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 Worth Waiting For
Dear friends,
Imagine a line eighteen customers deep at your check-out counter—all day long. Time, one of their most precious commodities, was obviously worthy of your discriminating product selection and hospitable service. 
Why would people wait
30 minutes for coffee? |
Although exhausted, you'd most likely be doing the happy dance at the close of each business
day. Sure, with a never ending stream of customers, you might have some occasional staffing
and inventory issues, yet the day's substantial revenue would be a bit exhilarating, wouldn't it?
To a retailer with big dreams and a bank note due, it could feel like paradise found.
Dreams are good. So is reality.
In building 3, at this summer's Americasmart Atlanta Gift and Home Market thousands of
individuals were rushing throughout the lobby as if on an adrenaline high. Buyers were seeking
the next big thing and exhibitors were eager to man their temporary exhibits.
Yet despite the obvious chaos, peace and calm existed in the lobby.
At one place. Starbucks.
And not just in the morning. Throughout the day I observed the line of customers at Starbucks
was exceptionally long—very long—despite Starbucks brand coffee served in three different
nearby locations.
I stood back and thought to myself, "What would make anyone wait 30 minutes for a cup of
coffee?" My second thought was, "How can we, as retailers, create an overwhelming demand
for our product and service?" Frankly, I wouldn't stand in line at Starbucks for more than ten
minutes, yet I would at Chipotle in anticipation of enjoying a much loved chicken burrito bowl.
So what's the secret sauce of places like Starbucks and Chipotle and what can we learn from
them?
No risk, no surprises - Customers know what they're getting. Every single time. Quality
product offerings. Service with a smile.
Can your customers always count on hospitable and gracious service? Do most of your product
offerings reflect a consistent quality? Is your gift wrap unique? Does it reflect your brand?
Personalization - At Starbucks, speciality coffee drinks are customized to your liking. Double
Vente Latte with skim milk and a half shot of peppermint and a half shot of chocolate, anyone?
Although Chipotle's product offering is narrow, you have the opportunity to customize your
topping ingredients. Have lunch or dinner, your way.
No wonder products offering customization are so popular today. Many jewelry and accessories
lines offer a variety of adornments and charms. Oils and vinegars can be combined to create
culinary masterpieces. Individual letters create wall art with your own unique message. Is it time
to add even more products offering personalization?
Somethings never go out of love - Unlike most food venues, Chipotle infrequently changes
their menu, if ever. They don't have to. Why not? Their existing ingredients offer the palette,
when mixed, a variety of tastes and flavors.
Let's face it, we often tire of product long before customers do. This doesn't mean you shouldn't
have "new." You should! Yet, you might be doing yourself (and your customers) a disservice
when you quit carrying long-loved and much cherished product lines. Think about it. Many of
these products are what made you successful in the first place.
Find an on-trend category you're passionate about and make a statement with it -
Consider creating a "boutique within a boutique" in your store. Become the go-to spot for
accessories, candles, gourmet food, clothing, books, or stationery to name a few.
Here's what I know for sure. When today's time-pressed, and overwhelmed consumers wait
patiently for a surprising amount of time, they are speaking loudly. Very, very loudly. It's a
place, product, and service that's worth waiting for. Is yours?
Wishing you a lifetime of long lines and happy customers.
Truly,
Cheryl Karpen
As a speaker, author and product developer, Cheryl Karpen thrives on telling stories that inspire the heart and mind. With nearly a million gift books sold, her self-publishing company, Gently Spoken, is best known for the Eat Your Peas Collection (www.gentlyspoken.com). Cheryl can be reached at 877-224-7886 or at cherylkarpen@aol.com.
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Featured Vendors
 indicates a CAMEO EZ© web site.
 AHS Lighting Has been providing affordable lamps and lamp shades for over 40 years. We offer gift & home accent lamps and shades. Our sales and customer service department will exceed your expectations with timely delivery and friendly service. You can create your own lamp with our mix & match program.
