Happy Independence Day to independent stores. :) Today's Times shares how a recent Amazon change may help indy stores against its tyranny.
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May 5, 2016
May 5, 2016
You work hard to get a bride to register at your store. But then the wedding date approaches and nothing has been sold. Why is this? The single biggest reason is that the bride has not linked her wedding website (e.g. theknot.com) to her registry on your website. If the bride doesn't link the two, you'll sell very little. Your mission: link the two. You can read how to do it by clicking the link below or I can call you and walk you through it. My email is: [email protected]
We are loving our exclusive Michael Aram Independents Collections Bittersweet and Molten Gold !
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April 25, 2016
April 25, 2016
Ever wish your independent store had lots of locations? It's normal to want to grow. Well, today's WSJ shares that some department stores may have bitten off more than they can chew. The article compares sales per square foot to 2006's. One issue with this article is that 2006 wasn't just any year: it was a wonderful year for retail sales - right before the economic bubble burst. Comparing anything to a high can be misleading.
The silver lining on this article is that big box store closings may ...
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March 12, 2016
March 12, 2016
Amazon's brick and two mortar stores are profiled in today's Times. Too bad Amazon's two stores and its online business come at the cost of hurting 1,000s of physical locations.
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January 26, 2016
January 26, 2016
A retailer in Alabama recently showed us that Google Maps had the wrong location for it. This happens to a lot of independent businesses. This WSJ article shares how some businesses fixed their mapping issue.
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January 11, 2016
January 11, 2016
What would dinner with Salvador Dali be like? Hint: he liked to throw food...
We're volunteering with the public library to help collect local stories. Why? Bridge believes in supporting independent businesses and local people that support them. Here's our friend Gordon Hawkins sharing his experience as an artist in Soho who ate with Dali at the St. Moritz in 1969.
Note: the interview is about two hours. The Dali dinner is about half way thru.
Do big box stores demand better terms than indy stores from indy manufacturers? Yes, and that is why we salute Etsy for asking big box stores to sign a pledge to be less demanding and help indy manufacturers. Please find the article from HFN here:
Via this agreement, Etsy is acting as an proponent for indy creators.
Note: this is one part of the equation. Next up: getting indy manufacturers to agree vice versa to...
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November 16, 2015
November 16, 2015
HFN shares insights into the registry market. Using the TheKnot.com's data, HFN shares that 92% of registries are managed online. Over 80% of registries include a kitchen item, and about 26% include a fine china item. Since most registries exist at Bed, Bath and Beyond, the top casual China brand was a private label brand (Bed, Bath & Beyond).
One could conduct a similar survey amongst independent stores and one would find the leading independent store trends and brands.
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Today's HFN magazine shares Bridge's progress with helping independent retailers. Bridge would like to thanks its members for helping everyone make it to this milestone.
Article:
Bridge and its Tabletop Partners Reach a Milestone
Bridge founder expects to reach $1.2 million by year's end
Posted on November 6, 2015 by Allison Zisko
At the coffee shop this morning, we noticed this guide to local businesses here in the East Village. Created by the East Village Community Coalition, the little booklet has maps and lists neat spots including stores dedicated to sake and yarn (...not the same location!).
Some of our retailers sell Vera Bradley. I recall a retailer sharing with me a story about why his store stopped carrying the brand. He said the brand was requiring his store to accept returns of Vera Bradley product that his store had not sold. One could, for example, buy a VB bag at the VB store then return it to the independent retailer. From a consumer's standpoint, it seemed convenient. From the indy retailer's, it was the straw that broke the camel's floral pattern bag. The retailer ...
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June 16, 2015
June 16, 2015
One of our Bridge retailers recently received a message from a bride-to-be. She said that she would not be able to visit the store and instead emailed the store all the items that she wanted to register for.
This is a great news for our retailer’s registry. The bride likes the store’s Bridge site so much that she’s going to pick everything out online and not even come in the store.
And, this message is a great example of the existing trend:
Brides don’t even go into the store. Women these days ...
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We're happy that Tableware Today asked Bridge founder Jason Solarek to share his thoughts about e-commerce. In this month's Last Word column, you can read about e-commerce trends that independent, Main Street stores are facing. Jason also shares some potential solutions.
Full article:
THE BRIDGE TO MAIN STREET
A Connecticut retailer recently told me that it lost a bride's registry worth $10,000. The bride reviewed the store's outdated website and online product offering and wasn't ...
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This month's HFN magazine is dedicated to e-commerce. Allison Zisko, the magazine's tableware reporter, shares how businesses are using Bridge.
Excerpt:
In some instances, third parties can offer services that retailers find hard to manage, such as keeping on top of the newest prices, SKUs or colors in a line. Bridge is an e-commerce platform that offers retailers–mostly smaller independents–a full online catalog of select tabletop brands that are constantly updated and ...
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December 7, 2014
December 7, 2014
"Even the selection at a classic big-box retailer with hundreds of thousands of items doesn’t seem that wide anymore, compared to the Web," reports Niraj Shah in the Wall Street Journal.
"Shoppers now take for granted the concept of access to a deep range of goods... It’s hard to win these days without offering a wide variety."
Full article:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/wake-up-brick-and-mortar-retailers-1416874241
At Bridge, we're helping independent retailers offer 10,000s of items to...
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December 2, 2014
December 2, 2014
The Crystal Plate, an independent retailer in Georgia, reviews Bridge Store:
"I have sold about $10,000 online that I would have never sold without "the Bridge." I'm very, very happy, and very happy with your service and help!!!! Many thanks!!!!
Mary Beth Begley
Owner
The Crystal Plate
111 Brenau Ave.
Gainesville, GA 30501
Tel: 770-561-7019
http://www.thecrystalplate.com
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October 24, 2014
October 24, 2014
How many independent, brick and mortar businesses can lose $437 million in 4 months? From front page of today's WSJ.
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October 11, 2014
October 11, 2014
Crate & Barrel is a major competitor to most independent retailers. What can we learn from its gift registry marketing?
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May 8, 2014
May 8, 2014
Finally some good news for brick and mortar, independent retailers: shipping rates are going up. This will likely affect amazon and online only stores more then stores on Main St. This may drive more customers to literally drive to the store and buy goods.
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