Archives: News
The Blue Heron sweetens downtown Winneconne
Winneconne – Downtown Winneconne got a little bit sweeter when Lori Hecker opened The Blue Heron gift and coffee shop and ice cream parlor at 144 W. Main St.
Her corner shop is filled with gifts, home decor pieces, candles, accessories and good things to eat and drink.
Where are all the people?…Traffic down, sales down, what’s up?
The Commons is known as Ithaca’s hub of constant activity. Couples stroll with warm coffees in their hand. Old friends sit down for a game of chess. Cars glide and stop around downtown’s border. And shop owners open their doors to residents, tourists, students and their visiting parents.
But what happens when their doors open, the register is on, and no one comes in?
“Most of the month of March you could have driven a car [on The Commons],” Habitat of Ithaca owner Jennifer Pawlewicz says of The Commons’ empty walkways.
NYIGF Accepting Applications Through June 1 For “A+: The Young Designers’ Platform”
White Plains, NY – Young designers – including students, recent graduates, or new companies in business for one year or less – are invited to participate in “A+: The Young Designer’s Platform”, an “incubator” exhibit area within Accent on Design at the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF).
Boston Gift Show Announces 2008 Pride of New England Award Winners
BOSTON, MA – The Boston Gift Show has announced four winners for the 3rd annual Pride of New England Awards, a coveted honor that recognizes New England retailers for outstanding customer service, creative merchandising, community involvement and demonstration of New England pride. The four winners were announced during a reception on Saturday, April 5, at the Boston Gift Show, which runs April 5-8, 2008, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
The 2008 winners are:
- Chatham T Company, Inc.
Economic worries, early Easter to hurt March sales
New York (MarketWatch) — A spate of economic worries, coupled with an early Easter, cold weather and lack of new fashions are expected to deliver a disappointing March for retailers, analysts said.
Retailers’ March sales at stores open at least a year are expected to be flat to down slightly, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.
Bean Sprout Babies
Carrie Bishop, owner of Bean Sprout Babies, is answering the questions for today’s Small Business Snapshot.
What is the primary purpose of your business?
Gen Y Demands It: Green Fashion That’s Chic
Green is getting gorgeous. Whether it’s from high-end designers like Linda Loudermilk and Stella McCartney, large marketers like Nike and Levi Straus, or smart retailers like H&M and the trend-setting new Nau, the selection of environmentally friendly clothing gets bigger every day. Heck, even Wal-Mart just launched a line of T-shirts made from old soda-pop bottles.
Former mall store manager adds human touch to career
Tanya Mckiver, who cut her teeth in the gift business with nine years at Trevors in Killeen Mall, has set out to build a business of her own with a resolute dedication to the personal touch.
She started A Fynd in The Shops at Modoc in Harker Heights at the end of February after the Trevors store closed with a dream of improving on the bulk-order, assembly-line way of doing business essential to chain stores, although she managed the mall store for several years.
Jumping Jack Press Introduces Pop-Up Baby Book
Mason, OH – Jumping Jack Press, the pop-up book imprint from Up With Paper, announced that it will release its first memory book, My Baby Book, in July.
Owner Closes Berlin Gift Shop, Blames Economy
Christine Sparmer left a job heading an insurance company’s marketing department to open a retail gift store called Wrap It Up!
The Muslim Market: How can you reach out to this fast-growing group of consumers?
With buying power that’s roughly equal to the state of Indiana, the growing U.S. Muslim population–estimated at between 6 million and 8 million people–is an attractive segment for marketers.
Reaching them requires an understanding of their culture, beliefs and preferences, says Ann Mack, director of trendspotting for advertising agency JWT, which released “Marketing to Muslims,” a study of Muslim-American consumer habits, last year.
“Muslims are more interested than most Americans in seeing advertising that acknowledges them,” says Mack.
Unique artisan store opens downtown
Kathy Huiskamp opened her downtown Belleville business on April Fool’s Day – and it’s no joke.
Rather, it’s a unique collective of five artisans working together in conjunction with Huiskamp as owner of a retail gift store to provide consumers with an array of products.
