What's new for Q2?

Who else is ready to kick off Q2 with me?  After several false starts, it now looks like spring is here to stay - at least south of the Mason Dixon line.

Q1 was wackadoodle in many ways, and my plate was full with a new line package (and the learning curve that comes with it) and getting my dad through a medical scare (which is all resolved and fine now).

Now it's time to refocus and reconnect.  Oh, and West Virginia - I haven't forgotten about you.  We'll be meeting this month now that snow-covered mountain passages are no longer a threat.

The most exciting development is the addition for four(!) new product lines that will add color, whimsy and laughter to your retail experience:

Dammit Dolls

FCTRY

Simply Whimsical

Umlaut Brooklyn

You may be familiar with Dammit Dolls as it's not a new line to market - only to my line package.  Each 12" creation is a sturdy stress management tool that can really take a whacking - just grab it by the feet and do a dammit slam when stress makes you ready to shout and destroy.  Each doll also has a side-splitting poem to encourage you to vent your frustration with it rather than causing property damage or getting arrested! 

Dammit Dolls are available in many prints but all have the same construction

Unicorn Snot is the most prominent collection from FCTRY.  Your tween customers especially will love this glitter gel collection of products for body, face & hair that will make them sparkle more than they already do!  Choose from Body Gel, Lip Gloss and new SPF30 Glitter Sunscreen.  Gel & lip gloss are available in 5 colors using cosmetic-grade glitter.

Glitter Gel & Lip Gloss from Unicorn Snot

Simply Whimsical was created out of a love for aprons and a passion for fashion.  All of the vibrant, cheerful fabrics are original designs, and the range has grown to include other domestic items such as oven mitts, pot holder, household gloves, "pot pinchers", shower curtains - and the super hot category of dish towels.

The Lemonade apron is also available in a coordinating oven mitt/pot holder/waffle towel set

Umlaut Brooklyn pairs vintage and retro-inspired graphics with irreverent, sometimes naughty humor on greeting cards as well as giftable items such as compact mirrors, business card holders, journals, magnets & notepads.

Just a few of the humorous greeting card options from Umlaut Brooklyn

As Q2 unfolds, I do expect more new product introductions that I will share with you as soon as they are announced.  Keep your shop's assortment fresh and keep customers coming back during the spring months when the weather we compete with changes from snow to sunshine!

Gift Ideas Under $25 - Green Tomato Pickles from Lauri Jo's

Green Tomato Pickles - the item that launched Lauri Jo's

Holiday entertaining and gift-giving will drive business for the remaining 8 weeks of the year, and your customer will be looking to you for fresh ideas to make their events unique and memorable.

Lauri Jo's is not only a welcome gift idea, it is also an easy way for your customers to add that special ingredient to their holiday meals and parties that will have their friends begging for their recipes.

Lauri Jo (she's a real person!) started the company with a few of her great-grandmother's recipes and began home canning - launching a growing and successful business that now offers over 40 products.

The first item was Green Tomato Pickles:

The Green Tomato Pickle is my HERO!!  It is what started my business and is still to this day my favorite product.  They are the real deal.  It takes 4 days to make this old-fashioned lime pickle....Chopped up, they make the best deviled eggs or chicken salad you will ever eat.  Some people eat them on grilled hamburgers.  Food Network serves them on Turkey Cheddar Melt sandwiches.

She works with local growers and suppliers to bring you the agricultural bounty of South Georgia, producing award-winning pickles, pepper jellies, salsas and other gourmet products, using locally-sourced and all-natural ingredients.

Pepper Jellies are available in 14 different flavors

The pickles and pepper jellies can retail for $8.95, making them easy additions to gift baskets and ideal for multi-unit selling because just one isn't enough!

The pickles are available in 6 different varieties, while there are 14 flavors in the pepper jellies.

All items taste great on their own, and they are often used as ingredients to add a new flavor dimension to common dishes - like with her meatball recipe which I had the good fortune to taste last week and can affirm they are delicious!

Gift Items $25 & Under - Drinks for Mundane Tasks from Knock Knock

You can always rely on Knock Knock for fun merchandise, so you won't be surprised that they have a plethora of items under $25 for all categories of gift-giving.

Drinks for Mundane Tasks features 70 convivial cocktail recipes to make even the dullest to-do lists more intoxicating.  The tedium of daily life requires at least as much spirit as special occasions do, and the recipes here will make you look forward to your household chores.

Author and aspiring mixologist David Vienna serves up drinks like The Grass Chopper (for mowing the lawn, pictured below), Three Sheets (for making the bed) and The Debt Charge (for paying bills).

It is a 128-page book that is easy to read with colorful graphics.  It's a humorous option for stocking stuffers, co-worker gifts, girlfriend gifts - but maybe not a teacher gift.

Retail it for $14.95 with some breathing room in your margin.

Let's get your store stocked now so you aren't caught off-guard when holiday business kicks in.  If you order at least $400, you will also receive a free half-dozen Fill in the Love Notes, Family version - a $48 retail value.

