The collection, launched in January, connects customers to nature in a unique way with T-shirts and bracelets that have a supplemental QR code assigning the customer their own turtle to follow throughout its oceanic journeys.

“You’ll discover your designated turtle’s name, age, weight and a brief biography, emphasizing the importance of turtle conservation,” said Jourdain Foster, sales and customer service manager at Simply Southern. “By clicking on any of the red dots in the tracking area, you can view the turtle’s whereabouts on any given day or time.”

Simply Southern’s Turtle Tracking collection includes more than 20 short- and long-sleeve tees across girls’ and women’s sizing, all featuring turtle imagery.

Some tees exude a playful energy with motifs such as cheerleaders, donuts or ice cream cones to appeal to the younger audience. Meanwhile, many of the women’s tees include beautiful illustrations, florals and even a tennis-playing turtle with the phrase, “Take it slow, but serve it fast.”

“We also offer designs with witty phrases like ‘Grow with the Flow,’ featuring images of coral reef, tailored for adults,” Foster said. “This diverse collection truly caters to everyone’s tastes.”

JEWELRY EXPANSION

In addition to tees, the company designed a bracelet for the wildlife enthusiasts who may prefer a smaller giftable that can be worn with any outfit, reminding them of their connection to nature.

“T-shirts are our company’s focus, so creating an interactive tee with the tracking concept seemed natural, especially given our customers’ affection for turtle designs,” Foster said. “However, we recognize that some customers prefer a keepsake they can always carry with them. Introducing bracelets seemed like the perfect addition to meet this need for everyday use. Moreover, this makes the product suitable for both men and women, ensuring its appeal is unisex.”

The Turtle Tracking bracelets are designed to appeal to both men and women across a variety of ages. They are currently available in eight different colorways, with a ceramic turtle bead at the bracelet’s center: seven solid colors and one bright, multicolored bracelet.

“We believe the bracelet collection effectively targets multiple demographics, given its coastal-inspired design resembling sea glass,” Foster said. “Additionally, the concept and cause resonate across various age groups and demographics, making it a versatile option for all.”

SHARING THE MISSION

At the heart of a zoo or aquarium, its gift shop’s main purpose is twofold: to complete the visitor experience with a memento to take home and to further educate and inspire customers of the institution’s mission.

To help convey this mission, Simply Southern offers an elevated display for each bracelet, featuring a video that explains the product’s concept to customers while they shop.

“Placing these interactive, affordable pieces in the gift shop of an aquarium and zoo would be ideal, as it allows your customers to bring a piece of the attraction home with them,” Foster said. “This ensures that they will always remember their visit, as they can continuously track and follow their own sea turtle, serving as a delightful reminder of the memorable experience they had The narrative accompanying each sea turtle also educates your guests, hopefully fostering their interest and investment in the conservation efforts undertaken by their local zoo and aquarium to ensure the safety of animals.”

Wildlife conservation has been an important mission to Simply Southern for years. The company partners with conservation groups and encourages their personnel to volunteer for the cause.

“We consistently pursue new partnerships with conservation groups to assist not only these magnificent creatures (sea turtles) but also numerous others. … We host an annual event with Bald Head Island Conservancy to raise awareness for the cause,” Foster said. “It’s heartening to witness families returning year after year to support both the event and the mission of conservation.”

The post Go with the Flow: Simply Southern collection comes with a hard-shelled companion appeared first on Gift Shop Magazine.

Located in California’s Palm Springs area, The Living Desert actively works to conserve desert species by building populations under controlled, protected conditions. The nonprofit zoo is home to more than 500 animals across 150 species, many of which are endangered, in addition to an array of botanicals from around the world.

“The Living Desert offers a diverse and immersive experience for all visitors between engaging events, unforgettable animal encounters such as giraffe feeding — which is my personal favorite — and meeting with rhinos, our curated gift shop, scenic nature and hiking trails, exclusive private tours, petting kraal and endangered species carousel,” said David Vargas, director of The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens Store.

ECO-FRIENDLY RETAIL

The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens Store aims to round out the customer experience, offering visitors a memento to take home. It has curated a variety of souvenirs, educational materials and everyday products such as mugs and water bottles.

Aligned with the zoo’s overall mission, sustainability is one of the most important considerations when stocking inventory at the gift shop and is a commonality across product categories.

