Staff at manor department stores like Saks are finding success with Instagram and social media. The Information shares this:
……….
Tyler Bell was encouraging all her clients to “tag your bag.” Every time Bell, a Saks Fifth Avenue stylist in Troy, Mich., closed a sale, she asked the buyer to show off their purchase on Instagram and tag her account, @tyler.saks. Bell posts Saks inventory multiple times a day on Instagram Stories. Her 27,000 followers will...
Read More
It’s a 40th anniversary for the company founded by Colin Riggs (left) and Ned Voelker’s parents, Abigail and Ed Voelker. Over the last four decades, the entire family has created a curated collection of handmade tableware and giftware for the nation’s independent store retailers.
................................
Congratulations on a milestone 40th year in business. Are you surprised Abigails has endured? Ned Voelker: We are surprised. It’s a tribute to Ed and Abbie ...
Read More
This 3-quart oval stoneware casserole by Calaisio, created in Portugal and adorned with a fitting basket woven skillfully from sturdy exotic vines, is a perfect combination of form and function that can be used in the kitchen or on the table. An exquisite fusion of rustic charm, ideal for the presentation of the festive feast. The stoneware dish is oven safe, microwave and dishwasher Safe. Perfect for baking, cooking and serving. Available in 4QT as well. Wishing you a harvest of ...
Read More
These four-piece sets of handwoven, beaded napkin rings will look lovely on any table. Its tight weave, robust structure, and festively stunning flair make it the ideal finishing touch for any table arrangement. It's woven from natural vines with gorgeous rustic brown tones. Let the gourd times roll!
How restaurants, hotels, and tableware brands are using loyalty programs--and what indie stores can learn from this.
October 11, 2023
Perk-y
I recently read about a new loyalty program and wondered what we could learn from it. The founder of Eater and Resy, Ben Leventhal, has started Blackbird, a loyalty program service designed for indie restaurants, reports The New York Times (Read the article). Using the Blackbird app, a diner receives a perk for eating at a restaurant. The retailer sets tiers for which the user qualifies for the perk. For example, a restaurant, Nat’s on Bank in New York City, gives tier 1 customers ...
Read More
In the field of astronomy, “nova” refers to a star that suddenly becomes thousands of times brighter and then gradually fades to its original intensity. In the realm of tableware, an ORGANIC PEARL Nova bowl from Beatriz Ball shines brightly always.
Rimmed in sparkling metallic beads, enhanced by richly organic surfaces--and some featuring flirty curves--ORGANIC PEARL Nova bowls embody good design ... with unmistakable Beatriz Ball flair.Equally at home with your casual dinnerware ...
Read More
Babcock Gifts celebrates its 50th birthday in 2024. The bridal registry and gift shop opened in 1972 as a partnership that included interior design. In 1974, with the exit of one partner, the store focused on antiques, gifts, and bridal registry. Over the next 42 years, there would be growth into two stores before downsizing to one. In 2016, ownership changed and the store moved one block down, where it continues to be a destination for bridal registry and gift-giving. With the constant doom and...
Read More
What universal standards can teach us about simplicity regarding e-commerce platforms.
September 25, 2023
When Apple launched its new iPhones this month, one of its most noteworthy updates was replacing its Lightning charging cable with a USB-C. This was not a voluntary move or extension of Steve Jobs’s love of simplicity. Apple changed it because the European Union required them to, according to Ben Cohen in The Wall St. Journal. Now, just about every mobile phone in the world (forget just little ol’ Europe) will have one charging solution (USB-C).
Discover the men and women behind Baccarat’s enchanting creations.
« I joined Baccarat by coincidence, or rather by chance. For me, the company is a family affair: my grandfather and my father worked here, and like them, I share this love of our craft and of work well done. From a plan defined by the design office, I assemble all the components of the chandeliers, which arrive in already chiseled and pre-drilled pieces – pendants, octagons, and crystal prisms. Because my ...
Read More
Ginori 1735, a client using our Syncing service, was featured in a four-page Kering advertisement in the Times this past weekend. The ad promotes imagination and invites readers to enjoy a film.
We thank Kering and Ginori 1735 for supporting their indie retailers and their imaginations.
In the field of astronomy, “nova” refers to a star that suddenly becomes thousands of times brighter and then gradually fades to its original intensity. In the realm of tableware, an ORGANIC PEARL Nova bowl from Beatriz Ball shines brightly always.
Rimmed in sparkling metallic beads, enhanced by richly organic surfaces--and some featuring flirty curves--ORGANIC PEARL Nova bowls embody good design ... with unmistakable Beatriz Ball flair.Equally at home with your casual dinnerware ...
Read More
How competitive techniques can help lure clients and grow a network.
September 10, 2023
Andrew Chen shares in 'The Cold Start Problem' that many times, networks are competing in a zero-sum game. One network gets a customer to join their network and thereby not participate in another. For example, when a driver used Lyft instead of Uber, Uber, which Chen helped, lost. And it lost in two regards: Uber lost the revenue from the lost ride, and Lyft gained the revenue. Chen’s team was tasked with getting drivers to use all their time driving for Uber and thereby unraveling Lyft&...
Read More
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.” “
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, ...
Read More
How limited resources can motivate teams to accomplish goals and breed solutions.
September 3, 2023
India last month joined three other countries in the exclusive club that has put a craft on the moon. What’s unique about India’s accomplishment is that it did this at a fraction of what the U.S. spends on space exploration, shares Ben Cohen in The Wall St. Journal. While the U.S.’s NASA program has a $24b budget, India’s ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) budget is just $1.3b. India, which started its space program in 1963, is able to do more with less because of ...
Read More
Often described as flying jewels due to their remarkable colors, some male hummingbirds have learned to orient their bodies and feathers towards the sun to enhance the visual impact of their iridescent plumage and to heighten their appeal during courtship. It appears that Herend's hummingbird has learned this lesson well and has briefly stopped his dazzling wings so that their beauty can be appreciated from all angles. However, this avian acrobat won't sit still for long and in a blink of an eye...
Read More
How technology hurts the entertainment industry just like Amazon hurts the retail industry.
August 1, 2023
Over the last three decades, Hollywood and many that rely on the entertainment industry have embraced ordering goods over Amazon.com. Recap: Amazon is a technology company that often cuts costs by replacing humans with code and robots and bypasses local red tape like, um, taxes and labor rules. Hollywood writers, producers, and ticket goers embraced a technology company that made their lives easier but often at the cost of others (aka retail workers).