Holiday Gift Ideas $25 & Under - Aromatherapy Shower Bursts

Shower Burst Variety Packs - Signature, Wellness, Pure Essentials, Lifestyle & Citrus Collections (left to right)

Shower Bursts are the signature item from Hydra Aromatherapy and will quickly become a must-have item for your shop.  They are popular products because they are like a bath fizzie for use in the shower, are handmade with pure essential oils, come in fun packaging and are consumable - which means customers will return to buy more!

Shower Bursts are sold both individually and in boxed variety packs (pictured above).  The variety packs are an easy way for your customers to try different blends to discover their favorite.

Each variety pack includes 4 different scented shower bursts, a sachet that enhances the aromatherapy experience, and instructions for use on the back of the box.  Sachets help shower bursts last longer by allowing them to dry between uses.

To use, unwrap the shower burst and place it on a dish or in a sachet.  Wet briefly to activate.  As it dissolves, aromatherapy oils mix with the rising steam to provide a true spa experience.

Retail the variety pack for $20-$22.

If you order with me before the end of the year, I can offer you two promotions:

• Order $300 or more - receive 1 FREE case of individual shower bursts (your choice of fragrance)
• Order $500 or more - your freight charges are capped at 7% (in addition to the free case of shower bursts)

Let's get these on your shelves.  It's the unique gift that keeps your customers supporting you as a local, independent retailer.

Welcome summer with galvanized metal ornaments from Finding Home Farms

This was originally posted May 30, 2017 at my old blog.

Anchor galvanized metal ornament - Finding Home Farms

As summer approaches, your entertaining expands to the outdoors - and you find ways to bring the outdoors inside.

Add charm and authenticity to your décor with galvanized metal ornaments from Finding Home Farms.  Choose from shapes such as an anchor (pictured above), a starfish (pictured below), a mason jar, a vintage truck or a whale. 

Each adornment is strung on a white ribbon with a backer card for ease of merchandising at retail.  The ribbon also makes it ideal for embellishing gift packages or hanging as a simple, sophisticated home décor enhancement.

Starfish galvanized metal ornament - from Finding Home Farms

Ornaments are not just for specific holidays.  Use them as small favors when entertaining or as courtesy gifts for fellow garden club or book club members.  They can make any occasion more festive and make excellent mementos to mark celebrations or any memory-worthy event. 

Each piece is made in the USA and is refined by an "aging" process that creates the look of a vintage piece and adds character. 

Laura Putnam (half of the husband-and-wife team behind Finding Home Farms) is a published practitioner on metal crafting with her book Rustic Modern Metal Crafts (pictured below).  You can be sure her work is well-designed and high quality.

Laura Putnam's book - Rustic Modern Metal Crafts

I've focused here on the company's galvanized metal décor, but they also offer maple syrup products from the farm they own as well as a wonderfully-fragranced soy candle collection.

Lavender Evergreen soy candle - from Finding Home Farms

"Finding Home Farms is a family-owned, lifestyle brand that brings the best of the farm with our maple syrup products and the perfect ingredients for a welcoming home with our home décor offerings.  From hand-crafted maple syrup to soy candles and decorative home accessories, we proudly source and produce all of our products in the USA."

Creating ILLUME Fragrances

(Reposted from Illume's Burn Room blog)

Fragrance is often described as a unique language used to communicate a story and evoke emotions.  That's where the scents we create begin: with the stories they tell.  Each candle has a unique personality and our fragrance experts - or "noses" - are trained to develop that story by combining raw scents to create a complete fragrance.

Gen and Greta (our noses here at ILLUME) start with visual inspiration to develop the personality and fragrance story, putting together a mood board for each fragrance.  Once the story is created visually, a fragrance wheel is used to determine the scent's category.  The wheel consists of different scent families and helps us create well-rounded collections that offer fragrances from a wide range of scent categories.

We often look to fragrance trends as a guide when developing new scents.  Similar to a fashion expert following trends on the runway, knowing which fragrance trends are on the horizon is important when creating new products.  Current trends include:

• Super fruits and globally-inspired spices like turmeric and saffron
• Cuban-inspired scents like tobacco, leather and exotic fruit
• Gender-neutral/genderless scents

Each fragrance we create consists of raw materials that make up top, middle and base notes.  For example, the raw materials that create our Blackberry Absinthe fragrance are:

These raw materials are carefully considered and putting them together successfully is a combination of expertise, as well as trial and error.  Our experts know how each element smells individually and if those elements can come together to create an interesting, beautiful scent that reinforces the story.  Perfecting this comes with practice and there are often multiple rounds of revisions to ensure the scent is exactly how it should be.  The end result is always worth it!

Illume - new for 2017

This was originally posted January 2, 2017 at my old blog.

Sweet Hibiscus - one of Illume's new fragrances for 2017

First things first - I'm your new sales rep for Illume starting in 2017.  I'm sorry I couldn't tell you earlier, but professional courtesy still means something.

