I chuckled when I was asked to author this column, as I have been known to have the last word from time to time. As I prepare to leave the industry that has given me so much (I eagerly accepted the opportunity to work in the gift and home area in 1986), I can vividly recall the excitement I felt when I first entered the creative space that we get to live and work in every day. I have been exposed to scores of creative people; I met and worked with artists and buyers who were inspired and ...
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EMON MAASHO, CEO AND PRESIDENT OF ORREFORS, NORTH AMERICA, is representative of the exciting trajectory in this 125-year operation. The über-exec joined the New Wave Group in 2013, a time when Orrefors and Kosta Boda (OKB) were underperforming assets in the portfolio. "Our crystal brands are national treasures and a part of Swedish history," Maasho affirms. And he wanted a front row seat in their revitalization. Maasho was placed in charge of the new hotel and restaurant division ...
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QUEEN ELIZABETH WOULD CERTAINLY APPROVE. Herend's Queen Elizabeth Collection, which includes a ten-piece tea set, bonbon, and corgi Fishnet figurine, is targeted not just to Anglophiles and fans of the Queen, but to anyone who wishes to own a beautiful, unique piece of Herend, says Kimberley Kimball, president, Martin's Herend Imports. "When the Queen passed last year, the Herend manufactory sought out our input about their idea of creating some commemorative pieces celebrating her 70-year ...
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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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It was October 2021, and I had just finished my first in-person trends seminar since the pandemic impacted all industry shows. At the end of the image-packed program, an audience member raised her hand and challenged, “Do trends even matter anymore?”
It was a valid question. The pandemic had disrupted business, upended supply chains, transformed education, revealed vulnerabilities, altered priorities, and unexpectedly claimed many lives. The question was tinged with cynicism. Pent...
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Susan Gravely – alongside her sister, Frances, and mother, Lee – founded VIETRI 40 years ago after a serendipitous vacation where they discovered the charms of Italian ceramics. Gravely’s new book, Italy on a Plate, equal parts travelogue/cookbook/memoir, is a culinary delight celebrating four decades of bringing the best of Italy’s tableware to an adoring fan base.
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You and I go back almost to the start of VIETRI in 1983. [Editor&rsquo...
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Owning a business is no small feat, but in recent years, women have taken on starting their own businesses, leaving the nine-to-five to become entrepreneurs. In 2022, they were more likely to start a business than men. Last year, women-owned businesses had higher earnings growth (27% increase) than male-owned firms (22%). Still, male-owned businesses received $93,000 in funding, while women-owned businesses received $56,000. There are nearly 13 million women-owned businesses in the U.S., and the...
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We're happy to see four brands promote Bridge's Shop Local platform in Tableware Today's June/July 2023 issue.
The brands promoting Shop Local include:
Bordhallo Pinheiro
Carmel Ceramica
Mary Jurek
Vista Alegre
In the advertisement, the brand displays our ShopLocal.org logo.
A brand shows the logo so that retailers know they can easily sell the products shown. When a brand offers our Brand Syncing service, a retailer can instantly display the brand's entire product ...
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HEREND HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR ITS BRILLIANT WHITE PORCELAIN SINCE 1826. ON THE EVE OF THE HUNGARIAN MANUFACTORY’S 200TH ANNIVERSARY (YES, WE’RE A TAD EARLY), WE SALUTE HEREND’S GOLD AND WHITE DINNERWARE DESIGNS, IDEAL EXEMPLARS OF CLASSIC ELEGANCE.
HEREND IS KNOWN AROUND THE GLOBE AS ONE OF PORCELAIN’S finest producers, a favorite of royalty, aristocracy, and folks like you and me who appreciate unparalleled quality and exquisite craftsmanship. Herend’s smooth white ...
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MARIPOSA HAS ADDED A NEW CATEGORY WITH THE CLEVERLY TITLED TRAYCHIC, A COLLECTION OF 50 STYLISH HEAT-SAFE TRAYS COMPOSED FROM A STATE-OF-THE-ART RESIN COMPOUND APPROVED FOR FOOD AND SAFE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.