Fusion Creative Collections opened April 1 at 282 Front St.
Claypool’s Gift & Home Co. offers enormous selection in emporium-like store
On Thursday, April 17, Claypool’s Gift & Home Co. in the Martell complex will hold its official grand opening. For customers streaming into the venue since its soft opening in late March, the experience can only be described as flabbergasting.
Fred Claypool, one of the owners, says most people who enter the store, say, “Wow. This is huge.” Claypool is the idea man behind the store, but he credits his daughters Melissa Giuffra and Kim McHenry with execution of the concept.
“After 55 years in the food business, it was time for me to change occupations,” he said.
Fresh Ideas Abundant at Pacific Market Center Spring Home Decor and Gift Show
Seattle – Pacific Market Center, the leading destination market on the west coast, will host the Spring Home Decor & Gift Show April 26-29, 2008, 9 am to 5 pm. New showrooms will be opening including Taku Graphics, Tuura & Friedlander (suite 532) who represents lines such as Artefact USA, Arts of Earth and Lavender Hill Arts.
Iota Announces New Licensing Agreement and Product Line With Paperproducts Design
Basalt, Colo. – Popular stationery and surface designer, iota, announces a new licensing agreement with Paperproducts Design (PPD) and introduction of its new PPD product line. Named the iota Designer Series, signature iota patterns Be Square, Bullseye and Pebbles adorn paper napkins and plates, Sniff tissues, gift boxes, porcelain serving sets and more. The iota Designer Series by PPD is available now at retailers across the US such as Henri Bendel and Zabar’s NYC.
For Retailers, ‘Kakadu’ Translates to Profits
From Alaska to Maine, and nearly every state in between, more than 300 retailers in the U.S. have discovered the profitability of the Kakadu product line from Israel. Hundreds more throughout the world have experienced the unmatched quality and craftsmanship of Kakadu’s hand-painted on wood accessories and furnishings for home and office.
(A “kakadu” is actually a large Australian bird similar to the cockatoo. It also is a region in the Northern Territory of Australia).
Founded in 1990 by husband and wife Reut and Aharon Shahar, Kakadu Design in Wood, Ltd.
New Resource Site Online for Gift Basket Makers
Paterson, New Jersey – Gift, gourmet, and floral retailers searching for products and supplies to make gift baskets will find hundreds of sources at GiftBasketWholesaleSupplies.com. This new site features food, gift, basket, and wrapping resources throughout the U.S. arranged in state order as well as a link for Canadian wholesale supplies.
“One frequent question at my gift basket seminars is where to find supplies,” says Shirley George Frazier, the site’s creator and long-time gift basket business expert.
Luggage store packs its bags downtown
Scratch another legacy retailer from battered Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland.
This time it is Traveler’s Shoppes and Cleveland Trunk, a luggage and gift store in the city’s Theater District since 1936 that traces its history here to 1894.
Only the retailer’s main location at 1309 Euclid in the Cowell & Hubbard building is closing, said Douglas Frankel, president of the family-owned concern he runs with his brother, Tom Frankel. The company’s four other locations remain open.
Local Store Offers Unique Custom Items
The business is inspired. Inspired by creativity, originality and a desire to give people in Dade County a local place to purchase these unique items.
Polkadots is located on Highway 11, near the square in Trenton. The store is a joint venture for Careyee Bell and Beth Chilton.
Bell said she had been thinking about having a store that carried gift items for a while when she came across a place called “Laughing Moon” in Madison that she said inspired her. According to Bell, Laughing Moon was the type of store she wanted to have.
Area businesses try to cope with the dreaded ‘R’ word
Longtime restaurauteur Jack McFadden now offers half-portion entrees at his upscale Gables Restaurant in Pennsbury. He uses a scale to measure all meat and fish delivered to his door to make sure he is not being charged for more than he actually receives.
Recently, he started a new bar menu that offers lower-priced hamburgers, sandwiches and salads. And he’s allowing patrons to tote their own wine and beer with no additional corkage fee.
McFadden’s is feeling the pinch of the sagging economy coupled with higher operating costs. And he has plenty of company in Chester County.
Mr.