We support the shop local ecosystem, and an ingredient in that is local jobs. Marc Levinson in The Wall St. Journal reviews two books that address made-in-the-U.S.A. ventures.
Spoiler alert: Doing the right thing often costs more. These all likely cost more: Shopping local, using local labor, and running local manufacturing. If you’re involved in one of these area, we hope you’ll appreciate those in the others. I’ve met local shop owners that outsource their ...
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As a store owner, you know how important it is to choose a registry service that works well for you, your employees, your registrants, and gift-givers (family and friends). In addition to working well, the registry service should offer your store good value (price vs. results).
When looking for registry software, some retailers consider Gift Reggie for their registry service. Gift Reggie offers gift registry creation and management features that integrate with a retailer's Shopify ...
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How Store Owners Can Trade Wasted Labor Costs For a New Tesla Car
March 10, 2024
No one likes to pay for gas—just ask Tesla drivers. Chris Kornelis, a reporter for The Wall St. Journal, shares this week how he switched to a Tesla to save $100 a month ($1,200 a year!) on gas.
This story is important to us because if someone will pick a car to save $1,200 a year, we should be able to find what they need to save in order to pick Shop Local’s Online Store. Let’s learn from Chris and his Tesla choice.
Making Replacement Savings Easy to See
The new ...
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How registrants can share their top registry items with family and friends.
February 21, 2024
Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: Your registrants can now designate an item on their registry as a most wanted item.
When a registrant marks an item as a most wanted item, the item is noted with a star and the text "This is a Most Wanted Item." This is displayed on the registry list and shares the registrant's top choices with family and friends.
If you have the gift registry service active, please follow these steps to view this new feature:
I saw this Instagram post from official Mark Levine and thought, “How much are the Amazon lobbyists paying our officials?” NYC continually over taxes our indie businesses and fines them—but we’ll build six marinas for Amazon? (Mark said three marinas, but it’s actually six marinas.) The main culprits behind this: Mayor Adams and the Economic Development Corporation (EDC). Amazon is one of the richest companies in the world. Jeff Bezos, the founder,...
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How Amazon privatizes public spaces for its own profit
February 14, 2024
This is a daily sight on 8th St. in the East Village of New York City, a spot historically chockablock with indie, brick-and-mortar shops. This is an Amazon truck and freelancers who have taken over the street (it’s a no standing zone) and sidewalk as their own. This is one way Amazon sells things for less: it turns public streets and sidewalks into its “warehouses” and “stores.” Imagine you’re a local business with a roof and rent. You can’t compete ...
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Designer Don Estabrooks just may have the most compelling flatware portfolio ever. The longtime Towle Silversmiths designer joined the company in the mid-’60s and has created hundreds of flatware patterns in an almost six-decade (and counting) tenure.
Perhaps his greatest achievement is Wave, which debuted in 2004 to rousing fanfare and has been at the top of the charts ever since. Chris Wile, another longstanding staffer (33 years), is president of Lifetime Brands/Metals (which owns ...
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As the new year is underway, there’s reason to be bullish (or, at least, not bearish) about what 2024 may have in store. Holiday retail sales increased 3.1% despite lingering inflation, thanks to robust job growth and strong wage gains, which came as a big relief for retailers. Price-conscious consumers are still spending, suggesting the economy is strong. “What we’re seeing this holiday season is very consistent with how we’re thinking about the economy, which is that it...
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Step into the New Year with new linens by Yves Delorme! From January 19 to February 4, Feathers is offering 40% off select discontinued designs in Bed & Bath and Accessories & Bathrobes and 20% off classic bed linens (Athena, Flandre, Roma, Triomphe). Stop in at 5408 Walnut St. to see the selection.
Stay warm this Winter with 2 great sales at Feathers. Scandia Home items are 20% off through January 14th. Concurrently, Sferra products are 20% off through January 15th. All Scandia Home and Sferra products; bed & bath, robes & accessories, comforters & pillows, table linens, and more, are included except for custom/bespoke items. Stop in at 5408 Walnut St. in Shadyside to see the selection or place an order. Click here to shop the Feathers section on this website. (More products ...
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Perfect for gifting and for Christmas Eve reading, The Magic of Old St. Nick children's book series brings Italy's Santa Claus, Babbo Natale, to life and is written by VIETRI Founder Susan Gravely. 📚🎅🏼
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How a checklist can be used as a valuable tool for existing clients or prospects.
December 20, 2023
This past Thanksgiving, Austin Kleon, the author of "Steal Like an Artist" and other inspirational books, shared a free gratitude journal via his weekly email newsletter. (Please view that clever, hand-drawn journal here: https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/a-gratitude-zine) A part of this journal is making a list of what one is grateful for. (He also has an ad lib for gratitude!) I can imagine him having a gratitude checklist. A checklist is a very efficient tool to deliver...
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How to share your Shop Local Store and gift registry service on social media.
December 18, 2023
Your Shop Local Store has a new feature: We've added a new "Social Media" section to your Marketing Materials page. This new feature makes it easy to promote your Shop Local Store and registry service on your social media account.
In the "Social Media" section, you'll find a graphic and the following text that you can post on your social media account:
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Receive wedding registry gifts via our store in just four steps:
A recent study conducted by Jungle Scout reports that many consumers prefer to support small and local businesses for their holiday shopping. 20% reported they will buy holiday gifts from indie stores, up from 10% last year. The report ranks independent retailers in 4th place for in-store shopping, surpassing Costco, Walgreen's Best Buy, Sam's Club, Macy's and Home Depot.
The article shares 53% of consumers bought online from independent stores on Small Business Saturday as reported by ...
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Kate Spade New York tableware and accessories has for two decades held a singular spot on retail shelves and on customers’ tables thanks to a timeless charm and chic stylings. Even after 20 years, the fun, fresh, playfully sophisticated, and refreshingly original collections from Lenox occupy a unique niche in the tableware pantheon.
Kate Spade’s contribution to fashion cannot be understated. She became synonymous with fashionistas everywhere when she started her fashion ...
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