We're thrilled to announce that well-known industry distributor Maison3Amis is adding FÜRSTENBERG, a high-quality porcelain brand, to the Syncing service. 🎉 

FÜRSTENBERG's products will be available for Syncing at the end of May. We'll keep our members updated on the exact launch date as we complete the brand's boarding onto our platform.

…………

About FÜRSTENBERG
With more than 275 years of experience in porcelain craftsmanship and a passion for making the seemingly impossible possible,

We're excited to announce that Galway Irish Crystal, a high-quality crystal and giftware brand from Ireland's Belleek Group, is joining the Syncing service. 🎉 

Galway Irish Crystal's products will be available for Syncing at the end of May. We'll keep our members updated on the exact launch date as we complete Galway Irish Crystal's boarding onto our platform.

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About Galway Irish Crystal
Galway Irish Crystal provides over 50 years of heritage in creating exquisite crystal and giftware,

We are pleased to share that Alva products are ready for Syncing.

Alva joins our network of 111 premium brands that Sync products with over 1,460 retailers.

Visit Alva's Shop Local Account:
View the 50 products you can Sync from Alva here:
https://allinoxusa.myshoplocal.com/

How to Sync

• ​​​Please log in to your Shop Local account.
• Please scroll up to the top. In the Top Bar's search field, please enter "Alva".
• On the search results page, where you see the brand's results, please click on the button "

I sometimes think of ourselves as digital landlords. Our clients rent their retail 'property' from us and pay a monthly rent. We are responsible for keeping the building up-to-date, the roof patched, and the sidewalk clean.  This real estate metaphor came to mind again recently when The Wall St. Journal shared how interior designers spruce up rentals and thereby rent them for more.

Article excerpt:
"[The upgraded rental property] Perch came online in December 2023, for a nightly rate of $1,

We are pleased to announce that Velvet Magnolia has joined Shop Local to grow its online tabletop and bridal registry business after being referred by sales rep Greg Waylock of Cassmeyer Collection. Founded by owner Anne Lofton, Velvet Magnolia offers residential and commercial design services, gifts, bridal registry, large-scale furnishings, and more. 

The store instantly received great benefits:

• Customers and registrants can shop for 7k+ products online.
• The store avoids 12 

1. Juliska Berry & Thread Whitewash Plate
2. Couzon Stainless Steel Flatware La Perle Five Piece Place Setting
3. Juliska Berry & Thread Whitewash Cereal/Ice Cream Bowl
4. VIETRI OPTICAL GOLD Gold Champagne Glass
5. VIETRI OPTICAL GOLD Gold Wine Glass
6. Juliska Villa Seville Scalloped Dessert/Salad Plate - Chambray
7. Costa Nova Brisa Dinner Plate, Sal
8. Juliska Berry & Thread Whitewash Scalloped Dessert/Salad Plate
9. VIETRI Rufolo Glass Gold Service Plate/Charger
10. Juliska Puro Clear and Solid Colors Large Tumbler

&

Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: You can now view reporting and forecasting for your registries. This helps your business make informed decisions to continue growing your wedding registry service.

Your Reporting & Forecasting page now shows stats by year for your registries. These include:

• Registry sales (in-store and online)
• Number of orders
• Number of active registries
• Types of registries
• Average number of items added per wedding registry
• Average revenue per wedding registry (for

Congratulations to the following members for being the top gift registry performers in April 2025:

Top-3 Retailers
🥇 Babcock Gifts in Memphis, TN
🥈 Friend & Company in New Orleans, LA
🥉 Table Matters in Birmingham, AL

Top-3 Retail Movers
🥇 Calico Mushroom in New Albany, MS / +472%
🥈 Stafford's of Spartanburg in Spartanburg, SC / +396%
🥉 Queen City Market in Selma, AL / +389%

By gift registry sales / % change in April 2025 online revenue vs. prev. month

Top-3 Wedding Registry Brands
🥇 

Costa Nova, the leading Portuguese tableware manufacturer, is helping its retailers sell 18% more product. 
 

