How a drawing on a bar napkin led to a software platform that processes trillions of calculations
April 15, 2024
In 2007, while sitting at the pub Moran’s with a beer, I drew a sketch on a napkin that would change our business. I drew a software model that would allow an indie store to instantly show (and sell) thousands of products online—without any labor. (The secret sauce: The respective brand would do the product update work for the merchants.) The immediate goal was to help my two retailers more efficiently load products onto their websites (and save me the boredom of doing it).
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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What is a Teacup Tuesday without a side? A beautiful apple strudel is served on a Tobacco Leaf dessert tray. We love this shape for baked goods but it can be used for so much more; sandwiches, appetizers, chocolate covered pretzel logs, asparagus, a jam and jelly tray or even in the bath to hold your secret serums!
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It’s hard to believe that MEPRA’s sophisticated technicolor collection FANTASIA is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year because its incandescent chromatic complexion is as fresh today as its 1989 debut.
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The brilliantly-hued fantasia comes from the Italian silversmiths Mepra, post-war business founded in 1947 by the Prandelli family, four generations fashioning flatware in the industrial Lumezzane Valley, about 90 minutes east of Milan. ...
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Inspired by decorative and architecture elements present in classic gardens, where time has passed, imprinting history, memories and personality, Bordallo Pinheiro has recreated a universe of expressive and interpretative potential. The Meaning is a collection made up of pieces that demanded the utmost effort of the brand’s production – excellent modelling, demanding assembly of the elements of each piece, rigorous selection of colors, glazes and paints, as well as painstaking hand ...
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In the new TheMeaning collection a secret garden is born where, among labyrinths, clearings, fountains and trees, we come across graceful flowers and plants arise, surrounded by birds and delicate insects. A place of delight and contemplation, full of symbolism and elements, which are always open to new interpretations. Through a concept which complements itself in a harmonious way, this dreamlike tour through Vista Alegre porcelain and crystal pieces, enriching TheMeaning’s ...
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Two ducks pose in their feathery finest with alternating colors of yellow, green, brown and terracotta fishnet offset by dramatic gold highlights. Their coy expression could be attributed to the fact that they know a secret: the logs they are sitting on aren't real. Herend's artists have done a masterful job painting in the faux bois style and only a close inspection reveals the true porcelain composition.
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TikTok and Amazon are battling in the retail space. TikTok wants to be a retailer, and Amazon wants to be more of an influencer platform. These two share the same goal: get users to share a product link, recommend the product, and get a cut of the sale, shares The Wall St. Journal.
This article and these companies speak to the power of affiliate marketing. One of Amazon’s long-standing secret growth weapons has been affiliate commissions, and influencers are a well-known ...
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BERTIL VALLIEN is a gift to glass. The impressive portfolio of this prolific artist is haunting, memorable, and mesmerizing.
His 60-year career, spent advancing the craft of sand-casting, is a study of one man's existential questioning actualized on hypnotic works of art.
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BERTIL VALLIEN IS A 60-YEAR KOSTA BODA ICON, DESIGNING FOR THE BRAND SINCE 1963.
He is one of Sweden's most celebrated glass artists with numerous awards and museums exhibitions around...
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Herend, a maker of fine tableware and giftware, was mentioned by the Stephanie Carter, the wife of the ex-Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter.
Excerpt:
“She added a few new pieces, including Herend ceramic figurines of a lion and a squirrel. “I called Ash ‘Lion’ and he called me ‘Squirrelly,’” she explained. “All these things make me feel like he’s with me in a great way, not in a preserved-in-amber way.” “
How premium plan tiers help businesses sell more and increase margins.
September 7, 2023
Dating apps are launching higher-priced premium tiers, according to last week’s The Wall St. Journal. Hinge offers a new $50/month plan, and Tinder is launching a $500/month plan. The League already offers a $1,000 plan. These pricey plans take the sting out of Bumble’s $60/month plan.
Why are companies offering such plans? Because even if Tinder only gets 10% of users, that's millions. Plus, the profit and margins are likely higher for customers using these plans. A normal ...
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Depictions of mythical mermaids differ strongly. Sometimes they are sirens of the sea luring sailors to their deaths with their song. Other times they are keepers of the ocean charged with rescuing mankind from accidents. Regardless of the mermaid's intent, the legends agree that they are elusive, alluring beauties. Herend's mermaid, with her soft smile, is not sharing her secrets today but even without her song, she still enchants. Perched on a giant clam shell with its pearlized core exposed, ...
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How we can honor those that came before us in the retail industry.
March 2, 2023
The founder of Juan Pollo Chicken, Albert Okura, passed away last week at the age of 71. Mr. Okura envisioned Juan Pollo, a fast food chain with 25 locations in Southern California, as a household name that would someday sell the most chicken in the world. He believed in this so much that he bought the site of the original McDonald’s restaurant, located in San Bernardino, CA, in 1998—not to turn it into a Juan Pollo restaurant but rather into a museum to honor his fast food industry....
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According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 50% of businesses fail within five years of opening; fewer still make it to their 10th anniversary. So a company with legs surely must doing many things right, right? Not necessarily. Even if you’re providing a great product or service, the most important requisite to success lies in the customer experience. If customers feel ignored by your support team after having a bad experience with a product or service, they’ll shift for a ...
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Excerpts:
- A report produced by groups seeking to block it pointed out that the number of Amazon facilities in New Jersey grew to 49 from one between 2013 and 2020, helping to nearly triple the number of warehouse workers in the state, to about 70,000.
- The Port Authority revealed the proposed lease with Amazon in August, the day its board voted to authorize the deal.
- Under the proposed deal, Amazon tentatively committed to investing $125 million in renovating two buildings ...
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If someone has an American flag flying on their porch and Amazon boxes often at their doorstep, maybe they should take the flag down and put up a Chinese flag. Amazon appears to be profiting by cutting out much our domestic retail community and instead helping Chinese businesses. And don’t expect Amazon to pay much in local taxes either.
This past weekend’s WSJ shares how third-party sellers, many of them from China, have flooded Amazon with spurious listings, leaving ...
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Last week, a gift shop in Alabama signed up for Bridge and had a coaching call with Jordyn, our retailer coach. Within one day, the retailer had a Bridge Store offering 15k products and a full suite of online services to serve its customers. (See the store's Bridge account here: https://shealeighs.bridgecatalog.com)
I’m even amazed at what our software can do! Our software requires a lot of parts to come together: our tech team codes the software, our coaches call the stores...
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year over at the Oprah Daily!! We are delighted to be chosen as an Oprah’s Favorite Things must-give gift this year! #OprahsFavoriteThings ๐๐
Pick up the latest @oprahdaily O Quarterly on Nov 9th!
Ring in the holiday season… Oprah has selected our Cantaria Breakfast Cup in Caramel, Greige, Sand and White as must-give gift for her Favorite Things List 2021!