A BICENTENNIAL BIRTHDAY REPRESENTS REMARKABLE LONGEVITY AND VISTA ALEGRE IS TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE of it with dozens of new pieces created specifically to commemorate the 200 anos occasion. “It’s a very important milestone and a time of reflection to see how far we’ve come and where we want to go,” says Daniel Silva, who helped bring the brand new luster here since he started the American subsidiary in 2012. Nuno Barra, Vista Alegre product development director and board ...
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How Shop Localβs software helps an indie store in Natchitoches, Louisiana save $11,797 and 17 weeks in labor on website product maintenance.
February 15, 2024
We are pleased to announce that Brick and Row Merci Beaucoup, a retail store in Natchitoches, Louisiana has chosen the Shop Local software platform to grow its online business.
Brick and Row Merci Beaucoup is an interior décor and gift store offering a mix of traditional and non-traditional design styles. Located in the building where Natchitoches’ Historic Hotel once was, customers visit Brick and Row Merci Beaucoup to find exclusive gifts, seasonal items, and beautiful ...
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It’s hard to believe that MEPRA’s sophisticated technicolor collection FANTASIA is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year because its incandescent chromatic complexion is as fresh today as its 1989 debut.
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The brilliantly-hued fantasia comes from the Italian silversmiths Mepra, post-war business founded in 1947 by the Prandelli family, four generations fashioning flatware in the industrial Lumezzane Valley, about 90 minutes east of Milan. ...
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Present eco-modern design with this mirrored vanity tray. It features a frame made of exotic vines for an artistic vibe. This 14-inch-long by 5-inch-wide tray includes a mirror at the bottom that reflects whatever you place on it to make a statement. This multipurpose mini vanity tray can be used to store jewelry on your dresser or as an amusing display.
How restaurants, hotels, and tableware brands are using loyalty programs--and what indie stores can learn from this.
October 11, 2023
Perk-y
I recently read about a new loyalty program and wondered what we could learn from it. The founder of Eater and Resy, Ben Leventhal, has started Blackbird, a loyalty program service designed for indie restaurants, reports The New York Times (Read the article). Using the Blackbird app, a diner receives a perk for eating at a restaurant. The retailer sets tiers for which the user qualifies for the perk. For example, a restaurant, Nat’s on Bank in New York City, gives tier 1 customers ...
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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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Father's Day is this weekend! Give Dad a top flight set of Double Old Fashioned glasses handcrafted of lead crystal. This Baccarat set was created to serve the cocktails offered exclusively at the Baccarat Hotel New York. The individual glasses are inspired by the four elements that make the legendary Baccarat crystal; Montaigne Optic (water), Perfection (air), Harmonie (earth), and Nancy (fire). Stop in at the Shadyside store to see the set or find other Father's Day gift ideas.
Enjoy this rustic textured woven placemat made from biodegradable vines, which is ideal for regular meals, family get-togethers, hotels, businesses, or coffee shops. Your friends and guests will be pleased by your gorgeous table arrangement, which is embellished with white wood polished beads and neutral earth tones of brown creamy tan that blend well both indoors and outdoors. Offered in a set of 4.
How we can bring clients together to build a larger network.
February 4, 2023
Economist Bent Flyvbjerg encourages us to find our “Lego” in his new book “How Big Things Get Done.” Mr. Flyvbjerg, whose new book is reviewed by Ben Cohen in this week’s The Wall Street Journal, says that most large projects that are completed successfully use a modular approach. Excerpt from The Wall Street Journal:
“That’s the question every project leader should ask: What is the small thing we can assemble in large numbers into a big ...
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When we talk about prices, there are two prices that are important:
The price that we charge clients.
The price our clients charge their customers.
We normally talk about the former, aka how our prices compare with other competitors, like Shopify or wholesale services like Faire.
Of increasing importance to us is what our retailers charge their customers. Walmart recently announced that it was taking brands to account and pressuring them to keep ...
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Today’s Gen Z gift registrants want to do everything online, often on their iPhone 14. They want to start a registry, add products, remove products, edit quantities, and view purchases. They don't want to call the store to do this.
In the adoption of digital tools, another trend is also at play: female shoppers are busier than before. Today, more women graduate from college than men. Women are increasingly doctors, CEOs, and world leaders. (Italy just welcomed its ...
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Last February e-commerce company Shopify Inc. replaced the “Ottawa, Canada” dateline that began its press releases and earnings reports with a strange new one: “Internet, Everywhere.” The geographical shift came at the insistence of Shopify’s founder and chief executive officer, Tobi Lütke, who tends to view such matters through the prism of cold, hard logic. In May 2020, only a few months into the pandemic, he’d made the early, seemingly rash decision to...
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Tableware Today magazine asked 71 industry professionals for their thoughts on 2021. I was one of those asked, and shared these answers to Editor Amy Stavis' questions:
What will be the most significant change for our industry in 2021?
J: As the famous business leader Marc Andreessen said, software is eating the world--and it's eating our industry like never before with Covid-19. The question is whether you're eating or being eaten. We’re all in the software business now. ...
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Allow yourself the simple pleasure of delighting your senses with beautiful music, a delicious room fragrance and a beautiful bathroom vanity tray from Calaisio.
CALAISIO
natural elegance, extraordinary durability
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What can indie stores learn from hotels? Sell now, redeem later. Hotels are selling gift cards and future stays at a discount—sometimes up to 33% off. Your store can likewise sell $100 gift cards for $66. Lesson: Do what it takes to get the money today.
I also recommend offering a gift card subscription service. Your customer pays, for example, $80 per month and you send it a $100 gift card. This brings in recurring revenue.
We're happy to share that Halcyon Days has joined Bridge as a Smart Brand. Please find the press release below.
For Immediate Release
Halcyon Days Partners with Bridge
English luxury lifestyle brand joins the e-commerce community to support U.S. retailer base
March 30, 2020
New York, NY — Halcyon Days, a designer of English handcrafted and manufactured luxury goods, has joined an online sales platform to help its authorized retailers increase sales.
&...
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June 16, 2019
June 16, 2019
Business lunch: how retail is changing :)
Old retail is 80% analog. This consists of: the physical store, staff, customer service training, etc. What youβd expect walking into a Saks or Macy's. And it's about 20% tech: computers, cash registers (POS systems), mobile shopping, Google ranking, apps, hiring social influencers, Instagram, etc.
Today, the retailers that are well positioned, growing, and 'hot' carry the opposite equation: they're 20% analog and 80% tech.