Archives: News
Trying to lure customers back, sooner
Shoppers such as Sher Trombley have been giving Target fits for months.
She’s making lists and trying mightily to stick to them. Spring clothes?
Britons ‘to spend £1.6 billion’ in lead up to Mother’s Day
More than £1.6 billion will be spent on cards and presents in the build-up to Mother’s Day, retailers claimed on Monday.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) says £85 million will be spent on greeting cards alone, while sons and daughters will shell out £230 million on flowers and £65 million on chocolates.
According to analyst Nielsen, the statistics put the amount spent on Valentine’s Day in the shade.
“These figures seem to show more of us want to spend on our mothers than our lovers,” said Nielsen’s senior manager of retail services Mike Watkins.
Gift shop owner learned her lessons well
She’s just been through her first Valentine’s Day and Christmas holiday season as a gift shop owner, and Jessica Flynn, founder of Mary’s Grace Gift Boutique in Marshfield, is pleased.
“It’s going very well,” Flynn said, citing several days over the holidays with more than $2,000 in sales, a huge milestone for her fledgling business.
Maybe owning her own gift store was always in the cards.
Florist finds news roots for her shop
Location is the key to the success of most businesses. That’s why Sue Bailey moved her florist/gift shop to new quarters after two years.
“We were down on Route 52 and we just weren’t doing good,” Bailey said of her House of Flowers. “People couldn’t find us there. So when this spot became available we took it.”
According to Bailey, relocating near the heavily traveled intersection of Ivanhoe Road and Fort Chiswell Road will give her business higher visibility. Her new address is 131 Ivanhoe Road near the former Pic-Pac of Fort Chiswell.
Rand’s: A great place to shop, work
Rand’s Hallmark, celebrating 25 years in business, has been a part of remembering life’s special moments with Hallmark cards and gift items since the store opened its doors. Area shoppers have long known Rand’s Hallmark stores as the place to find those unique gift items or home decorator accents, as well as greeting cards and other quality Hallmark products. Rand’s stores have been conveniently located in many neighborhoods, making shopping convenient for customers.
But as much as shoppers love Rand’s, it is also Rand’s employees who love working there.
Miss Lucy’s offers gifts for every holiday
Talking Shop with Josh Brown, manager of Miss Lucy’s House of Holidays. Brown is co-owner of the store with Michael Robson and Sharon George. The three worked together for about 10 years at the Mole Hole in Fort Myers. They saw the need for a high-end gift store carrying Waterford and Faberge. They decided to go out on their own and just about a year ago opened Miss Lucy’s. The store offers decorations for every holiday plus year-round artwork and accessories for the home.
Hall of Fame unveils renovated shop
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum officially unveils its renovated souvenir shop today, offering an additional 500 square feet of redesigned retail space, in-store performances and aspirations of becoming Nashville’s newest “destination” record store.
Perhaps more important than the fanfare surrounding the reopening itself is a revamped business model that seeks to draw visitors — and locals — as a way to help sustain the nonprofit institution.
“The real issue for museums, in this day and age, is how do they sustain themselves,” said Hall of Fame and Museum Director
Gifts & Decorative Accessories is for Sale
New York, NY – Reed Business, the parent company of gift industry trade magazines such as – Gifts & Decorative Accessories, Home Accents Today and Furniture Today – is up for sale. Reed Business is a business and trade magazine division of U.K.-based Reed Elsevier. Elsevier cited a desire to follow a subscription-based model of revenue (as opposed to an advertising-based one) as the reason for the business decision. Tad Smith, the CEO of the U.S. arm of Reed Business, indicated that the sales process will commence immediately although it is unclear how long it will take.
Candle Warmers Acquired, Assembles New Management Team
LAYTON, Utah – Candle Warmers Etc. today announced the addition of four new management team members who also recently acquired the company. Beesley brothers Brian, Brad and Spencer, together with Chris Barnes join founder and CEO Bart Kennington to take Candle Warmers’ innovative line of market-leading candle warming appliances and related giftware into national distribution, improve operation and manufacturing efficiencies, and to expand the company’s product development efforts.
March Crossover Market Creates Complete Marketplace
Dallas, TX – Dallas Market Center, the world’s largest wholesale merchandise resource, announced that the upcoming Total Home & Gift Market (March 27 – 30) will offer buyers the once a year chance to experience a complete marketplace with home, gift, apparel and accessories showrooms all available during the largest crossover market in the United States. Buyers will enjoy the widest range of products across all lines and a variety of special events and seminars.
