Jim Shreve made Baccarat hip. Now, he and his longtime partner, Mark Brashear, along with Sally Burnside, the former Baccarat sales V.P., intend to do the same for DeVine Corp., the 32-year-old distributor of elite European brands. You're invited to the opening!
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Congrats to you all. This is very exciting. Tim, we’ve known each other since before you started DeVine Corp., 32 years ago. You’ve been looking for the right opportunity to retire. TIM ...
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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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I have a friend who recently took a job with a respected women’s clothing retailer after 13 years of retirement. My friend, Leslie, a former school teacher, wanted to be of use and knew that retail was a great opportunity for seniors. She was all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed her first week. She loved that the manager asked her to try on clothes she liked and then suggested outfits that would look good on her. Leslie even purchased a few of those suggestions, couture she never would have ...
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I have a stack of virtual news clippings that either struck my fancy, taught me something new, or just made me shake my head in bemusement. On their own, they may not be enough for me to make a point, but together they have a thought-provoking synergy (and I'm sure I'll figure out what that is by the end of this column).
Our industry has been negatively affected by the loss of American manufacturing after we entered a long stretch of automation and outsourcing in the late 1970s; every ...
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Work With the Nation's Leading Brands and Indie Shops to Support Main Street
Shop Local is a fast-growing e-commerce and gift registry platform providing services to leading independent retailers and premium brands. Based in New York, NY, Shop Local is seeking candidates to support the existing software and build out new services that will change the retail industry.
Shop Local has an opening for an entry level web developer to update the existing code base and write new applications. We are...
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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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Parkleigh is hiring! Print out this application (there are 5 pages) and attach your resume. Drop it off in person at at 215 Park Avenue, or submit it electronically to [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
Some people like to sit on the sofa and eat Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. I roll my eyes at this because I’m very different: I like to read the Wall St. Journal’s Christopher Mims …while eating an entire pint of Ben & Jerry’s on the sofa. This past weekend, Mr. Mims suggested companies may be reassessing where they source products, some even considering more domestic production. The motivation for this started a few years ago with the U.S.-China trade war, ...
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That is the question my family posed to me last night during our more-frequent FaceTime conversations.
With the passing Labor Day weekend, students entering their in-person or online school year, and the ending of a strange summer season during a global pandemic, people are looking forward to a time that can bring spirit and happiness to the darkness: the holidays.
But how holly and jolly will this holiday season be in terms of shopping? After all, the holidays are notorious ...
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March 9, 2020
March 9, 2020
Three quarters of 2017 high-school seniors said they expected to get married—almost the same as in 1976, but just 50% of these Americans will likely be married, shares today’s WSJ. In marriage’s place, cohabitating is growing.
A corollary to marriage is employment, and research shows that closing manufacturing plants shrinks marriage rates, whereas jobs with standard schedules and fringe benefits increase marriage.
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February 28, 2020
February 28, 2020
Grocery stores are increasingly turning to robots—some with cute paste on eyes—to replace humans. While the eyes are cute, what does this mean for employment for the low skilled?
One way that Amazon keeps prices low is not hiring low-skilled workers when it can replace them with robots.
Amazon and Chinese companies have teamed up to bypass Main Street and ship goods directly to doorsteps. This is hurting American manufacturing as well as local city governments. To accomplish this, they're misleading Americans by putting out press releases that cherry-pick statistics.
Follow these 3 steps to see the issue at hand:
1. In an Amazon press release last week, Amazon claimed:
"Independent third-party sellers – primarily small and medium-sized businesses – ...
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February 19, 2018
February 19, 2018
Are you a local shop? Then these stats here from Carol Schroeder show why youβre important to your community.
$48 of every $100 stays in the community when you shop at an indie store. $14 of every $100 stays in the community when you shop at a chain store. Indie stores contribute: 3X MORE :)
For every $10 million in sales at a brick and mortar store, they employ 47 people. For every $10 million in sales at Amazon, it employs 19 people. Indie stores contribute: 2X MORE to local employment :)
What does a future with Amazon look like for you and your kids? The New Yorker paints an interesting picture on its front cover this week.
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April 17, 2017
April 17, 2017
From Sunday's NY Times, this article highlights how retail is at a tipping point with the shift from brick & mortar to e-commerce. While it is a big concern to all, we have you covered: Bridge has helped its retailers process 32% more in sales over the last year vs the year before. Bridge's mobile retail software has seen an increase of 55% year over year. As the retail landscape continues to shift, we are moving right along with it.
We have an employment opportunity. Full time. Immediate hire.
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December 5, 2009
December 5, 2009
Luxury makes a comeback from Fortune magazine
Jaguar, Oakley, and other brands are trying to put the 'lux' back in luxury, despite the recession.
By Suzanne Kapner, writer December 3, 2009: 9:02 AM ET NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Here's what the financial crisis sounds like at the top of the income ladder: When asked how the recession had impacted her life, one banker's wife said, "The waiting list for a Birkin bag is a lot shorter."
She was referring, of course, to the coveted Hermès handbag. Each bag is ...
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October 24, 2009
October 24, 2009
New Yorker article suggests economy is bound to rebound
This New Yorker article by James Surowiecki suggests that in just a few years Americans (and the world) will be consuming like its 1999. And I think there is some truth to this. If one adds to this information from another recent New Yorker article about cycles (one theorist says a bust comes every 8.6 years), then we do seem destined to recover. Aka: more people will be buying home goods soon.
INCONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION by James Surowiecki ...
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July 19, 2009
July 19, 2009
How good or bad is your plate for the environment?
Wal-mart is going to put green ratings on its products, and accordingly is asking suppliers to report the product's environmental impact. What if tableware companies did the same? Is a Bernardaud plate more environmental than a Pickard one?
Please see article below. The logic is three-fold: 1) it helps the planet 2) makes your product cost less 3) puts you ahead of competitors. Consumers care what a product does to the environment.