“We are proud to have a brand of responsible apparel — it’s a fair labor-certified and certified organic line. … We are producing this item in the absolute most environmentally responsible way possible,” Vargas said.

The store’s kids’ offerings are similarly sustainable. The majority of its plush animals are made from 100% recycled materials, and many of its toys are made from ocean-bound plastic, which have transformed 100% postconsumer into “imaginative, eco-friendly play toys for kids,” Vargas explained.

Examples of toys and plush at the museum include the Plush Lemur, Safari Toy Set and Sloth Mini Backpack.

A COMMUNITY PRESENCE

The gift shop also partners with local artisans to provide giftables — think coffee, candy, apparel and accessories — that not only encourage sustainable living but also give back to the community where they’re made. These are Vargas’ personal favorites in the shop because they spark conversations between customers while also representing the desert area. “We really tell the story behind these products,” Vargas said.

The zoo’s mission has resonated so deeply with the community that part of the gift shop’s staff is made up of former visitors who were passionate about desert conservation and habitat restoration.

“We have an amazing team that is committed and passionate about being here,” Vargas said. “A few of the team members here started out as visitors and volunteers. They love the space so much, being in a gift shop, because you create that conversation with customers. So these team members definitely enjoy working and equally show excitement about the mission, the sustainability efforts and all our products that we have in the store.”

The zoo’s sustainability mission weaves through every experiential and retail offering. Return visitors are common at the store, Vargas explained, and they are often looking for a way to give back to the zoo’s mission, either through a purchase or by making a roundup donation at the register.

“We want to educate and inspire our guests to take care of our unique and beautiful desert environment,” Vargas said. “We want them to be glad they came to the desert and want to come back into it again.”

The post The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens: Where conservation meets retail appeared first on Gift Shop Magazine.

The museum was established in 1958 following the death of Ninah Cummer, who devoted her life to collecting artwork with her husband. Upon Ninah’s death, she dedicated her Jacksonville, Florida, estate — including the house, gardens and art galleries — to transform into a museum, “a center of beauty and culture,” in her own words. Today, the museum offers visitors the opportunity to see more than 5,000 works of art against the backdrop of the historic gardens, which are open for tours.

The Cummer Museum’s mission is to engage, educate and inspire visitors through its art and gardens, and its gift shop is an extension of that. The Cummer Shop offers gardenware and art-centric products for visitors to remember their experience.

The shop’s mainstays span a wide range of products, from jewelry, kids’ items and stationery to apparel and seasonal gifts. Susan Tudor, director of retail and visitor experience at the Cummer Shop, explained that decorative yet functional items tend to perform well. Additionally, low-cost items that commemorate the experience — namely, artist buttons — are bestsellers for the shop.

“They’re relatively inexpensive and trendy,” Tudor said. “People of all ages put them on their jackets, on their backpacks, those kinds of things.”

Another top-performer is a customizable moon phase beaded bracelet from Moonglow Jewelry.

“If you want to remember a certain day — maybe it’s the birth of the child, a wedding day or just a lucky date for you — we have a book, you look up that date and year, and it gives you what phase the moon was on that day,” Tudor said.

POP-UP SHOPS

While Tudor can count on permanent product categories to draw in customers, most popular are the Cummer Shop’s “pop-up shops” that correlate with the temporary garden and art exhibitions. In fact, the Cummer Shop was awarded “Best Pop-Up Store” by the Museum Store Association in May 2023.

“The bestsellers tend to be the items that support what’s going on in the museum at that moment in time,” Tudor said. “For example, we had an artist here for a special exhibition, and their book sold out on that day that they were here with us.”

Another notable exhibition was “Flamboyance,” a spring 2023 garden exhibition featuring 50 topiary flamingos — a Floridian staple — made of begonias. Tudor curated related items in the store — think flamingo key rings, pillows, puzzles and plush — and said “they just flew off the shelf.”

COMMUNITY-CENTRIC

Community is at the heart of the Cummer Shop. The store takes care to source products from regional artists, giving them a platform and contributing to their livelihoods.

“Because we bring in regional artists and local creatives in the community, by purchasing their goods, it also supports those local makers and artists,” Tudor said. “I think that’s a really important part of our mission.”

Additionally, the Cummer Shop hosts several annual shopping events to engage visitors. For example, the shop participated in Museum Store Sunday on Nov. 26, 2023, a worldwide sustainable shopping experience featuring eco-friendly products and special discounts.

Another popular event is its annual holiday “Champagne and Shop” following Thanksgiving.