“March crossover market truly is the can’t miss market of the year,” said Cindy Morris, COO, Dallas Market Center.
Adora Receives Three Awards of Excellence Nominations
Adora, Inc. announces that it has received three nominations from DOLLS Magazine’s “Awards of Excellence” program. Dolls were chosen based on overall aesthetic appeal; excellence in concept, design and execution; and quality of material and workmanship.
World Market Center Previews Next Seasons Home Furnishings Looks
Las Vegas – The recent Winter 2008 Las Vegas Market showcased the very latest home furnishings styles and future trends. And World Market Center Las Vegas today launched the Winter 2008 edition of Style File on lasvegasmarket.com.
Mark Goff Licenses Pop-Up, Light-Up Cards To Marian Health Greeting Cards
STUDIO CITY, CA. – Paper-engineering wizard, Mark Goff, who co-owns GOFFENGEL WORKSHOP with his partner Philip Engel, has signed a licensing agreement with greeting card industry icon, Marian Heath Greetings.
Two Gift Retailers File for Bankruptcy
New York — A weak holiday season and a struggling economy led retailers Sharper Image Corp. and Lillian Vernon Corp. to file for bankruptcy this week, and analysts predict others could soon follow them as consumer spending worsens.
“You’ll see a record number of bankruptcies over the next 50, 100, and 1,000 days,” said Burt P. Flickinger III, managing director of the New York-based retail consulting firm Strategic Resource Group. “Consumers are cash and credit constrained.
Raytown gift store looks to stop complaining
Funky Munky Gifts-Namaste Unlimited is challenging area residents to change their behavior in its Raytown Complaint Free Challenge program.
The goal of the challenge is to get rid of negativity and approach life’s problems in a positive manner.
“It’s about seeing the good in everybody,” Funky Munky Gifts owner Joye Hughes said. “If we start looking at the positives in our lives, (then) our community and our businesses will succeed.
Gift Cards that Keep on Giving
Sales of gift card are soaring. In 2007, U.S. shoppers spent $97 billion on gift cards, an increase of nearly 17 percent from the previous year.
For retailers, gift cards have distinct advantages. They’re far more popular than the old paper gift certificates. When redeeming them, shoppers spend an average of 1.4 times the amount on the card. Plus, about 10 percent of the total value of gift cards goes unused every year, netting retailers billions of dollars.
Farm Baby Naturals For Baby
Sweet Grass Farm, creators of all natural, fragrant bath & body products and the ever-popular Farmhouse Home Care Collection is proud to introduce the newest addition to their family It’s a FarmBaby – lavender naturals for baby.
There are three things that all babies need: love, nourishment, and 24/7 round-the-clock care. It was the round-the-clock care that inspired, Debbie Ludington, mother of two and creator of Sweet Grass Farm to formulate a line of nourishing, healthy, natural products that would put any little darling at ease.
Boston Gift Show Announces 2008 Pride Of New England Award Finalists
White Plains, NY – A customer-centric atmosphere, reformatted floor plan, eco-friendly initiatives and lively fun events including the ‘Flaunt’ stage show and LA Trend Panel, raised the bar at the winter edition of the California Gift Show. Successful business and a positive market were reported by many of the event’s 1,200 exhibitors, with some companies reporting their best Show ever, January 18-21, 2008, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Exhibitor Carolyn Carrara of Twigs, San Clemente, CA, commented, “We had a great Show and more customers than we knew what to do with.
Planet Dog Extends Popular Lifestyle Brand To Elders In The Pack
Portland, ME – Planet Dog, maker of the world famous Orbee-Tuff toys, knows a dog is only as old and the way of his tail. That’s why they are proud to announce their new line of chew and squeaky toys designed specifically for elder dogs in the pack.
The line, appropriately called Old Soul, innovatively addresses issues that every dog eventually experiences as they grow older and wiser: reduced vision and “snout strength” and weakened muscles and joints. It features Orbee Balls and Bones and Slobber-Wick‰ Squeak Buddies and Bones – all in three sizes.
Gently Spoken introduces Sweet Peas of Inspiration
Anoka, Minn. – Mama always said, “Eat your peas!” And, most people know that “mama is always right!” Gently Spoken takes these wise words to heart, offering nutrients for the soul in fun, heartfelt doses. From the creators of the wildly successful Eat Your Peas gift book series comes a new way to get the recommended daily serving of encouragement and laughter. Sweet Peas of Inspiration is a colorful “can of peas” brimming with love and good cheer, containing 31 pea-shaped affirmation cards that will nourish your heart and soul.