Having said that, Illume is rolling out its collection-based business concept for the new year.  There are now five distinct collections - each with its own buy-in.  The company has also worked hard to create a new shipping infrastructure to improve on-time delivery.

Sweet Hibiscus (pictured above) is a new scent for 2017.  It joins 9 existing fragrances in the Essentials collection - Illume's core group.

Coconut Milk Mango is a best-selling fragrance in Go Be Lovely

Go Be Lovely is the other collection continuing into 2017.  Both the fragrances and packaging are unapologetically flirty and feminine, and there are 2 new fragrances - Sugared Blossom and Golden Honeysuckle.  Also new is a demi hand cream as a companion to the best-selling demi rollerball perfume.

New collections include Brim & Bright with fresh, vibrant patterns paired with best-selling fragrances - including fragranced citronella candles! 

Narrative is another new collection that includes both home fragrance and body care items.  It's a premium collection with sophisticated packaging that incorporates some best-selling fragrances as well as 2 brand new ones - Copper Rose and Magnolia Blossom.

Grey Lavender candles from the new Collectiv collection

Collectiv is a new collection that includes home fragrance, body care - and new home care products!  It has 4 new fresh and simple fragrances with Scandinavian-inspired packaging.  There are 2 candle options pictured above, both in Grey Lavender.

Candles and body care remain strong categories for independent retailers, and I know you're always looking for something new and fresh to offer your customers.  Illume is a veteran player in the business, and you don't stick around this long unless you know what you're doing!

What's so special about Vance Kitira candles?

This was originally posted on August 25, 2014 at my old blog.

It's been almost 20 years since Vance Kitira,  inspired by nature, created a new candle with a texture and look reminiscent of tree bark and launched his signature Timber candle series.  You and I (as retailer and sales rep) have watched this business grow over the years, and we often forget the unique qualities that made us embrace these candles in the first place.

Timber candles are the original hand-poured distressed texture candle.  Initially it was produced in only 3 colors: Brown Sugar, Moss and Wine.  Even though they are now available in 25 colors, those three original offerings still rank among Vance Kitira's best sellers!

How They Are Made

All Timber candles are hand-poured in Vance's native Thailand in a facility owned by his family.  His ownership allows him complete creative control as well as quality control.  In fact, he spends about half his time at the factory ensuring excellence on both fronts.

Vance's fully refined paraffin wax has been hydro treated to remove impurities and color.  The result is a wax that is clear as water, odor-free, food-grade and smokeless during burning.  Fine dyes from England and 100% cotton wicks from the USA are shipped to Thailand for the production process.

To enhance each candle's shelf appeal (and make sure it doesn't stay on your shelves very long) each pillar and taper candle is banded with a palm leaf ring and a distinctively tied bamboo skin that secures Vance's hangtag and adds value by telling the Timber story.

The result is a beautifully crafted candle presented at a remarkably reasonable and competitive price.

How They Are Used

As appealing as the candles look in your store, they come to life fully when in use.  Their warm glow and unique burn pattern enhance any occasion.  When burned correctly, the wax on the pillars will melt into the candle to create a luminary effect as it burns down.

This brings us to the question you and I both get asked frequently - are Vance's candles dripless?  You can answer "yes" with confidence, but there is one caveat.  The end user needs to keep the burning candle clear of any drafts like those created by air-conditioning/heating vents and ceiling fans.  The moving air will unsettle the hot wax, changing the burn pattern and likely leading to drippage.

Timber candles should never be placed directly on a fabric or furniture surface.  Timber candle wax is saturated with color, and the dye may seep into wood crevices or leave color on fabric or synthetic surfaces.  This differentiates Vance's candles from less-expensive options that simply apply a layer of color over standard colorless wax, resulting in a red candle that is only red on the outside.

All Timber candles are unscented, making them ideal for entertaining or any event involving food service.  The long burn times mean your customer can light the candle once and not worry about it again.

Whether you're cozying up with a warm blanket and a good book, hosting dinner for 12 or planning an event for 250, Vance Kitira candles can create a mood that is tranquil, romantic or festive.

Sizes...including the Timber Pear

Timber candles are available as tapers, pillars and in the popular pear shape.  They are also available in limited colors in a goblet style, votives and an oblong multi-wick brick shape.

Much like the original Timber candles, the Timber Pear candle was introduced in 3 colors - only to take on a life of its own and become Vance's best-selling item for the last 4 years running!  Pear candles are a cost-effective way to get customer feedback on new colors.  You can also use them to add a punch of color (like pink) if you don't want the whole size assortment in that color.

I have seen many successful Timber candle displays, and the most common thread is that retailers group them together in a "I carry Vance Kitira candles" statement.

(Photo from Urban Merchant in Lynchburg, Virginia)

Let me know how I can help you grow your Vance Kitira business and make this holiday selling season a hit.  I'm available to work with you in person (with color samples), via phone, via email, via fax - whatever works best for you.