Details:

• The brand places a flyer in a wholesale shipment to a retailer.
• The flyer explains how the merchant can instantly show what is in the box online and quickly sell it.

How a Store Uses the Flyer in the Box:

1. The store opens the shipment from the brand.
2. The store views the flyer and scans the flyer’s QR code.
3. The store signs up for a free Shop Local Store—which includes a free

This Soho perfume shop sign inspired me to think of what our a-frame sign may say: “You have a good website.  You could have a great website.”

Since I don't drive to work and listen to the radio or watch broadcast TV, I'm in a bit of a bubble when it comes to fast-food marketing. Thankfully, The Wall St. Journal helps me keep a pulse on America.  What caught my eye today was the Journal's article about Chili's, inflation, and its value offering. I was surprised to read that the cost of a fast-food burger meal has risen 62% in the last six years (2019: $7.50 -> 2025: $12).  Chili's is using the inflationary news to promote

Much like the fine China plates, most of our kitchens—and homes—come from China. Read the full Times article about how each room in our homes is possible due to international trade: 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/04/27/world/asia/china-products-us-tariffs-trump.html

NEW YORK, NY — April 27, 2025 – Shop Local, the leading wedding registry platform for indie retailers, will announce the 2025 Best Wedding Gifts award winners this week.  The honor is presented to the top 100 retailers and top 100 brands in America.  

The top 100 brand finalists included Herend, Juliska, VIETRI, and Beatriz Ball.  The top 100 retail finalists were led by The Ivy House in Dallas, TX; Babcock Gifts in Memphis, TN; P.S. the Letter in Fort Worth, TX; and Friend &

Read the full WSJ article:

https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/luxury-homes/mackenzie-childs-artists-selling-former-ellis-island-ferry-they-lived-on-for-two-decades-7cfbc821?st=MJrNth&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink

Three charts:

• Checkout conversion sales funnel.
• Cost to ship a product.
• Price for product. 
  
   

Please note: This information is based on my personal experiences and experiences may vary.   
 

Some inspo from The Bear TV show.  We cook up hot website features here and want to plate them as soon as possible for you. 

Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: We've added a new award for the 2025 Best Wedding Gifts Finalists. 🥳

This finalist designation is awarded by Shop Local to the top 100 retailers and brands. It is based on 2024 online wedding registry sales from 1,450 retailers that use Shop Local's Online Store and Wedding Registry service who collectively sell 3,500 brands.

Insights 📊

• Of the top 20 brands, 90% are Syncing Brands.
• Of the top 100 brands, 58% are Syncing Brands.
• Syncing Brands share products

This Amazon article in The Wall St. Journal caught my eye:

1. Shipping = less community connection. A shipping box represents Amazon. The shipping box is the antithesis of local engagement and support.
2. The smile logo is a scam: Robots don't smile. The box is faceless (don’t let the smile logo fool you). It’s not a person at your local store. This appears to be intentional: Amazon doesn’t seem to care that much about elevating people—its website is a similarly faceless and people-less place. It’s

Stuck in a rut?  New to the wedding registry industry?  

Try out some of these ideas to grow your registry business.  

Build Strong Partnerships

• Collaborate with wedding planners, bridal salons, local wedding venues, photographers, and other vendors to create a network of industry partners.
• These are the first stop on a registrant’s wedding to-do list.
• These partnerships can lead to referrals.

Identify Your Registrant Audience

• Are you targeting young couples, second marriages, or perhaps

[ ] 📋Complete your Success Checklist.
 

[ ] 🔗Add a link on your primary website leading to your Shop Local Registry Home page.

• Add a “Registry” link in the navigation menu of your primary site that opens to your Shop Local Registry in the same tab.
   

[ ] 💰Update your registry incentive amounts to attract more sign-ups.

• Offer a sign-up bonus.
• Offer a post-wedding discount.
   

[ ] 🏅Review the Leaderboard to see top-selling registry brands and products.

• Contact the top-selling brands that