MARIPOSA – the Massachusetts brand launched almost 40 years ago by Livia Cowan, who had a vision that tableware could be created from 100% recycled glass and aluminum – brings that same sustainability agenda to a new category, TrayChic! (exclamation point all theirs). “...
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Do you have a good friend at work? These days, fewer people do. According to the New York Times, 40 years ago, 50% of us had a close friend at work; that number has dropped to less than 20%. Work has become a more transactional place. We go to the office to be efficient, not to form bonds. We may have plenty of productive conversations, but we also have fewer meaningful relationships. That’s not a good thing because work friends play a big part in our happiness.
We're happy to see five brands promote Bridge Shop Local in Tableware Today's April/May 2023 issue.
The brands promoting Bridge Shop Local include:
Bordhallo Pinheiro
Carmel Ceramica
Mary Jurek
Pampa Bay
Vista Alegre
In the advertisement, the brand displays either Bridge’s ‘B’ or our ShopLocal.org logo.
A brand shows the logos so that retailers know they can easily sell the products shown. When a brand offers our Brand Syncing service, a retailer ...
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I was happy to see Tableware Today magazine share our experiences and lessons regarding the power of free shipping.
You're invited to read the article below:
.........................
THE LAST WORD
FREE SHIPPING PAYS OFF
by JASON SOLAREK
Most indie stores don’t have the technical ability or people power to track pricing and offer discounts like free shipping. Indie stores need this information or they’ll be left behind. This information can make a difference: in ...
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It’s a formidable task, overseeing product development for all of Lenox’s flatware brands, which includes Lenox, Kate Spade, Oneida, Cambridge, Hampton Forge, Reed & Barton, and Gorham. Your tenures at Oneida and Bed Bath & Beyond, as the tabletop buyer, provide a solid foundation for this position.
Prior to Oneida, where I was senior product marketing manager when Lenox acquired us, I was at Bed Bath & Beyond for 12 years, most recently as the tabletop buyer. My whole ...
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THIN AND SIMPLE says it all, a perfect moniker for Pampa Bay’s latest juggernaut, a throwback to the shapes and looks the company achieved in stainless steel, its one-time material of choice, a decade ago. Then, in 2016, Carlos Barbagallo, president and owner, decided to segue into the dishwasher-safe, tarnish-free porcelain that looks like metal, using a proprietary, state-of-the-art technology that’s neither painted nor glazed. “Thin and Simple is our homage to the looks we ...
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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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Bridge will pay 15% of your advertising costs for ads in Tableware Today and other applicable publications. For example, if you pay $2,000 for a Tableware Today ad, we'll pay you $300 towards the ad.
Benefits:
Save money. Make your advertising budget go further.
Get more retailers to sync your products.
Sell more. When retailers join you on Bridge, they report selling 18% more.
Show your indie retailers you support the shop local movement.
There’s nothing quite as cozy as grandma’s house. It’s like a warm snuggle of home cooked meals, fresh cut roses from the garden, doilies, chintz, needlepoint, vintage furniture, wallpaper, a breakfront china cupboard, Earl Grey in a collection of English bone china teacups, and lavender oil that soothes the senses and transports you to carefree days of yore.
The Granny Chic or Grandmillennial trend is all the rage, particularly among millennials. It’s an expression of...
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We're happy to see five brands promote Bridge Shop Local in Tableware Today's February/March 2023 issue.
The brands promoting Bridge Shop Local include:
Bordhallo Pinheiro
Carmel Ceramica
Mary Jurek
Pampa Bay
Vista Alegre
In the advertisement, the brand displays either Bridge’s ‘B’ or our ShopLocal.org logo.
A brand shows the logos so that retailers know they can easily sell the products shown. When a brand offers our Product Syncing service, a ...
Read More