Ancient Greek philosopher Plato wrote in the Dialogue Republic, “A need or problem encourages creative efforts to meet the need or solve the problem.” This statement led to the phrase “Necessity is the mother of Invention." These words could very well describe Shop Local and how we came to exist. Over time, some have suggested the phrase could be tweaked to read “necessity is the mother of reinvention." This phrase also parallels Shop Local's ethos of supporting...
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Why only 30% of wedding gift givers will come into a store in 2030--and how we can help prepare for that
July 23, 2024
Tableware Today’s Editor Amy Stavis invited me to pen the Last Word column for the August / September issue. I start by comparing e-commerce trends for selling automobiles to selling dinner plates. Online sales in both industries have swelled in the last 25 years. (I entered the e-commerce business at the right time—in 2001.)
I predict that 70% of wedding registry gift givers will never set foot in a physical store by 2030. Currently, that number is at about 50%. If we do in fact ...
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We have two great promotions at Feathers and the first one just started Thursday! “Celebrate Bastille Day, indulge in French Luxury” with Yves Delorme. From June 27th to July 14th, Yves Delorme is 25% off (except Couture which is 20% off). Products Included at 25% off: Accessories, Bed & Bath, Blankets, Coverlets, Comforters, Pillows, Robes, Table Linens, and Throws.
Also on July 13th and 14th (Bastille Day weekend) only, Feathers will offer a gift with ...
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How social media influencers with the help of Amazon are bypassing brick-and-mortar retail shops
May 23, 2024
Kiara Springs, a 25-year old, is part of a new retail trend, shares The New York Times. She sells about $10k/month online but doesn’t own a brick-and-mortar retail store, pay a landlord rent, go to the wholesale markets, or have a POS system. Her “sidewalk” to get traffic is TikTok, and her “POS” is Amazon. Her “stockroom” is the brand’s warehouse. She has an Amazon affiliate account and goods are drop shipped.
How a drawing on a bar napkin led to a software platform that processes trillions of calculations
April 15, 2024
In 2007, while sitting at the pub Moran’s with a beer, I drew a sketch on a napkin that would change our business. I drew a software model that would allow an indie store to instantly show (and sell) thousands of products online—without any labor. (The secret sauce: The respective brand would do the product update work for the merchants.) The immediate goal was to help my two retailers more efficiently load products onto their websites (and save me the boredom of doing it).
Please celebrate with us as we anniversary our 5th year of business. Enjoy flowing bubbly, delicious foods, live jazz, and celebrate with us! Also, enjoy 25% off your evening purchases
A McKinsey study found that the average life span of companies listed on the S&P 500 was 61 years in 1958; today, it’s less than 18 years. McKinsey believes that by 2027, 75% of S&P 500 companies will have disappeared. New businesses have an 81% chance of surviving their first year; in two years, a little less than 70% of businesses are still standing. Only 25% make it to 15 years or more. There’s a clear long-term trend of declining corporate longevity, with this figure ...
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Your visitors will be wanting for more after they see this woven party nibbling tray. Perfect to stuff with your preferred delicacies or party dishes to savor all during the celebration. Presenting your confections, fruits and treats on this woven platter with a glass bottom accentuates the exquisite weave. Create a captivating treat table or just give your party table decorations a unique touch. Cheers to a Merry Christmas! Measures: 20.75" x 8.25" x 0.75" H; Additional sizes are...
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Kate Spade New York tableware and accessories has for two decades held a singular spot on retail shelves and on customers’ tables thanks to a timeless charm and chic stylings. Even after 20 years, the fun, fresh, playfully sophisticated, and refreshingly original collections from Lenox occupy a unique niche in the tableware pantheon.
Kate Spade’s contribution to fashion cannot be understated. She became synonymous with fashionistas everywhere when she started her fashion ...
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Great news: You can save 20% off your annual service.
This is like receiving almost 2 and a half months of service for free.
This 20% discount is double our normal 10% and has never been offered before.
This offer is only good till December 13, 2023.
