Celebrating Our 275th Anniversary with Isabelle von Boch
For over 275 years Villeroy & Boch has been synonymous with exquisite design, unparallel craftsmanship, and timeless elegance. From our humble beginnings as a small pottery shop in the heart of Europe, we have grown into a global brand that is loved and celebrated by discerning consumers around the world. Today, we continue to expend the boundaries of innovation and creativity, while staying true to our heritage of ...
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Marion Samuel, who manages Babcock Gifts, a Tennessee-based gift shop, pens Tableware Today’s Last Word column in this month’s issue. She shares how they have grown over the last 50 years and run their store.
I was pleased to see her tout the store’s Bridge software. Babcock Gifts, which has been a client for 10 years, uses Bridge’s Shop Local gift registry service and Brand Syncing service. Using our service, they showcase 400+ couples’ gift registries online ...
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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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BERTIL VALLIEN is a gift to glass. The impressive portfolio of this prolific artist is haunting, memorable, and mesmerizing.
His 60-year career, spent advancing the craft of sand-casting, is a study of one man's existential questioning actualized on hypnotic works of art.
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BERTIL VALLIEN IS A 60-YEAR KOSTA BODA ICON, DESIGNING FOR THE BRAND SINCE 1963.
He is one of Sweden's most celebrated glass artists with numerous awards and museums exhibitions around...
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The VIDA Alegria White Melamie Ice Bucket is designed to serve icy-cold bottles of wine, beer, or soda that fellow tailgaters will enjoy from a serving piece they will love!
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Tailgate in style with a piece of Beatriz Ball's luxury melamine. Edged with a border of rippling pearls, the generously proportioned Alegria White Ice Bucket is designed to serve icy-cold bottles of wine, beer, or soda that guests will enjoy while cheering on their favorite team!
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The name David is derived from the Hebrew word for “beloved” and this is appropriate as the PEARL Collection David trays have been some of the best loved (and bestselling) items since their introduction over 20 years ago.
Designed with distinctive curvilinear handles, classic proportions, and surrounded by a rim of metal pearls, the David trays embody style and versatility. Available in a number of shapes and sizes, a David tray is practical and elegant solution for a multitude of...
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NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 06, 2023 – Shop Local, an e-commerce platform, reported that it's helping indie stores rank on page one of Google in 64% of states for wedding gift purchases. The findings are based on a recent study that Shop Local conducted regarding wedding registry purchasing.
Study Findings:
For 32 state searches, Shop Local Stores appeared on page one of Google. This represents 64% of all states. When just calculating the states in which Shop Local has
How limited resources can motivate teams to accomplish goals and breed solutions.
September 3, 2023
India last month joined three other countries in the exclusive club that has put a craft on the moon. What’s unique about India’s accomplishment is that it did this at a fraction of what the U.S. spends on space exploration, shares Ben Cohen in The Wall St. Journal. While the U.S.’s NASA program has a $24b budget, India’s ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) budget is just $1.3b. India, which started its space program in 1963, is able to do more with less because of ...
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My colleague Josh shared this poem with us. I like the parable about doing things for others. At Bridge, we support the poem’s view by building a platform that helps growing indie businesses. We build solutions for problems (“chasms”) that existing customers have knowing that future businesses that join us (“the youth”) will benefit from these digital bridges. To our team: Thank you, Bridge Builders.
The Mushroom Collection is inspired by the whimsical magic of fairy tales. Humbly emerging from the earth, these fungi have been known for thousands of years to contain mystical powers. They have been used by shamans from cultures all over the world to procure enlightenment and celebrate the deep interconnectedness of life. Michael Aram’s iconic Butterfly Ginkgo is perched upon each piece, further tying in the notion of metamorphosis and transcendent experiences.
Stop in at the Shadyside ...
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Discover the men and women behind Baccarat’s enchanting creations.
« The challenge of the glassmaker’s trade consists in keeping a close eye on the temperature of the material. Whether the crystal is picked with a ferret or a cane to collect the right amount of material, or to shape it, everything depends on a few degrees: if the crystal cools down too much, it breaks; if it is too hot, it cannot be worked with. You must forge your mind, because it’s a very demanding ...
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How technology hurts the entertainment industry just like Amazon hurts the retail industry.
August 1, 2023
Over the last three decades, Hollywood and many that rely on the entertainment industry have embraced ordering goods over Amazon.com. Recap: Amazon is a technology company that often cuts costs by replacing humans with code and robots and bypasses local red tape like, um, taxes and labor rules. Hollywood writers, producers, and ticket goers embraced a technology company that made their lives easier but often at the cost of others (aka retail workers).
I chuckled when I was asked to author this column, as I have been known to have the last word from time to time. As I prepare to leave the industry that has given me so much (I eagerly accepted the opportunity to work in the gift and home area in 1986), I can vividly recall the excitement I felt when I first entered the creative space that we get to live and work in every day. I have been exposed to scores of creative people; I met and worked with artists and buyers who were inspired and ...
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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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I have a stack of virtual news clippings that either struck my fancy, taught me something new, or just made me shake my head in bemusement. On their own, they may not be enough for me to make a point, but together they have a thought-provoking synergy (and I'm sure I'll figure out what that is by the end of this column).
Our industry has been negatively affected by the loss of American manufacturing after we entered a long stretch of automation and outsourcing in the late 1970s; every ...
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What Threads can teach us about leveraging our existing network when launching a new service.
July 22, 2023
Threads, a new Twitter-like service from Meta, the owner of Instagram, launched this month and almost immediately attracted 40m active daily users. The service’s growth has since stalled and now has just over 10m daily users, but that is still commendable. The Wall Street Journal shared that this impressive launch was largely possible because Meta used its built-in network of one billion Instagram users. This user base helped it overcome the “cold start” problem of acquiring ...
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Afternoon tea is happy hour's elegant and sophisticated big sister✨ and it has never been easier to enjoy. Our Wildflowers Enamel High Tea Set, made from heavy-gauge steel with hand-applied floral transfers and rimmed in bronzed stainless steel, is the perfect match for you and your tea time bestie. 🫖
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We follow the gift registry industry and Buybuy Baby has been a formidable player in this space. The WSJ reports that Buybuy Baby is being sold for $15m and the stores closed.
Bed Bath & Beyond was recently sold to Overstock.com for $21m.