Success only runs one direction....
For those of you familiar with Kate’s Paperie in New York, it’s no secret what was once the shining star of stationery came upon tough times this past two years. After handing the reigns over to the next generation, Leonard Flax watched his beloved boutiques fall into financial disrepair and near extinction.
Well folks, take heart. Someone’s come in to save the day. [click here to continue…]
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It might sound nuts, but Tod Young has figured out how to turn color into fragrance. Seriously. This works, folks.
With a background in interior design, he’s created the Palettes Collection, a series of six “aromatic tones” that tie to color groupings found in beautiful home environments. They’re not simple one-noters; these are complex, rich combinations that ring true to their namesakes.
I told you this would sound nuts. You’re going to have to trust me. This works. In fact, it works so well, there’s a patent pending on the concept.
Nuts and bolts:
Soy based candles, 80-hour burn time…room sprays that tie in, with elegance. Great packaging, great story. The company V.P. is from the advertising and marketing world, so Palettes will be a solid partner for stores into product promotion. Word of warning, though-—the buy-in is significant, so this isn’t for the faint of heart.
I want one of the Gray suites (candle and room spray) the way I “want” dark chocolate on a regular basis, so someone please pick up the line and call me. Soon.
RetailSpeaks members, keep your eyes out for an in-depth interview with Todd this autumn as part of our new Profiles series.
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Admittedly, there’s a sense of relief that comes with the last major gift show of the season. If there’s a line I haven’t seen yet, God only knows what it would be.
Those of you who keep up with these postings know that the (absurd, ridiculous, over-the-top, unsubstantiated) rumors about Atlanta got under my skin pretty good. Sure, the economy stinks, and sure, we’re all feeling it, but is blowing the thing into Chicken Little proportions really the best way to turn things around?
Sorry. You’ve already seen my original rant and follow up. Back to New York…
Lo and behold, retailers haven’t checked out as reported by the naysayers. They attended NYIGF in solid, order-writing numbers, oblivious to the nonsense floating around in uninformed circles. The world is not ending. Storefronts have not vaporized. Retailers are not cowards, curled into little fetal position balls under their desks.
And they aren’t numbskulls. They still planned shorter trips to save on expenses and get back to work-—just like in Atlanta. Vendors I spoke to (and there were a lot of them) felt positive about things, and were a whole lot more realistic about translating foot traffic into turnout.
Atlanta was great. New York was great. Dallas held their own, and Chicago was The Little Engine That Could, as evidenced by their strong seminar attendance. I’m calling this summer show season a winner folks.
Don’t even think about arguing this, or I’ll have to get the soapbox out again.
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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….
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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?
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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.
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Let’s face it-—you can’t be in all places at one time, which means you can’t attend all the sessions simultaneously (probably a good thing; jamming that much information into every mental nook and cranny would land even the most mundane person in a neuro unit by day’s end).
Thankfully, I had the good fortune of meeting some truly wonderful folks along the way, whose values and professional ethics align with my own, recognizing the only way we succeed to is bring those around us along for the ride.
To Diana Repko and Nina Kaufman, you ladies are gems, with bright, shining futures ahead. Can’t wait to see where we all are a year from now….
And to Peter Stark, thank you so very, very much. While the success you’ve achieved is truly impressive, it pales in comparison to your generosity in sharing information and insights that come with years of experience.
I look forward to great things ahead. For all of us.
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This whole NSA thing is really working for me.
The best parts of the conference come in bits and bites, via extraordinary keynotes and information-rich breakout sessions held throughout each day. With more than 75 topics to choose from, it’s not hard to find something of interest; truth be told, it’s a lot harder to narrow the list to one at a time.
This afternoon, my choice was a Marjorie Brody session focused on building one’s speaking business. I came away feeling great about where I am on the continuum, with wheels spinning about the other four hundred things I could be doing to take things up a notch.
It’s not often you get to learn from one of the pros-—especially one who’s so enthusiastic about paying it forward. Three cheers, Marjorie. Much deserved.
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