Blogs
Submitted by IanGrant on Sat, 02/07/2009 - 11:55.
Submitted by IanGrant on Sat, 02/07/2009 - 11:55.
Submitted by IanGrant on Sat, 02/07/2009 - 11:54.
4.20.07
WARNING - THE FOLLOWING BLOG ENTRY IS AROUND TWO THIRDS ABOUT
OUR
FAMILY VACATION TO SOUTH AFRICA. IF YOU ARE PRONE TO NARCOLEPSY,
OPERATE LARGE MACHINERY WHILE READING BLOGS, ARE DOING BRAIN SURGERY
WHILE HAVING SOMEONE READ THIS BLOG TO YOU, OR - LIKE ME - WOULD
RATHER GNAW OFF YOUR OWN ARM THAN HEAR, IN EXCRUCIATINGLY LONG DETAIL,
ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE'S FAMILY VACATION , STOP READING, THIS WILL QUITE
POSSIBLY PUT YOU TO SLEEP. . . .there you've been warned.
Submitted by IanGrant on Sat, 02/07/2009 - 11:53.
Submitted by IanGrant on Sat, 02/07/2009 - 11:52.
Well last we talked (or technically I talked and you read), we were
at the end of the New York gift and accessory show. If you are in the
right frame of mind, there is something very invigorating about
Manhattan. I left the show feeling like things were hitting their
stride quite well. The show was my best yet. . . . ok, admittedly I
have only done the show twice now, so one would hope your second would
be better than your first, but I’ll take the win anyhow.
Submitted by IanGrant on Sat, 02/07/2009 - 11:52.
And so the New York show begins. But first a little background. The
show itself is a somewhat middle to upper end wholesale show. That
means people like me that sell to retailers around the country come
here, set up a booth and push our goods on all of the buyers – from
companies like Pier One, ma and pa retailer, all the way up to the 5th
Avenue shops of the world. Of course that means shipping all of your
samples, getting new product in on time and in one piece, negotiating
the logistical nightmares o
Submitted by IanGrant on Sat, 02/07/2009 - 11:51.
Only half way through our annual sample sale, we had already had our
best sale ever. It’s such a strange thing. As I mentioned in an
earlier entry, the sale isn’t a big profit maker, but it brings in
quite a few people and moves along some old inventory making room for
our new samples, hopefully creates cash flow in a slow time of the
year, and if nothing else, gives us an excuse to get our name out there
with what little advertising we do. Simple business strategy.
Submitted by IanGrant on Sat, 02/07/2009 - 11:50.
Hey, happy New Year to all of you out there. Again I would suggest
some sort of resolution to spend less time reading aimless blogs on
your part, but if you have to read one, why not this one.
Submitted by IanGrant on Sat, 02/07/2009 - 11:49.
Well I made it back in one piece from Thailand. The upgrade gods were
very good to me (with a little donation of 30,000 frequent flyer miles)
on the way home. I got upgraded to business class for the one 6 hour
and one 11 hour flight which, to those of you that have made this long,
long trip, is a big deal. Jet lag is a little less of an ominous thing
if you are able to fully recline in your seat, and having a little
better food with actual china and silverware seems a little more
human. It probably wasn’t in the holiday spirit to spend my waking
moments on these flights walk
Submitted by IanGrant on Sat, 02/07/2009 - 11:48.
Day three of the buying trip turned out to be a very good one. I
hopped on my scooter and headed out of town to this village where a few
of my vendors are. The first stop was at a place that imports antiques
from Burma, Pakistan and China. There I was looking at these great
vegetable dyed Pakistani beds. As a bed they are pretty useless for
Westerners; they are made out of a wood round frame that mortises into
the bed legs themselves, and then the bed is made up of woven string.
For me, its all about the legs. They are done in these beautiful
colors that you only get from