“As the name suggests, we have champagne and nibbles available for our shoppers, with additional discounts throughout the store, as well as trunk shows brought in specifically for the two-day shopping event,” Tudor said.

Through its community events, exhibition-focused collections and everyday giftables, the Cummer Shop aims to round out the visitor experience with tangible memories of their time at the gardens and museum.

“We like to have fun in our museum, and I think that translates to our visitors wanting to have some fun and novelty with what they’re purchasing to take home and remember their experience at the museum,” Tudor said. “When they leave the museum, or when the special exhibit or the permanent collection is closed, [their purchase at the shop] reinforces and recalls memories of the art that they experienced in the museum.”

The post Overflowing with Beauty: Gardens and art converge at the Cummer Museum & Shop appeared first on Gift Shop Magazine.

About 10 years ago, the Missouri-based couple took their four sons on a family trip to New York City and Washington, D.C. En route home, the family stopped at the Blue Ridge Mountains for a scenic view and to stretch their legs.

“Later on, we asked our boys, ‘What was your favorite part of the trip?’ and they said, ‘The pull-off [at Blue Ridge Mountains] that we did.’ My husband and I were like, ‘OK, that’s it. National parks and outdoors, that’s what our family is going to do from now on.’”

Since then, the Cole family has traveled to 39 national parks and found their passion along the way.

“Even while we’re at a park, we’re trying to decide when we’re going to see what park we’re going to next,” Cole said. “We just love everything about it, about how every park is different. There are so many different landscapes just in the United States that we’re constantly trying to find somewhere new.”

The Coles have always looked forward to stopping at national parks’ visitor centers to collect souvenirs that are tangible marks of their adventures. As Cole’s sons grew up and left for college, she found herself with the opportunity in 2021 to launch National Parks and Beyond, her own line of national park-themed souvenirs.

National Parks and Beyond covers a gamut of gifting categories with nature-inspired designs, including apparel, stickers, pins, books, drinkware and even monthly subscription boxes. The shop is available on Faire’s wholesale website and direct to consumers at nationalparksandbeyond.com. Cole digitally illustrates each product’s design, which can then be printed on a variety of products.

The illustrations often depict the beauty of the national parks, but the offerings are laden with punny options as well. Some examples include a beaver with the phrase “Dam It,” an “Out of Breath Hiking Club” badge-like sticker and a bison illustration with the sentiment “Don’t Pet the Fluffy Cows!”

National Parks and Beyond can be found at conservatories and museum sites, as well as gift shops regional to parks. One top-seller at the moment is a ChapStick holder that clips onto keychains or water bottles, but Cole’s personal favorite products are her waterproof stickers.

“I love collecting stickers,” Cole said. “Everywhere we go, I have to have a new one. I have suitcases covered in all the stickers I collect.”

Cole’s company is her passion and creative outlet. While she works at a hospital during the day, she looks forward to coming home and working on her illustrations.

“It’s therapeutic for me to de-stress after a long day at the hospital to come home and do this,” she said.

PRODUCTS WITH PURPOSE

Giving back to her original muse — national parks — is important to Cole. For each purchase made, National Parks and Beyond donates 5% to a national park of the customer’s choice. According to Cole, the top parks chosen at checkout include Yellowstone, Olympic, Great Smoky Mountains and Mount Rainier.

With nearly 40 national parks under her belt thus far, Cole has a hard time narrowing down her personal favorites.

“I have a top four, and I cannot decide which one is my favorite,” she said. “Those would be Zion, Glacier, Katmai and Kenai Fjords. I cannot pick because they’re all so different from each other.”

National Parks and Beyond’s offerings encompass a variety of categories, including apparel, stationery and tableware.

Cole hopes National Parks and Beyond can spark conversation and enjoyment among a community of nature- lovers or travelers. She aims to continue to grow the brand so it receives more exposure and brings awareness to the company’s mission.

“I’d like to be able to get our products into more places, have more people see [them] and even become a household name,” she said, “so if somebody sees my shirts or the stickers, they’re like, ‘Oh, I love that company, and I love what they stand for.’”

The post Wilderness Inspired: National Parks and Beyond sparks wanderlust appeared first on Gift Shop Magazine.

“Our small retailers are on the front lines with consumers, having conversations, and seeing first hand what’s hot every day,” said Sue Warfield, president, ASTRA. “They are the perfect resource to help us determine trends for the first part of 2024 and this year they have not disappointed. We’re excited to see these trends and watch as what’s hot continues to evolve throughout the year.”