I imagine you wish to take more vacations in 2024 (Paris or Patagonia?), see family and friends more often, or eat at that (expensive) new restaurant. When you pay for Shop Local's service for the year, you'll have more money to do ...
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Be cozy this Winter with an Yves Delorme promotion/sale at Feathers, from now through November 5th. All Pillows and selected Comforters and Blankets are 20% off one item or 25% off two or more items. Stop in at 5408 Walnut St. in Shadyside to see the selection or place an order.
How to set interior designer pricing for your brands.
September 28, 2023
FOR BRANDS AND DISTRIBUTORS
Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: Interior designers can now view interior designer pricing for your brands and make purchases. If an interior designer is approved by your business, they can log in to your account and buy items at the wholesale designer price set by your business.
In the example shown, we see an interior designer logged in to BIA Cordon Bleu's account. The interior designer can place wholesale orders at the designer pricing set by ...
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Babcock Gifts celebrates its 50th birthday in 2024. The bridal registry and gift shop opened in 1972 as a partnership that included interior design. In 1974, with the exit of one partner, the store focused on antiques, gifts, and bridal registry. Over the next 42 years, there would be growth into two stores before downsizing to one. In 2016, ownership changed and the store moved one block down, where it continues to be a destination for bridal registry and gift-giving. With the constant doom and...
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Shop Local analyzed the websites for the top-20 selling brands in the tabletop and giftware industries. We assessed what discounts brands offer when one signs up for a newsletter.
Brand Study Findings:
Of the 20 brands, 5 (25%) offer a discount when one signs up for a newsletter.
For brands that offer a discount, the average discount is 15% off.
Some brands offer other promotions for signing up for a newsletter, including free shipping and a raffle entry.
How competitive techniques can help lure clients and grow a network.
September 10, 2023
Andrew Chen shares in 'The Cold Start Problem' that many times, networks are competing in a zero-sum game. One network gets a customer to join their network and thereby not participate in another. For example, when a driver used Lyft instead of Uber, Uber, which Chen helped, lost. And it lost in two regards: Uber lost the revenue from the lost ride, and Lyft gained the revenue. Chen’s team was tasked with getting drivers to use all their time driving for Uber and thereby unraveling Lyft&...
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EMON MAASHO, CEO AND PRESIDENT OF ORREFORS, NORTH AMERICA, is representative of the exciting trajectory in this 125-year operation. The über-exec joined the New Wave Group in 2013, a time when Orrefors and Kosta Boda (OKB) were underperforming assets in the portfolio. "Our crystal brands are national treasures and a part of Swedish history," Maasho affirms. And he wanted a front row seat in their revitalization. Maasho was placed in charge of the new hotel and restaurant division ...
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Celebrate Bastille Day At Feathers! Now through July 23rd all Yves Delorme products (except for Couture), including bed and bath, are 25% off. Couture is 20% off and there is also a Gift With Purchase of $300.00 or more. The gift is the Altesse Tea Towel (retail value: $45) made of 100% Cotton Jacquard. Stop in at the store to see the selection!
Shop Local will give you $250.00 when you mention your Shop Local service in your price list or catalog or on your business card.
Why use this promotion?
Retailers will be buying your products at the summer shows. You can make it pain-free for them to get your product online in seconds using your Syncing service.
FACT: Syncing is the fastest and easiest way to get your products on your stores' websites.
Sell 18% more. Retailers report selling up to 18% more
HEREND HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR ITS BRILLIANT WHITE PORCELAIN SINCE 1826. ON THE EVE OF THE HUNGARIAN MANUFACTORY’S 200TH ANNIVERSARY (YES, WE’RE A TAD EARLY), WE SALUTE HEREND’S GOLD AND WHITE DINNERWARE DESIGNS, IDEAL EXEMPLARS OF CLASSIC ELEGANCE.
HEREND IS KNOWN AROUND THE GLOBE AS ONE OF PORCELAIN’S finest producers, a favorite of royalty, aristocracy, and folks like you and me who appreciate unparalleled quality and exquisite craftsmanship. Herend’s smooth white ...
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