Read the full article: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/25/style/wedding-qr-codes.html?unlocked_article_code=1.0lA.m1j6.vx9XAldxmypV&smid=url-share

It’s amazing to think that this inventor preceded Google by 60 years. Robert’s first client was NASA in 1967.  

Read the full article: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/17/technology/roger-summit-dead.html

The Wall St. Journal shares changes that are coming to the consulting world, with more outcome-based pricing that adds accountability to fees. 

Good news for our clients: Our fee structure already holds us accountable as we charge an outcome-based fee, which we call the performance fee. What if a retailer receives no or little outcome from using our service? The client pays less. And when the service does work, a retailer on average still pays us 36% less than it would pay Shopify and its

Thanks to Vista Alegre for promoting Shop Local in two recent magazine advertisements in the summer issue of Home Accents Today.

Visit our friends at Pieces of Eight: 

https://www.piecesofeightgifts.com/registry.cfm

Austin Kleon, the motivational author, shared how his newest book is inspired by other books.  

I can relate. Our online service is inspired by other services.  And, it’s very likely other people and companies are using our website to make their websites and services. 

We thank thosse that came before us and inspired us. We are moving the web forward together. 

https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/macys-earnings-q1-2026-m-stock-4a2cf228?st=vfi9jo&

Big Tech often wins due to efficiencies, which include scale and automation, because these lower costs. 

Shop Local helps indie shops gain similar efficiencies.  For example, we reduce website product maintenance costs by 92%.  This empowers the indie shop to lower prices—to better match Big Tech’s prices, or reinvest this savings in other areas of their business.  

FOR BRANDS

Good news: Your brand has an easy solution to grow its sales network during the June trade shows. You're invited to display your ready made Shop Local poster. The poster contains:

• Text explaining the benefits of your Shop Local Product Syncing service
• Your logo
• Your slide
• The number of products you Sync with a retailer
• Two examples retailers
• Labor costs avoided by using the service
• Expected increase in sales
• A QR code leading to your Shop Local page

How to Get Your Free Poster:

• We'll handle it

This 31 page Times guide appeared this past weekend and is chockablock with great tips and brides’ personal experiences.  

While the guide doesn’t address the gift registry aspect, we’re sure it would suggest registering local 💌

I couldn’t find the full guide online, but this page has elements of it:

https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/wedding-guides

Tableware purchasing is tanking, shares the Wall St. Journal, partially due to notable price increases.  Prices are higher due to tariffs and the war. 
 

What can a store do to protect itself? 
Great news: While self-purchase tableware spending is down 25%, our same store gift registry sales for nearly 1,500 indie store are up 37%. We’re seeing that the wedding registry space is a safe harbor in this tumultuous industry. We invite all indie retailers to offer a powerful wedding

Spotted this t-shirt at a vintage shop in West Hollywood. It spoke to me because we believe that shopping local has meaning.  

Ironically, this shirt wasn’t for sale.

Elon Musk and his executive team often use a five-step process to approach a business issue. 

This formula, which is the focus of a new book by Tesla’s ex-president, Jon and McNiell, and a recent Wall St. Journal piece, is often referred to as the “Algorithm” and consists of:

1. Question every requirement.
2. Delete every possible step in a process.
3. Simplify and optimize.
4. Accelerate cycle time.
5. Automate. 

I thought about how this could improve our business, Shop Local. For example, if we

Thanks to the New York Tabletop Association for hosting the spring tabletop show at 41 Madison.  

Trivia: What is the best month for wedding registry sales for your store? Answer: Likely March, followed by April. 

We tabulated 2025 sales data from nearly 1,500 indie stores, and found that March through June and August through October are the peak months for wedding registry sales. The months with the lowest sales were November and December.