August 2008

Pin It

The Big Night

by Cinda Baxter on August 18, 2008

in GHTA, Markets, New York, REA Awards

Yup. A good time was had by all (including me and my friend, Ted Teale, from OneCoast), but most especially the Retailer Excellence Award (REA) winners. Two, in particular, top my list:

Marketing Achievement
Healdsburg, California retailers Linda Chartier and Shelley Anderson (Midnight Sun Bed & Bath Shoppe, Midnight Sun Children’s Shoppe), Nanci Bosio (Papitre), Cynthia Zizi (Zizi), and Sue Sacks (Options Gallery, Inc.) pulled together to create a buy local campaign…then convinced the city of Healdsburg to pony up $30,000 in support of it. You ladies rock.

Industry Achievement Award
The Gift and Home Trade Association
Yes, this is one of the Board of Directors I sit on, so yes, I was pretty tickled about the nod…and even more tickled to hear Kelly Dierke and Andy Bjork (current Chairman and past President, respectively) extoll the virtues of the Retail Advisory Board and our positive impact on the GHTA. Such a glowing review was both a surprise and a delight to hear.

Other award winners were:

Gift Store Design/Redesign
Hearst Castle Gift Shop in San Simeon, California

Visual Merchandising/Display
The Umstead Hotel Gift Shop in Cary, North Carolina

Retail Internet Innovation
Moxie in DeKalb, Illinois (a storefront retailer with a website that succeeds)

Lifetime Achievement Award
Carole Dixon, retiring director of 41 Madison, the New York Merchandise Mart (aka: Tabletop Nirvana)

Outstanding Manufacturer’s Rep
Cindi Smith, OneCoast

Rising Star
Whimsy Press in Atlanta, Georgia

Photo credit: Ted’s camera, but I don’t recall who actually took the shot…? Hey, told you we had fun….

{ 1 comment }

Pin It

REAs tonight

by Cinda Baxter on August 17, 2008

in GHTA REA Awards, New York, Retail

This is it…the big night. The Retailer Excellence Awards are at the Marriott Marquis this evening, during which the GHTA (Gift and Home Trade Association) will accept the coveted Industry Achievement award. As a member of the Board of Directors, my enthusiasm might be just a titsch high on the Bubbling Over scale.

This is the fifth time I’ve attended-—twice as an award recipient, once as an award presenter. Best part is the crowd, comprised of the smartest, most plugged-in folks in the gift industry. It never fails that by night’s end, my mind is wheeling with creative ideas, my pocket is full of new contacts, and my juices are flowing toward ways to further promote my consulting clients. Now tell me, what’s better than that?

{ 0 comments }

Pin It

Back to the Big Apple

by Cinda Baxter on August 15, 2008

in Markets, New York, Retail

Seems my WorldPerks account is getting a lot of NYC activity lately. Just ten days after being there for the NSA conference, I’m headed back again for the NY International Gift Fair and REA celebration.

Already, there’s lots of shuffling about, with vendors wondering what traffic will be like, and retailers asking themselves if they can squeeze everything into a scant 72 hours. Rest assured to all who attend, although this show will likely be a quiet one, it’s not the end of the world…just means we’re doing things differently this time around.

Vendors, please be patient with the retailers who attend. They’re either at the end of the buying process, or are close to it. If they take notes instead of write orders in the booth, see it as a plus. That’s business rescheduled, not business lost.

Buyers, think carefully before you write. There’s never been a 4Q more unpredictable than this one. Take a peek at my earlier post (“Counting Coins”) about how to navigate the waters with smarts.

Those who think things through carefully-—then plan accordingly-—will come out on top. Those hung up on a glass half empty have already drilled a hole in the bottom for themselves.

{ 0 comments }

Pin It

Great resource, great offer

by Cinda Baxter on August 14, 2008

in Retail, Sources

PrintMyStuff (aka: Century Marketing) just blasted a free freight special into my email box. Wanted to pass it along, since they’re a good vendor to have at your fingertips.

For years, we sourced a number of products from them, including clear labels printed in gold foil, rolls of stickers for our price guns, etc. They’re easy to work with, are competitive, and know the retail world inside out.

Given what freight’s costing these days, it’s a good time to stock up.

{ 0 comments }

Pin It

Is it just me…

by Cinda Baxter on August 13, 2008

in Culture

…or does Shawn Johnson of the U.S. Women’s Gymnastic Team look remarkably like Chatty Cathy?*

You go, Shawn. Knock this one out of the park.

*If you remember Chatty Cathy, you’re in. And I don’t mean from antique stores.

{ 3 comments }

Pin It

Word clouds

by Cinda Baxter on August 11, 2008

in Creative, Marketing, Web

For those of us graphically inclined, word clouds are cool and high impact.

For those of us more analytically wired, word clouds are data cells that reflect fact.

For those of us whose brains buzz on both sides, word clouds are a quick, one glance way to learn a heck of a lot about a document, web page, or other text-rich entity. The one above tells the Always Upward story, in under five seconds. Pretty effective, huh?

To create your own (free!) word cloud, visit the Wordle site. Have to admit, it’s kind of fun….

{ 0 comments }

Pin It

I’m just sayin’….

by Cinda Baxter on August 10, 2008

in Buying, Economy, Retail

RetailSpeaks newsletter recipients have heard me hint at how 4Q will be built on tradition, home, and hearth. Well folks, don’t doubt it. This morning, Good Morning America did a piece about the surge in Christian themed product purchases. True, some of the stuff is kitsch-—as dearly as I hold my own faith, odds of a Jesus Christ bobble head doll landing on my shopping list are slimmer than none. Same goes for the Bible themed power bars (seriously…I couldn’t make this stuff up.) But make no mistake-—faith based gifts are on the uptick. Big time.

Don’t mistake this for an anomaly. As world, political, and economic jitters continue to encroach on their lives, consumers continue to pull back to a safer, saner, quieter time…and that’s childhood. To adapt, retailers need to embrace what I call “Mashed Potato Marketing,” built on documented human behavioral patterns rife with comfort food, tradition, and “all things home.”

For the full write up and buying advice, visit the RetailSpeaks newsletter archive (specifically the June/July issue).

Retailers who figure this out and buy accordingly will hold their own-—or better yet, do really well this holiday season. Those who buy like it’s 1999, though…good luck. This isn’t the year to bet on edgy trends or hipster brown and blue. It’s gonna be all about Christmas, Christ, and that guy in the funny red sleigh.

Now…pass the homemade ostkaka and a spoon, please?

{ 0 comments }

Pin It

123 Luckie Street

by Cinda Baxter on August 8, 2008

in Uncategorized

Just learned through the grapevine about a great loft only a couple of blocks from the AmericasMart Building 3 in Atlanta. Here’s the lowdown: 1,000 square feet, one bedroom, 1 underground parking space, on the top floor of the building, facing north (toward the Westin and mart buildings). According to the owner, “The home owners’ association is very on top of their financials, so there won’t be any unpleasant surprise assessments later on.” Currently, there’s a wonderful tenant living in the loft, but with his wedding slated for this month, that’s about to conclude.

With an address like “123 Luckie Street,” how can you miss?

To see photos and contact info for the owner, click here.

Here we go…fine print:
This blog is posted as a courtesy; neither Cinda Baxter or Always Upward has a stake in the sale, has accepted payment in connection with this property, or holds any responsibility for the sale, promotion, or ownership of the property. Likewise, neither entity represents or warranties this property or statements made about it.

{ 0 comments }

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →