February 2010

Positively Heather

Branding for brides

Heather Gooch

I recently accompanied a friend to a bridal show, and I was struck by how many of today's weddings are incorporating personalization into the process. Photographers are offering wedding albums that look like yearbooks. Dresses are being touted as customizable with color ribbons and bows... If you remind new brides thatnot only is needlework is a wonderful way to personalize their event, it's also a great stress reliever, you just might have them lined up at the door!

For Heather's full article, click here.

Recent Musings

Is your shop taking Valentine’s Day to heart?

Retailers are definitely over the holidays and looking ahead to all things Valentine. In fact, just a quick search on BusinessWire.com turned up some interesting trends, such as less lavishness, more charity and an emphasis on social media marketing...

Be a media darling: 5 tips to a successful interview

You’ve been putting your shop’s name out there for years, and it all comes down to this moment: The local newspaper’s business reporter wants to stop in for an interview. Is it a dream come true, or the start of your worst nightmare? It's all in the preperation...

Open it, and they will come

Cheryl Geschke has been the successful proprietor of Soft N Sassy in Broadview Heights, OH, for nearly six years. But she really took things to the next level the week before Thanksgiving: She opened the Soft N Sassy kiosk in the Westfield SouthPark Shopping Center mall in nearby Strongsville, OH, and leased a storefront at Parmatown Mall, in Parma, OH...

Links I Love

MattedByMemory.com

Set aside the fact that the proprietor of Matted By Memory, Heather Onorati, is a talented friend and colleague of mine. Also set aside the Positive Yarn Pink frame on the above image (I added it for contrast!). Onorati's clean, elegant design sense shines throughout her layout.

Her six pages on the site are easy to navigate, and essentially explain all you need to know to make an informed buying decision: an "about" page, a gallery of sample framed items, an online shop, contact information and Onorati's own blog.

What I also love about this site is that matting and framing has been a longtime hobby for Onorati. She decided she wanted to turn something she loved doing into a side business venture. (Sound familiar?) Luckily, she is also an accomplished business writer, editor and designer, so she knows the basics of entrepreneurship.

Got a link you love? Tell me!

Check this out!

A truly heartfelt gift idea: Sticks & Strings Knitting in Scarsdale, NY, is the exclusive retailer of the Soak Wash Valentine's Basket: 12 mini Soaks in pink (floral) and white (unscented) packaging. It's all nestled in a heart-shaped box — and part of the proceeds go to the American Heart Association.

The Knitty Gritty

X Gold-medal fiberwear: Because Fashion Week happens to be facing off against the Winter Olympics (the former starts Feb. 10; the latter Feb. 12), The New York Times Magazine asked Rodarte to create a collection of custom knitwear for a gaggle of Olympic atheletes for a photo shoot. The result (a peek is here) is pretty darn cool.

Tip: Catch Olympic Fever. The custom fiber creations are a great launching point to talk Winter Games with your customers. Put your bronze, silver and gold items (yarns, threads, beads, etc.) on display — and sale. Have mini races on a quick project with your longtime fans, and remind them that accuracy counts as much as speed. Or maybe just bring in the TV and some snacks and let everyone gather around to eat, socialize and root for Team USA!

X Team spirit and a good cause: On another sports note, a Gardendale, AL, quilter is putting together quilts (OK, the NBC affiliate calls them "hand-made blankets") that celebrate the University of Alabama's championship season. The monies raised from the sales of the quilts help build latrines and buy books for a library in tiny Winneba, Ghana, and also helps send a group of local students to Ghana on an exchange trip. Winneba happens to be a sister city to Birmingham.

Tip: Team pride and charity make a great pair. In the wake of Super Bowl XLIV this past Sunday, think about the teams you root for and the charitable initiatives you support. Is there room for crossover — and subsequent local media attention?

X Beads that are truly priceless: Forget Mardi Gras. Check out what Beads of Courage is doing nationwide. The El Paso Times reports the local angle, where young cancer patients receive a bead with each blood draw, transfusion or clinic visit. "With beads, a child as young as 4 can tell their entire treatment, bead by bead, and it's so engaging for them," Dallas Program Manager Colin Smith told the Times.

Tip: Show your support. The Beads of Courage site offers two ways to do so: The Strength Box Bracelet fund-raising program "is designed to serve as a symbolic marker of what inspires you and brings you strength" as you string the purchased beads into a unique piece of wearable art. The second way is to host a Bead Inspired Fundraiser, including "bead making, bead history, bead stringing, live performances and a Bead-a-thon where bead artists donate their time and talent to create unique glass beads to help children receiving treatment for cancer and other serious illness currently enrolled in the Beads of Courage Program." Learn more about both at www.beadsofcourage.org/pages/fundraising.htm.