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Dec. 2009
2, San Francisco

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What You Do and Sell Makes a Difference!

by Cheryl Karpen

Whether you’ve wandered saucer-eyed through a trade show, browsed online in the comfort of your pj’s, or had a traditional face-to-face with your reps, you’ve spent the last several months meticulously planning this holiday season’s merchandise mix. You’ve strategically nestled ornaments inside of sixteen gorgeous Christmas trees. Your red and calloused fingertips are proof you’ve untangled zillions of twinkling lights. Your store window is simply magical—and your customers tell you so. Your events are the talk of the town. You, yes YOU, are a retail warrior!

It’s ___days until Christmas and admit it, you’re also exhausted. You need retailer therapy: a comfortable cushy pair of shoes and positive holiday projections from the media. And perhaps you also need a reminder…

What you do and sell makes a difference! You are a joy maker, a heart toucher, an HGTV-caliber interior designer and an executive level personal shopper.

So, this holiday season, take a moment. Sit back, close your eyes, and imagine ribbons being untied, boxes being torn open, floors covered in shredded gift wrap and…the pure joy on someone’s face when they’ve gotten just what they wanted. The gift book Sarah purchased at your store gives Kathy the courage to face another day; the charm bracelet Katie purchased for her college-bound daughter is a physical manifestation of a mother’s pride; the scarf Jessie receives from Aunt Sally reflects a one-of-a-kind bond.

The products you so carefully select to grace your store shelves help others express love and encouragement, beautify dozens of homes, celebrate unforgettable events, and create lasting memories.

Celebrate yourself for all you’re worth. You deserve it. You really do make a difference.

~ Cheryl Karpen is President of Gently Spoken and the author of the Eat Your Peas Collection, www.gentlyspoken.com. This article is an excerpt from her book, Eat Your Peas for Retailers.

Garden Gate Florist & Greenhouse of Abingdon, Illinois collected new winter accessories to donate to their local grade school and created a "Positivity" float that rolled through town during the Abingdon High School Homecoming Parade.

Alexa's Angels, a jewelry manufacturer known nationally for its inspirational designs, is declaring its first annual National Share Your Positivity Movement an unprecedented success. On October 11 - 17, 2009, America embraced the company's invitation to participate in National Share Your Positivity Week and helped people across the country stay positive and "pass on the positive."

More than 100 businesses nationwide committed to honoring the week and thousands of dollars worth of food, books, and other donations have been given to charities. Remarkably, in less than six months nearly 27,000 people contributed positive quotes and sentiments to the blog www.shareyourpositivity.org. In addition, thousands of Posi+ivi+y™ bracelets have touched the lives of thousands across the globe, and these numbers are still growing as the company encourage the public to continue contributing more posts.

"I just wanted to share that I sent a positivity bracelet to Tanzania, Africa to our 13 year old sponsored child. I hope this bracelet will give her some happiness and remind her that people do care," posted Sandie Lee of Sault Ste. Marie Ontario, Canada.

Notable donations made during National Share Your Positivity Week include:

• Great Western Bank, who collected and donated bikes for Realities for Children, a charitable organization dedicated to serving the unmet needs of abused and neglected children
• La Ti Da of Suwanee, Georgia collected non-perishable food for their local food pantry
• Leapin' Lizard Labels of Fort Collins, CO donated books on the power of positive thinking to its local school district
• The Present Moment of Libertyville, Illinois held a food drive and gave away free hugs
• S & K Collectibles of Independence, Iowa donated 10% of its sales on the 15th and 16th of National Positivity Week to breast cancer research.

Alexa's Angels donated $2,700, more than 100 percent of its profits made from all supporting Posi+ivi+y™ merchandise sold during the week, to Keeping Dreams Alive, a program designed to encourage children to follow their dreams and inspire them to make their dreams a reality. A full list of Positivity Partners and other businesses who participated can be viewed at www.ShareYourPositivity.org.

Quick Industry News

Forest Park, IL - Rocket USA, an 11-year veteran of the Toy and Gift Industry, has secured a licensing agreement with Major League Baseball (MLB) to expand its award winning Lubies^™ (pronounced "LUH-bees") brand of plush toys. The new MLB Lubies will boast the same quality design, 5-inch round size, and 0+ age rating as the non-licensed and original series of Lubies^™ animals; perfect gift for baseball fans of all ages.

The brainstorm of Joy Michel, former VP of Creative at Ty, Inc., and Michael Perry, CEO of Rocket USA, Lubies are a line of plush with charming ball-shaped designs. "Irresistible to Squeeze and Fun to Toss" is the marketing tagline for Lubies, which were first released at Toy Fair 2009.

The new baseball versions will include a baseball version of the "Did You Know" fact found on every Lubies hang tag featuring stadium artwork for each team. The initial set includes New York Yankees^™, New York Mets^™, Boston Red Sox^™, Chicago Cubs^™, Chicago White Sox^™, Los Angeles Dodgers^™, St. Louis Cardinals^™, Seattle Mariners^™ and Detroit Tigers^™.

Company's light-hearted golf collection is a hole-in-one!

Tucker, Ga. -- Mud Pie, an award-winning international gift company that offers products reflecting current trends and popular design, has expanded its popular Swingers collection to include more than 30 fashionable golf-themed gift items in fresh shades of green, pink, black and white. Recognizing the growing popularity of the sport and the industry's lack of golf gift items to reflect personality and trends, Mud Pie seized the opportunity to introduce a one-of-a-kind gift collection for golf lovers. From can cozy to frame golf tee holders and items that feature the saying, "Perfect excuse for afternoon cocktails," Mud Pie's Swingers collection continues to be a hit!

Featured Products: Golf Tee Frame - Dual colored faux patent leather frames feature two yellow golf tees in holder. Available in green/white, pink/green and black/white colors. 7" x 7" / MSRP $12

Golf Pouch and Key Fob Set - Dual colored faux patent leather zipper case features three golf tees on front. Faux patent leather key fob with golf tee and key ring. Available in green/white, pink/green and black/white. Pouch 8" x 5.7" / Key Fob 1.5" x 5.25" MSRP $14

Golf Tee Can Cozy - Dual colored faux patent leather wrapped cozy holds three yellow golf tees in holder. Available in green/white, pink/green and black/white colors. 4" x 3" diameter / MSRP $7

Golf Excuse Triple Notepad - Set of three golf themed notepads and polka dot pen. 3.25" x 5" / MSRP $14