This year’s trends include:

1. Plush is a category that can go in multiple new directions. From Japanese inspired to new formats and textures to smaller sizes, ASTRA is seeing something cuddly for everyone.
2. Social Emotional Mental Learning continues to evolve with toys that help kids recognize emotions, role play scenarios and get in touch with how they feel.  From blocks to dolls to games, there are multiple ways to approach the topic and help kids feel heard.  New educational and sensory toys add to the already expansive options for kids and parents.
3. Classic Table Games have evolved and become more accessible.  From new versions of ping pong to smaller foosball tables to table top volleyball, you don’t need a giant playroom to join in on the fun!
4. Play is not just for kids anymore. From Kidult toys to products aimed at tweens to family games, especially in the escape room game category, everyone gets to join in on the fun.
5. Building Toys continue to be hot with the classic brands, but also new ways to build with different materials. Wooden building toys have become increasingly popular and magnetic tiles are integrating new materials, such as straws and tubes, to expand their creative possibilities.
6. Sustainability, interest in both environmentally/eco-friendly continues to grow, but just as important is how long toys last. High-quality toys made to last for years are now more desirable than ever.
7. Impulse Toys like fidget toys, slime and blind/surprise bags are growing in popularity with everything from tiny food to different shaped popping toys to slimes of all textures, colors and smells.
8. Radio Control Toys are making  a comeback with R/C cars, robots, helicopters and other creatures that add a little technology to a classic toy, creating fun for the entire family!
9. Digital to Analog, screen to toy, has grown in popularity. Whether it’s video games, small screen or big screen properties, we’re seeing toys that allow kids to act out their favorite scenes without the screen.
10. Kawaii, Japanese pop cultural word for cute, has expanded across multiple categories from plush to activities to impulse. Hello Kitty and Sanrio, celebrating their 50th anniversary, are especially popular right now.

The post ASTRA unveils 10 top toy trends for 2024 appeared first on Gift Shop Magazine.

Women pioneers, artists, writers, ranchers and more are showcased within the 33,000-square-foot building in Fort Worth, Texas. Its honorees include Sacagawea, Georgia O’Keeffe, Annie Oakley and Maria Martinez, among many others. The museum is made to welcome all ages and genders, as it features a bucking bronco, photo booth and immersive ranch video experience.

Desert Rose Boutique serves as the museum’s gift shop and aims to fulfill its mission with product offerings that amplify the spirit of women past and present who made their mark on the West.

“It definitely is a museum that exudes courage and diligence,” said Leslie Distler, buyer and manager of Desert Rose. “It is all about the women of the West, which was a very missed subject for a long, long time.”

Desert Rose carries a range of products such as clothing, toys, jewelry, souvenirs and home décor. What ultimately drives Distler’s role at the boutique is finding items that pay homage to the museum’s honorees by exemplifying the women’s courage, ingenuity and resilience.

“We try to carry apparel that’s appealing to women and gifts that have beautiful scenes on it that would remind them of strength or courage,” Distler said. “We also like to carry things that give people the power to know they can develop themselves into anything and be anyone that they want, and that women don’t have to be intimidated by being in a man’s world.”

Products include Native American jewelry, Dolly Parton- inspired tea towels, cowgirl dolls, Western-chic apparel (think cow prints and fringe) and even turquoise pocket knives. According to Distler, best-selling categories are Western apparel and jewelry, with gifts taking third.

“The interesting part is how popular the Western attire has [swept] the nation, just by utilizing the Western accessories — the boots, the belt, the hat or the turquoise jewelry,” she said. “It has grown into being a trend across the country to have a little bit of Western thrown into any look. That’s been exciting because it has helped people relate to our culture.”

When sourcing items for Desert Rose, Distler focuses on two things: uniqueness and local artists. She also takes care to provide products at a variety of price points so that each visitor can take something home with them.

While Desert Rose rounds out the National Cowgirl Museum experience, its ultimate goal, it has evolved in recent years to become a go-to gift shop for locals, as well.

“People think about Desert Rose as a place to just purchase Western items, but it’s grown into people coming in to find things for a wedding or for their vacations, along with that Western attire that we so proudly represent,” Distler said. “Fort Worth is not just cowboys and cowgirls, it’s modern people. So it’s nice to be able to hit a lot of categories for people’s closets, homes and gifts.”