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 Badash Crystal : Our broad selection of mouth blown tabletop and decorative accessories from around the world will surely meet your needs. Every piece is individually and safely boxed. We offer superb quality and value for all your gift giving, bridal and/or personal pleasure.
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 Bridge Brands Chocolate was created to provide chocolate lovers with gourmet-quality, superbly packaged chocolate at a non-gourmet price. Since debuting in 1999, our chocolates have become a favorite with San Francisco locals and visitors alike.
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 Camille Beckman is known worldwide for the quality of their fine creams and lotions. For the past 18 years, this 'Made in America' product has been rated #1 in the personal care industry and continues to offer formulas based on rich and wholesome ingredients, blending small batches and using hand-crafted, old-fashioned methods that create a difference you can feel! Being that personal care products are an indispensable item for many gift shops, Camille Beckman is a natural choice because of their 27 years of service to the locally owned gift industry.
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 Clarissa Tumblers: The Clarissa Tumblers' motto is: There's no order that's too big or too small - we do them all! Our customers are our priority and enjoy receiving our services to provide them with quality custom and personalized tumblers for their weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, golf tournaments, family reunions, custom brand marketing, and more. Clarissa Tumblers is passionate about tumblers, and knows that their tumblers are second to none, and pride themselves on their superior customer service.
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 Coast Lamp Manufacturing was established and incorporated in the state of Florida in 1955. Now, a North Carolina Corporation since 1975, located in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. We are a family owned and operated company. Our product is UL/ULC listed and approved and made in the USA. Customer satisfaction and a long lasting relationship are our goals. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you.
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 Custom Wood Gifts (formerly Sheila's) offers an assortment of architectural and specialty gift items for the home, office, or your next event. Each replica is made in the USA using a unique process to match the original design and customer specification.
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 Divinity Boutique is a gift company that is focused on trendy and fun gifts that feature inspirational verse and themes.
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 Elegant Baby Elegant Baby® understands that babies deserve style just as fresh as they are! Our marvelous collection of baby products is full of bold colors and spectacular designs. From traditional to contemporary, today's baby gift is sure to become tomorrow's treasure. Products ranging from My First Rubber Ducky to My First Baby Bible, My First Baby Blankie, My First Baby Jeans to the iconic silver spoon, Elegant Baby is where style meets tradition.
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 Europa Home decorincluding glass, candleholders and candles for garden, lodge, awards, gourmet food, sale items and more.
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 FoneFace features fun, colorful, stretchable smart phone covers, "created by a kid for kids". Christian "Crash" Sanchez was a high school freshman when he created the fun covers many with an animal theme.
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 Galt International is a family owned and managed company with its Headquarters in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. We also maintain fully staffed buying offices in China to oversee our procurement efforts there. Started in 1996, Galt International continues to grow as a major provider to the gift and decorative accessories markets in the United States and Latin America.
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 Gently Spoken: Our dream is to touch a million hearts with words of affirmation and encouragement. Thanks to YOU, our dream is becoming a reality. PEAS are changing hearts and lives! Turn the pages and you'll discover why. Featuring the "Eat Your Peas" books.
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 GetSassy's has fun, colorful, cool, hip gifts that are sure to bring a smile to everyones face! From flour sack towels to baby and toddler t-shirts, koozies, wooden memo holders and linens, Get Sassys designs make shopping fun!
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 Gina B. Designs is an award-winning greeting card, gift and stationery products company featuring exceptional art and design. With an array of styles, variety of products and outstanding customer service, Gina B. Designs has "something for everyone." All products are proudly made in the U.S.A.
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 Highland Graphics : a leader in functional gift with decorative items for gift giving and kitchen. From our topselling Absorbastone coasters, to our decorative bamboo cutting boards, everything we manufacture is made in the USA. Our high quality plus competitive pricing lets our customers make higher margins. We feature licensed art, official collegiate products and have a full range of custom capabilities with low minimums.
