It was October 2021, and I had just finished my first in-person trends seminar since the pandemic impacted all industry shows. At the end of the image-packed program, an audience member raised her hand and challenged, “Do trends even matter anymore?”
It was a valid question. The pandemic had disrupted business, upended supply chains, transformed education, revealed vulnerabilities, altered priorities, and unexpectedly claimed many lives. The question was tinged with cynicism. Pent...
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Susan Gravely – alongside her sister, Frances, and mother, Lee – founded VIETRI 40 years ago after a serendipitous vacation where they discovered the charms of Italian ceramics. Gravely’s new book, Italy on a Plate, equal parts travelogue/cookbook/memoir, is a culinary delight celebrating four decades of bringing the best of Italy’s tableware to an adoring fan base.
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You and I go back almost to the start of VIETRI in 1983. [Editor&rsquo...
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How big data, filters, and search engines can help us create a better experience for our members.
May 26, 2023
Apple announced last month that it's launching a new classical music app. What’s novel about the Apple Music Classical app is how it lets music fans more easily search thousands of variations of the same song. For example, let’s say you want to find a Johann Sebastian Bach song. Over the past 300 years, many musicians have done ‘covers’ of his works, and there are variations by conductor, music, year, etc., thereby producing thousands of variations. Existing software ...
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The New York Times shares a salacious story about Sherry-Lehman, a world-famous wine shop. The story recounts how the retailer was hit by tariffs, online competitors, and COVID shutdowns. It had borrowed excessively, which many retailers do. At first, it reads like a Bed Bath & Beyond obituary. But then the owners veered into the criminal realm. They sold rare wine to new customers that belonged to existing customers, in other cases didn’t deliver what was sold, and ...
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How registrants can invite friends to open a registry at your store via text.
May 24, 2023
Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: Registrants can now invite friends to open a registry at your store. The new "Help a Friend" feature on registry lists allows registrants to send a text message to their friends with an invitation to open a registry.
In the example shown, we see a registry list at Luxury Gift Shop. In the "Help a Friend" box, the registrant can click the "See Details & Invite Friend" link to refer their friend to your registry service....
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Feathers is having a pre-Memorial Day Sale on Sferra items, except mattresses and any custom products. All Sferra bedding and linens, including table and bedroom are 20% off from May 23rd to the 29th.
Stop in to see the selection!
Stop by our Meet and Greet with a new local supplier for Feathers on Saturday, May 20th from 11am - 4pm. Nollapelli offers newly designed bedding products (including items for cooling), engineered with your sleep and beauty in mind. Stop in to meet ...
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...and it's time to refresh your outdoor entertaining pieces!
Outdoor dining- especially popular in the summer months when temperatures and weather are most favorable. It is a style of dining that is casual and often party-like in its atmosphere. Refresh your outdoor space with these summer staples!
The pineapple--the symbol of hospitality--makes a welcome appearance! With its sculptural form and richly detailed surface, the silver GARDEN Pineapple Small Chip & Dip is both an
What Crocs can teach us about gaining new customers and keeping them happy.
May 15, 2023
About 15 years ago, I bought a pair of Crocs sandals in Myrtle Beach, SC. Not only were they hot pink, but the insole was traffic cone orange. My buddies hated them, but oddly others loved them. The sandals were affordable (maybe $20), comfortable, and a conversation starter.
According to last week’s The New York Times' profile on Crocs, I’m one of tens of millions of happy Crocs owners. This happiness is profitable:
Your physical store can be a great asset in this ‘Age of Amazon’—just ask Warby Parker.
Details:
- Warby Parker has 200 stores in the U.S. and Canada.
- Retailers report that online advertising costs have increased 15%-20% in the last two years, making physical stores more attractive.
- Brands report that in-store shoppers buy more per purchase.
I believe the The Wall Journal should have noted a caveat about using Warby Parker as a poster child ...
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See the Signature Spring, Summer, and Fall Collections at the Joseph Ribkoff Trunk show from 10 to 6 on Thursday, May 18. The JR rep will be on hand to answer questions and to show and take orders for current collections and Fall Preview styles. In celebration of the event, the entire store will be 20% off, one day only! The Trunk show will take place at the Squirrel Hill Cheeks, at 5873 Forbes Avenue, located between Murray and Shady Avenues. Join us!
Enjoy your favorite coffee on a May spring morning in your backyard, garden, or outdoor coffee shop with this rich, woven placemat that never goes out of style. With its natural earthy and rustic tones, this beautifully beaded placemat formed of exotic vines will help you explore the lush green with your spring tablescape. Set of 4.
CALAISIO
natural elegance, extraordinary durability
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How to view more order details in your Order Status Update emails.
May 11, 2023
Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: we've launched a new format of your emails notifying you and customers of orders. The emails now include product pictures, brand logos, registrant pictures, various font enhancements, and more.
Previously, the email format was basic text (no pictures or logos).
In the example shown, we see an Order Status Update email to a customer from The Cook's Station, a kitchenware store in South Carolina. In the email, we see the store's logo along...
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How allocating our resources efficiently can help us save time, save money, and deliver value to our customers.
May 9, 2023
You've heard of Salsa-fy? It’s national, was started in Dallas, is used by 60,000 employees, and is used at more than 1,600 corporate locations. Salsa-fy helps businesses steer clear of trouble, offer the best value, and ensures profitability. You may interrupt me here and ask, “Jason, don’t you mean the software company Salesify?” No, I’m talking about the restaurant chain Chili’s and its approach to managing salsa, french fries, and its business. ...
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Gracefully serve and host guests. You may display your entertaining prowess with this woven dip serving tray made of organic exotic vines that showcases its natural earthy tones and heightens one's appetite. This chip and dip bowl is also a great place to put additional foods like tortilla chips, potato chips, French dip, salsa, vegetables, ranch dressing, and more.
Happy Cinco de Mayo! We love serving up margaritas in our Eternity glassware. Try our mint margarita recipe in these beautiful mouth-blown glasses:
Ingredients:
-Lime wedges
-Coarse sea salt
-Crushed ice
-3/4 cup (6oz) tequila
-3/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 6 limes)
-1/2 cup (4oz) orange liqueur (Cointreau is our fave)
-1/4 cup agave syrup
-8 mint sprigs, plus more for garnish
Salt rims, fill glasses with crushed ice. Place tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, and mint springs in a ...
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Guacamole and tortilla chips are always satisfying. Elevate your event serving with a white condiment bowl and woven organic chip and dip tray from Calaisio. The graceful design and earthy color palettes of this wonderfully created dip serving tray are warm, inviting, and will complement any event from dinner parties, holidays, birthdays, family movie nights, and more.
Mother's Day is only 10 days away on Sunday, May 14. Have Brunch with Mom featuring MacKenzie Childs' new Wildflowers pattern in enamelware and ceramics! The Wildflowers Collection is hand-painted and decorated with hand-applied transfers. Stop in at Glassworks and Cheeks to see this collection and other Mother's Day gift ideas.