen and Cindy Testa, have channeled their creative energies into a new socially and environmentally responsible company, Grant Dawson Collections.
Midwest President Appointed to National Candle Association Board of Directors
Cannon Falls, MN – The National Candle Association (NCA) appointed to its board of directors Frederic Contino, President of Midwest, leading designer and manufacturer of the Seasons of Cannon Falls brand of holiday and seasonal home accents, premium Colonial Candle brand of home fragrance products, and Delight accents to brighten the home. Contino joins the 16-person NCA board as the membership chair.
“Rick brings a fresh dimension to the NCA board, lending his leadership, expertise and vision for the future,” says Valerie Cooper, NCA Executive Vice President.
Nostalgia: Red Door Gifts makes move to historic Pine
Marilynn Langston is making another investment in downtown Rolla.
On Tuesday, Langston reopened Red Door Gifts at its new location at 700 North Pine St., moving the business out of its old location at 116 West 8th St.
“I believe in Rolla’s downtown so much that I’ve purchased a second building,” Langston said in her new building at the corner of Pine and 7th streets. “This is the old Asher Market building.
Gallery owner focuses on building business
Bradenton — Annie Russini loves to sit on her front lawn and greet people as they approach her shop in the Village of the Arts.
“I always come outside and invite people in,” she said, as she sat in front of her coral and periwinkle-colored bungalow. “They’ll stand there, stop and look and have a question mark on their face.
Priest’s egg art imbues his faith
The Rev. Kevin Cameron leads a frenetic pace, especially shepherding his Our Lady of the Americas congregation through the Lenten season.
So the Catholic priest turns to art to center his spirituality leading up to Easter.
Cameron retires to the sun-drenched front room of his small east-side Des Moines home to color Easter eggs.
This isn’t simply dipping an egg in colorful dime-store dye – as so many kids and their parents do.
You may be paying $400 to $600 a year to offset shoplifting costs
Retail theft used to get little attention and retailers were just fine with that.
Little press meant that potential thieves could not figure out how to steal from them and that the public would not learn that most of the theft was done internally or that theft is widespread throughout the industry.
But Dan Doyle, the 50-year-old vice president of loss prevention and human resources for Bradenton-based Bealls Inc., has spent the past few years talking about it — with everyone who would listen: other retailers, law enforcement and even the public.
As a spokesman in the retail loss prev
Eulogy for an Independent Bookstore
LA is a city known more for its light than its landmarks. The Ambassador Hotel, where Bobby Kennedy was shot, is gone, as is the Brown Derby, the legendary restaurant where celebrities dined on Cobb salad, invented by co-owner Bob Cobb. But when the Los Angeles Times (itself in failing health) reported last week that Dutton’s Brentwood would be closing in April, people were aghast.
Company builds success through fair trade
At the gift shop inside the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City, a handful of necklaces — both long and short — are on display by the register. The long necklaces have big, bold-colored beads.
For Sabbath on Saturdays, Fewer Open Shops
For Elizabeth Allen, it started when she needed a box of nails on a recent Saturday and the Great Neck hardware store she had patronized for years was closed. It hit Bruce Kerievsky when he went to his favorite barbershop in the Old Village and found it shuttered.
Small Biz: Passion for decorating leads to new store
Andrew Downs is hoping his new Five Points interior design business, Andrew Downs and Co., can help curb Athens shoppers’ trips to Atlanta to buy material they can’t find locally.
Downs, who lives in Winder, opened his full-service interior design shop and upscale gift shop Feb.
Pompton Lakes store is Celtic treasure-trove
It takes eight yards of material to make a kilt, and there are more than 4,000 registered tartans.
Jewelry with a Celtic claddagh — symbol of two hands holding a crowned heart — can be given as a gift to anyone.
The famed Irish china made in the village of Belleek celebrated its 150th anniversary with an archive collection.
Arran Aromatics, a company on the Isle of Arran off southwest Scotland, creates organic soaps, perfumes and lotions packaged with a decorative thistle, the Scottish national flower.
“We have a holiday home there,” said Laura Rooney, who with her husband, Gerry
Great-grandma’s craft shop
Canandaigua, N.Y. – It’s an unusual shop in downtown Canandaigua, filled with primitive folk art from a bygone era. This craft and gift consignment shop is brimming with wares adorned with stars, moons, crows and hearts — a rougher make-do type of artistry.
“Recycling is not new,” said Suzanne Moulton, owner of Liberty Cottage, as she began to explain the utilitarian origins of primitive folk art. In years past, people recycled everything.
Worthless Gift Cards
Buyer beware!
If you’ve been saving an old gift card for a rainy day, you may have a rude awakening at the register.
Experts say millions of dollars in gift cards may soon be declined.
The National Retail Federation says shoppers spent close to $30 billion on gift cards this past holiday season.
Many who passed them along, may as well have written a bad check.
The amount of worthless prepaid plastic is estimated to be around $75 million.
Leveragecard.com allows you to buy gift cards and manage the balances through their site.
Retailers Welcome Antitrust Legislation Addressing $40 Billion in Hidden Credit Card Fees
Washington – The National Retail Federation today welcomed the introduction of landmark antitrust legislation that would address hidden MasterCard and Visa fees that cost merchants and their customers more than $40 billion a year.
“This legislation would use the nation’s antitrust laws to rein in the greed of the credit card companies,” NRF Senior Vice President Mallory Duncan said. “With the rapidly increasing use of plastic, credit card companies and their banks are seeing a windfall that is costing U.S. consumers tens of billions of dollars each year.
Frackleberrys sells nothing you need, everything you want
What do two downtown gift shops have in common with one in Valley Junction?
Answer: They are sister shops owned by David Starlin.
Starlin opened Frackleberrys, a gift shop and home accessory boutique, in Valley Junction in May 2007. He also opened a gift shop, Etc., at 555 Walnut St., on the skywalk in Des Moines, in early 2006, and just over four years ago, he bought Roc’s, a long-time card and gift shop on the Kaleidoscope skywalk.
We talked to Starlin about the West Des Moines shop.
Q. How would you describe Frackleberrys?
A.
Push on at Century III to attract new retailers
It’s going to take big ideas to fill a very big mall.
Toward that end, said Century III manager Gina Mercorelli, management is going all-out to attract new retailers, both local and national, in addition to courting possible tenants in the medical, insurance or educational fields.
An open house was held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, with about 300 invitations sent out to real estate brokers and leasing agents.
“This is one way of spreading the word that we’re looking for tenants,” Ms. Mercorelli said.
How To Open a Small Town Store
After 25 years as a paralegal, I’m launching a new career as an entrepreneur. I own an old building where I plan to open a gift, art, and antiques store later this year, debt-free. The store is in a small town, so I don’t expect heavy traffic, but I’m hoping my low overhead will help compensate for a smaller customer base. Am I right?
St. Patrick’s Day good to eateries, bars, too
El Paso restaurants, bars and retailers are optimistic that St. Patrick’s Day revelers will add some green to their cash registers.
The National Retail Federation estimated Monday that U.S. consumers will spend $3.64 billion on St. Patrick’s Day, which is March 17, down slightly from the $3.76 billion spent last year.
Bennigan’s Grill & Tavern on the East Side is expecting to attract 8,000 to 10,000 people for its all-day St. Patrick’s Day bash that spills out into the eatery’s parking lot each year, General Manager Danny Carrillo said.
St.