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 JTP Wholesale : JTP Wholesale is a wholesale website offering monogrammed bathroom tissue, coasters and a line of t-shirts for the young and old: Future Jock t-shirts and onesies and X-Jock adult t-shirts.
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 Julia Knight : Designer Julia Knight creates bowls and trays, glassware and serving pieces with meticulous patterns and shapes, color and hue.
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 Leslie Handpainted Glass : Leslie Hand Painted Glass is Proudly Painting in Portland Oregon USA
Specializing in Custom & Regionally Specific Designs - Personalized Wedding & Bridal Parties - Corporate Gifts & Events.
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 Luvali Convertibles features "all things reversible or convertible", including women's and children's clothing, hats, handbags, handheld electronics cases and more.
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 Malibu Creations collection of affordably chic home décor will turn your decorating daydreams into reality with fun and stylish designs inspired by the warm colors of sun-kissed beaches, the refreshing comforts of mountainside resorts, and the vibrance of today's active lifestyle. Malibu Creations believes you should be able to decorate and redecorate your home as inspiration strikes, and with the company's smart prices, you don't have to miss out on a single design trend you love. Live your life in affordable luxury as you spend time with family and friends in your beautifully decorated home, enjoying an evening of dining on the patio or just relaxing in a cozy, sunny nook in the living room.
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 Mya Grace features unique jewelry, keychains, watches and snaps. Mya Grace donates a portion of our profits to childrens cancer research.
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 Nicole Brayden Gifts : A bright and fun collection of stationery, mugs, party supplies, handbags and many other cute gifts.
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 Nissan Edutainment: "VIPO Adventures of the Flying Dog" is an exciting 3D animation in seven languages - English, Spanish, French, Italian, Hebrew, Portuguese and Russian (User Defined)- aimed at young audiences and their families. VIPO, a cuddly cute dog, learns how to use his exceptionally long ears to fly! Together with his friends, Henry the stork and Betty the toy cat, VIPO sets out from his home in Vipoland to explore the world. Along the way, they learn about new places and cultures in many exciting fun-filled adventures.
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 Pure Factory Naturals: With over a decade of experience in natural skin care, PUREfactory Naturals delivers a fresh and fun approach with a modern and sincere take on skin care. Our commitment speaks loud and clear: natural is best and simplicity is beautiful.
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 Red Carpet Studios, Ltd.: All Jazzed Up™ Fashion Accessories for Fall & Spring. A wide range of Giftware for the Home & Garden. Visit our website for New Products & Specials.
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 snoozies!® are not socks and they're not slippers - sort of a crossover between the two and that's why we call them "foot coverings"! snoozies!® are made with a brushed fleece exterior in colorful & fun printed patterns and then lined with a soft Sherpa fleece inside.
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 Shade Tree Greetings' "Actual Pictures" are recognized as one of the best-selling greeting card lines in the industry. Nostalgic photographs and clever, funny verses make these cards a success. Go to our website to browse over 300 styles. GREAT introductory programs and free fixtures.
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 Stupell Industries : one of America's premier suppliers of handcrafted decorative accessories for upscale homes and offices. In business for over 30 years, our line includes a wide variety of baby products, kitchen and bathroom plaques, wall hangings, faux windows, picture frames, and other unique decorative objects. We are constantly enlarging and updating our product offering to keep abreast of the latest trends and styles in the fast-paced home decorative market.
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 Sunbelt
Marketing Group, Inc. Licensed and non-licensed products tailored for the men's market. Items include both functional and decorative giftware for the home, i.e. wall décor, clocks, shelves, coat and key racks, etc. Licenses include Coca-Cola, General Motors, Ford, Carroll Shelby, Farmall, John Wayne and Elvis Presley. Product mediums include wood, resin, ceramic, glass and mixed mediums. Sunbeltgifts recently developed its own line of gifts for the aviation market and acts as a contract manufacturer.