Desert Rose switches out its displays and merchandise frequently to keep the shopping experience fresh for visitors. Distler partakes in seasonal buying to continually introduce new items that are reflective of the time of year and prevent the shop from feeling stagnant.

“The gift shop is forever changing. That’s the fun part,” she said. “It is about the experience of the museum. There’s history, there’s fun, there’s power — and then there’s a shopping experience.”

The post Cowgirl Up: Desert Rose Boutique honors women of the West appeared first on Gift Shop Magazine.

The Rockford Peaches — a force to be reckoned with in women’s professional baseball in the 1940s and ‘50s — were featured in the 1992 film “A League of Their Own” starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna and more.

Before the Peaches, however, Rockford had the sock monkey. In the late 1800s, Nelson Knitting first manufactured a seamless sock, then trademarking its red-heel product in 1932, thus giving birth to this stuffed toy. Sock monkeys, with their traditional brown and white limbs and red lips, can be found across North America.

“There are a couple of key things that people come to see — Peaches and sock monkeys, for example,” said Brandi Poreda, gift shop and volunteer manager at the museum. “Then, the trick is to say, ‘There’s a lot of other things here, too.’”

Situated on 138 acres with a large indoor museum center and an even larger outdoor Victorian Village modeled after life between 1890 and 1910, Midway Village offers plenty to see. And for many visitors, walking away with a souvenir is part of the experience.

DRIVEN BY EVENTS

The gift shop is located at the entrance of the museum center and changes on a regular basis.

“My philosophy has been that I want to carry things in the gift shop that either tie to one of our exhibits or one of our events,” Poreda said. “One of the big goals in the gift shop is to further the interpreting of history that ties into our education department.”

The museum has dozens of events throughout the year that lead Poreda to rotate the front window and much of the merchandise.

During Sock Monkey Madness in March, attendees make their own sock monkeys, so the gift shop stocks more supporting merchandise: shirts, pins, keychains and stickers.

“Keychains and stickers are so big right now,” Poreda said.

Many visitors also come to see the 19th century Heritage Gardens in the Village, and for that Poreda finds products that tie in with when the flowers are in bloom, and for their iris sale in September.

Midway Village doesn’t look only at its own events to drive the gift shop, though. For example, EAA AirVenture, an airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is the largest of its kind with more than 650,000 annual attendees. Although 160 miles north of Rockford, Poreda noticed a lot of international visitors were flying into Chicago’s airports and stopping at Midway Village on their way to the show.

The main draw for these people is the museum’s Aviation Gallery featuring two local aviators: Bessica Raiche, credited as the first female to fly solo in 1910, and Bert Hassell, credited with pioneering the “Great Circle Route” between the U.S. and Europe, and whose 1928 plane is on display.

“That’s pretty amazing that these people are coming from Denmark, Kazakhstan, all over the place,” Poreda said. “Since I know they’re coming, I put the aviation posters up front, I have the books about Bert Hassell — those kinds of things.”

SOURCING LOCALLY

Poreda tries to offer a variety of products at a range of price points in the gift shop.

“I try to do as much as I can locally, even if they’re not the manufacturers, if they’re the vendor that I can go through,” Poreda said. “Embroidery gets done here in town. Shirts and printing I order through a local vendor, and then they source them from there.”

Her partnership with local vendors has afforded her the ability to try a new online sales model that has worked well for some of the museum’s largest events.

The best example is World War II Days in September, which draws thousands of people annually for a military re-enactment and education about Rockford’s role in the war. Instead of having excess shirts and sweatshirts, Poreda takes the shopping to their website.

“One thing we’ve been doing more of is a kind of pop-up online store near events. Everybody will order the size they want, the style they want. Then it’ll close the day after the World War II Days, and it ships a week later,” Poreda said. “I’m not sitting on a bunch of stock that I guessed on sizes.”

This has been a very successful selling tool with the World War II brands — Camp Grant and the U.S.S. Rockford — so Poreda plans to expand it to Rockford Peaches Play Day in the Village, Sock Monkey Madness and more.

The post Interpreting History: Midway Village gift shop focuses on timely products, displays appeared first on Gift Shop Magazine.

Situated in the lively Meatpacking District in Manhattan is The Whitney Museum of American Art, founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. According to the museum, Whitney observed that U.S. artists “with new ideas” faced unique challenges in exhibiting or selling their art. She strived to purchase and showcase their works to empower local talented artists, ultimately leading to the founding of The Whitney Museum.

