Mirroring the vibe and verve of Shoppe Object New York, the High Point edition will aim to showcase artisan-quality and design-led home décor products in gallery-like displays, according to ANDMORE. More than half of the 100-plus exhibitors will be making High Point debuts, bringing a plethora of new brands to the semi-annual buying event. Shoppe High Point product categories represent the breadth of home décor, including lighting, occasional furniture, décor, art & object, textiles and tabletop.

Gift Shop^® Plus and Shoppe Object have pulled together several products debuting at Shoppe High Point:

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Pastels are being used in much bolder ways across a large variety of mediums while blues continue to calm us. The vibrant colors of the tropics speak to our sense of adventure and fun.

Presenting new and exciting color trends in your store creates a visual experience that can inspire and uplift your clientele. Come with us on a colorful journey as we explore the trends with a mix of products on the following pages.

’90s Nostalgia

Earthy Hues

Pastel Rainbow

Singing the Blues

Tropical Punch

The post It’s a Colorful Life appeared first on Gift Shop Magazine.

Winter, spring, summer or fall, merchandise can reflect the love of time outside, on the water, or nature as a whole. Gift shops have the opportunity to provide shoppers a curated mix that crosses all categories and fits the passion of oceanside or lakeside residence.

Dynamic Attire

Soul-Soothing

Mementos

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The pandemic brought families together, creating a space for bonding opportunities, such as playing games and puzzles. The ripple effects of that time spent with family mean that more people are realizing the benefits of turning off screens and interacting with each other.

“Puzzles and games are great family bonding activities as they can be cross-generational and all inclusive,” said Kelli Melzer, marketing director, The LANG Companies, a division of Design Group Americas.

Trudi Bartow, director of sales and marketing at the Unemployed Philosophers Guild, agreed. “Building something together is exciting; it’s an adrenaline rush, a race to the finish. To do that with other people brings you closer; it’s that shared experience,” she said.

For these reasons, games and puzzles will continue to be hot sellers for the holiday season; perhaps the importance of games and puzzles will be elevated further, as people celebrate the ability to gather once again.

The Unemployed Philosophers Guild produces a variety of literary puzzles with lines from Jane Austen novels. It has turned puzzles on its head with its double sided Age of the Dinosaurs Puzzle—on one side are images of dinosaurs, and the other side is a replica of dinosaur skeletons as they are exhibited in museums.

Another great game that never goes out of style is dominoes. In fact, Luxe Dominoes has made dominoes even more stylish with its collection of brightly colored, acrylic domino boxes. The dominon sets and boxes are available with racks (El Catire) or without racks (El Tigre). Owner/ Founder Jonathan Cohen grew up playing dominoes, learning from his father and grandfather, so he knows firsthand how important family game time can be.

The boxes are actually a single piece of acrylic that, through a special process, is made to look like glass, giving the pieces more brilliance and refraction between the angles. “If the game is out, you’re more likely to play it. It’s about making something that is nice to display but will be played; that is a big part of our design process,” he said.

Other bestsellers at Luxe Dominoes are El Rumi (a Latin name for their version of a rummy tile game); a Mexican Train game; and Mah Jongg. The company also just came out with their own version of Wordle entitled El Wordle.

The LANG Companies produces puzzles in several piece counts that are “…. finished with elegant linen-embossed paper and feature beautiful artwork by LANG’s popular artists. We also have a 1000 piece puzzle format that features a premium cotton blend paper and foil accents within our Artisan by LANG Brand, and a kids’ version of our 300 piece puzzles that features fun artwork and glitter or foil embellishments for added detail,” said Melzer.

The company’s largest holiday collection of puzzles are Christmas themes featuring both traditional and contemporary artwork. One new release is the Puzzle Countdown series, which contains 12 boxes, holding 42 pieces each, that is meant to be put together each day on the 12 days before Christmas. When completed, it forms a larger, whole puzzle.

Chantelle Schneider, director of product development for DEMDACO, also pointed to Jingle Bell Joy as a new game that will be introduced this year. “It’s a bag full of jingle bells. The goal is to leave the bells for Santa; holiday ‘elves’ hide a jingle bell all around the house,” she said. “It’s fun for children and sparks that together time for the holidays.”

Another holiday game by DEMADCO is Old St. Knickers; the idea is to put on a pair of oversized ‘Santa Pants’ and have players throw oversized inflatable balls into Santa’s pants.

Outside lawn games also bring people together during summer holidays. DEMDACO, whose company motto is “We Strive to Lift the Spirits,” offers a line called Together Time in its Everyday Collection. These include dice games, including one called Family Activity Dice Set; three large dice can be rolled outdoors (or indoors), and they prompt silly activities. Another is called Past, Present, Future Dice Set, and these inspire family conversations from the topics on the dice.

The beauty of both puzzles and games is that they can be used over and over again to create long-lasting family memories during the holiday season and throughout the entire year.

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We’ve gathered products that can be considered for five different styles currently found in the gift and home industry to provide inspiration for presenting these trends to shoppers.

In the words of legendary fashion journalist, G. Bruce Boyer, “Real style is never right or wrong. It’s a matter of being yourself on purpose.”

Mid Century Modern

Luxe. Glam.

Cozy Classic

Biophilia Organic

Newstalgia

The post Style Guide appeared first on Gift Shop Magazine.

This year and into 2023, textures are important to shoppers. Lauren Brekke, vice president of merchandise for Mud Pie shared that one of the big trends for fall and holiday 2022 is special finishes — ones with tactile appeal such as embroidery, tassels, pom poms and soft, touchable fabric.

“Some of our pillow offerings include pleated and layered jewel toned velvet, oversized tassels and chunky woven knits. Traditional Christmas colors always perform well during the winter season, but we’ve also incorporated trending plaids for an updated, season-less look. We feel that the end consumers are open to being a bit playful with pillow shape and are looking for round pillows, bolsters, and mini pillows for their everyday and seasonal décor,” Brekke detailed.