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 Sunday Greetings
is a greeting card company that started when Brenda Kellman made a homemade birthday card for her husband Alan. Brenda's photography is on the cover of the company's greeting cards for every occasion.
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 Tripar International Inc.: Tripar International is your source for both displays and decorative accessories. Our extensive product line includes a wide assortment of easels, risers, ornament stands, plate racks, mirrors, jewelry displays, and unique display pieces. We are also an excellent source for wine accessories, wall decor, inspirational signs, and cookbook stands. We offer quality with style, low minimums and fast shipping.
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 Under Stella's Umbrella features long-time favorites Bellemonde and Finewhines, plus newer lines like Whispers, as well as Garden Party, The Born Identities, and Pewter-A-Peel. Products range from luggage to tabletop to baby products.
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 Wellspring makes functional products with fresh designs for companies that sell gifts. Great fun and cute personal accessories designed for the purse, stationery designed for organization and Flip Notes- the best-selling slim notepad consistently ranked by retailers as a top 10 in sell through. Perfect 4th quarter pick up gifts at under $10 retail- a sweet spot with today's consumer. Now with collegiate logos! www.WellspringGift.com.
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 White Mountain Puzzles is ahead of the pack when it comes to puzzles with educational content. Why not learn something while doing a puzzle? If you love to travel, why not put together an entertaining birds eye view of KEY WEST, MARTHA'S VINEYARD, BOSTON or NEW ENGLAND? Or work on a puzzle of states like MICHIGAN, ILLINOIS, OHIO, VIRGINIA, NORTH CAROLINA or GEORGIA? Or learn something about PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY or THE CIVIL WAR? These challenging projects take artists like DAVID HARRISON WRIGHT, DEB MARCONI, GARY TORISSI, and MAUREEN RUPPRECHT months to create.
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 Wild Habitat Lin Mfg & Design (Wild Habitat) is located in Logan, UT, and is a manufacturer of hosiery and apparel. BAMBOO Loungewear and MICROFIBER Seamless Cami/boyshort are new additions to their collection. Other items that are part of their Wild Habitat Collection are: Baby Booties, Plush Hats, Backpack Buddy's, and over 100 designs of socks.
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 Zingz And Thingz : Located in Santa Monica, California, Zingz & Thingz proudly offers more than 700 products to retailers. The company's merchandise strengths are in our wide selection of affordable and fun Garden Decor items and our continually expanding Lighting collection. Discover Zingz And Thingz' extensive collection of fun and functional products today and put a little zing in your life.
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Quick Industry News
TRADE SHOW NEWS
 LaDean Diercoff shows off her Sassy Stuff line at the Atlanta Market. Sassy Stuff has UNIQUE girly gifts, embellished with rhinestones, embroidery & hand printed “attitude” phrases. Wine tipsies (to keep wine cold), “boobie” wine glasses, mink flip flops, flasks, wine bottle covers - to name just a few. Many zebra, leopard, camouflage (some guy stuff too!) & western styles. Most retail under $25.
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New (or New Look) Wholesale Websites
 Toland Home Garden opened its new OmegaNet B2B website this month. Since 1976, Toland Home Garden has delivered style & substance with art flags and decorative garden products packaged to attract sales. Toland has brought production home to the USA! All of the company's new sublimated flags are printed in the Toland facilities in Port Townsend, Washington. Toland flags are produced with outstanding color, quality, and designs.
 Banded has a new CAMEO EZ© wholesale website. BANDED™ headbands are the original no slip, automatically adjusting headbands that fits both children and adults. The company's patent-pending design allows you to wear your BANDED™ headband all day long without getting a headache and prevents the headband from pinching or pulling your hair. Due to the soft velvet lining that keeps the headbands on, you can focus on the day and not worry about looking in the mirror to adjust it.
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