Dear Envelopments,
I appreciate how deeply you care about this. I do as well, probably more than you realize.
In keeping with my vow not to get caught in the middle, I’ve sited my sources with Mark, then abstained from direct contact with both Envelopments -and- angry retailers contacting me outside the blog. This is the only way possible to avoid “he said, she said” scenarios or the impression there are back channel agreements.
This protects you as much as it does me.
In the end, everything boils down to one question: Are home studios allowed to participate in Envelopment ads? [click here to continue…]
by Cinda Baxter on February 10, 2009
in Real life
Note to self: Remember to have neighbors run hot water through house pipes while out of town
A sewer line frozen from the house to the street creates a scenario that is not only extraordinarily depressing, but wildly expensive. Goodbye carpet, trim, walls, boxed financial records…..
One day and four sizable checks to plumbers and hazmat guys later, I’m working from the kitchen table. You can’t hear the office phone ring over the industrial fans roaring like jet engines, let alone string together a functional thought.
At least it’s better than yesterday, when I watched two rooms floating in sludge.*
*I refuse to call it by its real name
As you know, there was a lot of discussion on Friday about participation in the National Stationery Show, including one on LinkedIn. Some pretty solid wisdom was shared, including the following:
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In a New York Times article published Friday, Charles Kittredge (CEO and Chairman, Crane & Co.) talked about the company’s role in today’s marketplace, including recent deals involving Disney and an anti-counterfieting technology company in Atlanta. What jumps off the page for retailers, however, is this: [click here to continue…]
A stationery store owner forwarded this link to me, fuming over the fact Envelopments is including a home studio in an upcoming Martha Stewart Weddings ad, side-by-side with brick and mortar accounts. She pointedly asked why I’ve never blogged about the practice. Truth be told, I had no idea this was going on, and am equally ticked floored stunned.
Editor’s note: Although the linked page has been taken down, its contents appear in the full post below.
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You’ve heard me preach talk about the importance of exhibiting at the National Stationery Show. As the only paper-driven market in the country, there’s no Plan B that approaches the same level of visibility with the stationery buyer demographic.
Unfortunately, a crumby economy has a tendency to fuel the rumor mill, and today’s hot topic seems to be some crazy story that vendors are fleeing NSS in droves. Let me be the first to assure you, not true. Having discussed this with sources high in the GLM food chain, I can confirm the Javitz remains packed with hundreds of vendors-—new and old.
Oddly, the one voice missing in all this is that of the buyers. Until now, that is.
Today’s question:
What do you think about vendors skipping NSS?
[click here to continue…]
An article I read on a U.K. newspaper site yesterday reinforced something that’s been bugging the heck out of me the past several months. Recognizing the importance of protecting local cash flow, city leaders in Grantham decided to take up the banner of independent retailers-—the very people responsible for maintaining those coffers.
Helping launch “Get it in Grantham”-—the first of three buy local programs, to be followed in nearby Bourne and Stamford-—Paul Carpenter (Deputy Leader, South Kesteven District Council) explains, “The whole point is to ensure we keep a buoyant local economy.”
Which is exactly my point. [click here to continue…]
Congratulations to LUG for ”bagging” one of the brightest minds in the gift industry. Translated, Kelly Portmann (Thymes, V.P. of Sales and Customer Service), is headed to Dallas early this spring to help grow the young company and guide them in day-to-day operations and sales.
As a Texas native, the move will bring her closer to family-—an added benefit. Still, part of her heart remains further north. [click here to continue…]