Textile options reflecting a cozy-feel are still rising in popularity. Brekke noted that soft chenille throws, and leopard prints and neutral tones are hitting all the right notes with consumers.

Jordain Foster, sales manager for Simply Southern echoed this trend. “Our customers are still in the era of comfort, comfort, comfort!” You will see this trend throughout our upcoming Fall 2022 line,” Foster emphasized.

Shoppers are also taking note of earth-friendly options. “When wanting sustainability, the best fabric options you have are cotton and linen. Most decorative throw pillows are made with synthetic materials and hidden chemicals. Cotton is natural and known for being eco-friendly. What to look for if the label doesn’t say ‘Organic Cotton’? The Oeko-Tex certification,” Gopi Balakrishnan, director of Threadmill Home Linen explained.

Shape and style is also important in pillows and throws. In pillows, there is a distinct nod to the 1970s with round and more bulbous styles on tap. Written sentiments also remain popular, especially those with a nod to family, inspiration and humor.

“People are looking for ways to add personality to their homes. Bold, graphic text pillows are great statement pieces that punctuate any space. Looped textures are a key trend element that is tactile and adds dimension,” Russell Manzano, product designer for Abbott Collection noted.

In throws, look for patterns that range the gamut from solids, to buffalo checks and plaids, as well as floral and striped. Bigger, bolder offerings — ones that can be shared or offer chunky texture and waves — are taking centerstage this year.

“Mud Pie is introducing oversized buffalo check chenille blankets in red and white. Trending trims for throws incorporate poms and tassels, and as far as popular colors, we’re seeing a lot of taupe, cream and chocolate brown,” Brekke shared.

“In 2023, expect to see more muted hues and sophisticated neutrals. Throws with outdoor icons, such as birds, butterflies and dragonflies, are a fun way of bringing the outdoors in and adding a touch of whimsy to any space,” Manzano detailed.

Pillow Trends Showcase

Throw Trends Showcase

The post Cozy Comfort appeared first on Gift Shop Magazine.

The Apparel & Accessories Lookbook features the following sections:

Comfort Plus

Kids: Small Statement

Accessories: Beyond the Basics

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Impulse gifts “are quintessentially THE gift that you must see, you must touch and you must be drawn in by,” Landon Metts, sales manager – gift division for Creative Brands explained. “…it has never been more important to offer impulse items in a gift store.” 

Pricing

“As for price points, we have found that the $8-12 retail is a sweet spot, but anything above $15, then the word ‘impulse’ starts to wane,” Metts detailed. 

Emily Teters, museum store manager for Dayton History, agreed with Metts. “There is definitely a ‘sweet spot’ when it comes to pricing. Of course, the cheaper the item is the more likely someone will buy it; however, a great spot is between $5-$15,” she said. “I have noticed that items within this range do best as impulse buys because it’s the perfect range for a gift for yourself or others, and psychologically does not add much to the shopper’s rolling bill in their head.” 

Products and Displays

Mud Pie’s Cork Display Boxes are a small item, with a great price point. “At $2.75 and only 2.25 inches tall, Cork Display Boxes pack a big punch. These little treasures are perfect to feature at the point of sale as an easy add-on to a larger purchase. The keepsake boxes include one cardstock slip to record dates, occasions and type of spirits. Evoking this type of sentimentality in such a small package is a guaranteed way to round up any sale,” Fred Pannek, president of Mud Pie emphasized. 

Grab-and-go gift solutions also help create opportunities for a quick sale and a convenience for shoppers. The new You Are an Angel Collection in Alexa’s Angels from Roman is one example of such an option. “The collection consists of delicate necklaces and bracelets on message carding. A beautiful gift bag is included with each piece. The ‘gift to go’ concept was very well received,” said Beth Lang, president, Alexa’s Angels for Roman. 

“There are a few ‘tricks-of-the-trade’ for effectively merchandising impulse gift items, which involve ensuring the items/fixture are in a high traffic area and at an observable eye-catching point of visage,” Metts said. 

Here is a round-up of merchandise that may create those spur-of-the-moment sales!

Energy Clearing Sprays

Shaman’s Dawn

Car Air Fresheners by Studio Oh!

Orange Circle Studio

Sticker Expressions

Stickers Northwest

Shhh … There’s Whiskey in Here Mug

Muddy Carrots

Pewter Keychain

Urban Charm

Just Add Water Coozies

Totalee Gift

The Annotator

SOZY Pencils

Happy Snappy NeeDoh

Schylling

Plants Make Me Happy Sticker

Muddy Carrots

Thank You Flowers Bookmark Card

Night Owl Paper Goods

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My favorite thing about stationery is that it can tell any story you like. Whether it is luxe production processes like letterpress and risograph printing or offbeat or heartfelt messaging, you can tell it well here. Best of all, printed pieces respond quickly to any cultural phenomenon or event. 

Everything comes into sharp focus April 28 and 29 when the *Noted Expo comes to vibrant life in San Francisco. Co-located with the brand new SF NOW, this special event promises to be the can’t-miss event of Spring ‘22. I hope to see you there! 

#coolestcardstoreintheworld

Greeting Cards

Giftwrap

Stationery

Stickers

The post The Medium is the Message appeared first on Gift Shop Magazine.

Creating space for dialog and awareness is essential to reduce the stigma. Continuing the fight for fairness and equality remains a priority, as does celebrating fearless women, something that will always be on trend.

*Say Anything Planters from Sullivan Gift are featured in the image above

Higher Power Trend Report

Humor Trend Report

Mental Health Awareness Trend Report

Social Justice Trend Report

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