I spotted this tequila advertisement today in New York City. The first thing that came to mind was not spring break, but rather a riff on the ad’s tagline. I thought, “ ‘Independent store’ does not mean selling alone.” Bridge helps more than 800 independent stores team up to share products and resources. We make running an online business easier. We give them a ‘shot’ at winning online. That’s something we can drink to.
I enjoyed today’s WSJ article about stores teaming up to take on Amazon. Since Bridge has collectivized 800 indie shops to push back against Amazon, we can relate to efforts to help stores team up and boost their communities.
The article mentions Shopify and its popularity among indie shops. Shopify, along with BigComerce, Big Cartel, Wix, and Magento, are platforms that have helped indies to grow online independent of Amazon.
While we appreciate any platform that helps indies...
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I came across this 2012 HFN article about Bridge. In 2012, we had 40 stores using our e-commerce software. Today, we have more than 740. Thank you for helping us grow 18x in the last nine years :)
We’re pleased to see William-Wayne & Co. featured in the article. This NYC retail heirloom has been a client since 2001–before we even started Bridge or the Smart Products marketing service. They’re still a client today. Thank you William-Wayne & Co. for trusting with...
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Today’s Times shares some of Amazon’s steps during the pandemic to grow its empire.
I used to tell retailers that they don’t know it, but they’re now in: the software business. I missed something in that statement. They are also now in the warehouse business. Websites and warehouses go hand in hand. They’re flip sides of the same coin.
As e-commerce grew, all the major retailers should have been growing their warehouse space. For example: if ...
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Recently, there has been a big push to shop local in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Small businesses are promoting each other through signs posted in windows. It's great to see indie shops build a network of support and take a stand against big-box stores!
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Sadly, we learned of this hack LAST week when it actually happened in...wait for it...April 2019–almost a year ago.
I predict that hacking is going to happen to more and more brands and stores in our industry. I think these victims will either turn over most online operations to a third party—or close due to costs. I know of a jewelry ...
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I’m writing to sadly share that my dad Don Solarek passed away last week. He was quiet, thoughtful, and would gladly walk in New York City from the Battery to Harlem.
Don always had time to chat with me, share a story, give a lesson, and encourage me. He helped me with my paper route at 6 am when it was 3º in Rochester. He came to every high school cross country race and wrestling match—which were often held around 3:30 pm. Likely not ...
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January 21, 2020
January 21, 2020
Come out of the cold and see our hottest
new introductions!
Come see us at 41 Madison Ave, 9th floor. OUR PERMANENT SHOWROOM IN NYC
NY Gift Show January 31st thru February 5th Annieglass Showroom
41 Madison Ave. 9th Floor
New York, NY
new location
Open during NYNOW, Saturday thru Wednesday
Come on by!
or contact
Kristin Wilsey
Vice President of Sales
to make an appointment. [email protected]
510-410-2310
The retail store floor is being transformed in to an ‘app store,’ shares todays Times. Employees armed with mobile phones are helping customers using specialized apps.
The Times article also shares that retail clothing jobs in NYC shrunk 9% between 2013 to 2018.
The Head of the Rudin Center for Transportation Policy says it’s now easier and cheaper to order things online than go in the store.
The Rudin Center for Transportation is part of New York University, and is named after Lewis Rudin—the developer of the wholesale building 41 Madison.
If online is better according to the head of the Rudin Center, what is the Rudin family—which owns 41 Madison—doing to help tenants and visitors adapt to this fact?
This holiday season more shoppers will shop online ...
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October 27, 2019
October 27, 2019
Does traffic seem worse? It may be your neighbors’ 1.5 million daily packages being delivered, shares today’s Times.
My neighborhood is bombarded by trucks—and delivery people often ringing every apartment buzzer in a building to contact just one apartment.
Interesting stats from the article: + Homes now get more packages delivered than businesses. + Traffic speeds have slowed over the last decade. + 2 million square Feet of warehouse space is being built in NYC. + Carbon dioxide emissions ...
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October 8, 2019
October 8, 2019
Nice to see Vista Alegre’s items at the MoMA design store in Soho.
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An exhibit highlights the decline of small businesses in NYC. :-(
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September 2, 2019
September 2, 2019
Macy’s bought the retailer Story then closed Story’s flagship location. Hmm. The flagship’s door sign (shown here at 10th Ave. and 19th st. in NYC) says Story has 35 other locations. Notably, those are all inside other Macy’s. Aka: Macy’s likely bought Story to rearrange and/or fill excess space at its other mall locations. Apparently, Story wasn’t appealing enough to have two locations in NYC—which is not a good sign. I predict Macy’s purchase of Story was inflated, and likely a mistake. I ...
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August 29, 2019
August 29, 2019
Amazon and Chinese companies have teamed up to bypass Main Street and ship goods directly to doorsteps. This is hurting American manufacturing as well as local city governments. To accomplish this, they're misleading Americans by putting out press releases that cherry-pick statistics.
Follow these 3 steps to see the issue at hand:
1. In an Amazon press release last week, Amazon claimed:
"Independent third-party sellers – primarily small and medium-sized businesses – ...
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July 26, 2019
July 26, 2019
Irony: old analog retail is literally being replaced by new tech. Today’s WSJ shares that retail space that used to belong to Lord & Taylor’s midtown flagship may become Amazon’s NYC office space. In the East Village, Facebook’s HQ recently took over Kmart’s entire third floor, shrinking Kmart from three floors to just two. That’s a 33% contraction, which mirrors the contraction of physical retail and the growth of digital platforms like Amazon and Facebook. Note: Lord & Taylor, Kmart, and many ...
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July 23, 2019
July 23, 2019
It’s not too late to see us this Summer! Come see us at 41 Madison Ave, 9th floor. OUR PERMANENT SHOWROOM IN NYC. Open during NYNOW, Saturday thru Wednesday.
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June 15, 2019
June 15, 2019
Gorgeous day in the city—for indie shops :)
Shown here: Bridge mosaic on St. Marks Place / NYC
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May 12, 2019
May 12, 2019
Does your business require customers to have a mobile app before entering your store? Amazon’s Go store does. This raises questions about accessibility, privacy, and freedom. I believe that public stores are democratic places where anyone can enter and browse. Requiring someone to first download tracking software seems intrusive.
Let’s consider this for kids: should teenagers be required to download a mobile tracking app to enter a store?