More than nine decades later, the museum showcases 20th-century and contemporary art while focusing in particular on work created by living artists.

The museum’s gift shop aims to be an extension of Whitney’s original mission, giving a voice and exposure to American artists who keep innovation at the forefront of their works. The Whitney Shop features carefully curated products, including prints, ceramics, apparel, jewelry and other handmade items from New York City artists. It also has an online storefront, where visitors can shop by category or artist. According to Jennifer Heslin, director of retail operations at The Whitney Museum of American Art, top products at the shop are the catalogs, postcards, posters and archival print reproductions.

Keeping community at its core, the shop’s items are largely designed by local artists and creators.

“We prioritize sourcing from and producing with local designers and makers to support the creative ecosystem of NYC,” Heslin said. “Art supplies, book titles and other gifts that encourage creative thinking, material exploration and the sharing of personal objects and collections are also an important part of our product mix. We want our community of artists, gallery visitors, neighbors and shoppers to be inspired by the ideas explored in The Whitney’s programs and empowered in their own creative impulses.”

The Artists Among Us collection is a best-seller, Heslin explained, with keychains, flags, pins, totes and more with the slogan “There Are Artists Among Us” in English or Spanish, reiterating the notion that talented creators and visionaries are still making their mark in the U.S. today.

Further, The Whitney Shop allows artists from the community to submit products for consideration in the museum. This ensures the shop stays true to its founder’s original mission.

“We review product and title submissions regularly,” Heslin said. “It takes some time, but we try to reply to every submission. We look for beautifully imagined, well designed, unique and high-quality products that directly relate to the art and artists in our collection. If a product doesn’t quite fit in our shop, we try to recommend additional shops that may be a better fit.”

The atmosphere in the Whitney Shop aims to be fun, creative, friendly and thoughtful — welcoming artists and art- appreciators alike.

“We strive to strengthen the relationship between our audiences and the museum, creating an emotional connection with visitors while contributing to the financial health and sustainability of the institution,” Heslin concluded.

The post The Whitney Shop celebrates the ‘artists among us’ appeared first on Gift Shop Magazine.

The ASTRA team, composed of ASTRA staff, small retailers and Certified Play Experts, scoured the floor and spoke with members to discover the top trends in the industry.

This year’s toy trends included:

1. Sloths might move slow, but they were one of the fastest growing trends at the show. From plush to backpacks to games, sloths were front and center.
2. Tech hasn’t gone away, but there are a lot more low-tech toys. Flying toys and lots of lights and glowing toys dominated at the show.
3. Class Table Games have evolved and become more accessible. From new versions of ping pong to smaller foosball tables to table top volleyball, you don’t need a giant playroom to join in on the fun.
4. Toy Adjacent products are dominating with new fidget toys. New textures and an increased emphasis on stress relievers and anxiety easers, shows that this category continues to expand and address issues facing both kids and adults.
5. Tweens are disconnecting for a brief moment to focus on fashion, and the industry is not disappointing. Spa kits, hair accessories, manicures, purses that change color — they’re all attracting the attention of this group.
6. Getting creative never goes out of style as seen with new crafting kits and blank canvas toys. From painting to drawing to glitter, kids are being encouraged to create more than ever before.
7. Inclusion and diversity was seen across multiple play patterns. From more neutral colors in toys, to added ethnicities in dolls and products that directly address inclusion, there was something to celebrate everyone.
8. Social Emotional Learning continues to evolve with toys that help kids recognize emotions, role play scenarios and get in touch with how they feel. From blocks to dolls to games, there are multiple ways to approach the topic and help kids feel heard.

“This was a banner year for Marketplace & Academy. Every year we gather to see what’s new, then consumers have to wait until they see products on-shelf. This year we’re excited to be sharing trends from the show to give everyone a sneak peek of what to expect this holiday season,” said Sue Warfield, president, ASTRA. “These trends were compiled through the lens of the small retailer. They’re on the front lines, they’re hearing what is wanted from consumers and they were able to walk our show floors to see what fits those consumer interests. We anticipate it’s going to be a strong toy year.”

ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2024 show will take place in St. Louis, June 1-4. The show is open to trade only. For additional information visit astratoy.org.

The post ASTRA identifies 8 top toy trends appeared first on Gift Shop Magazine.

Anne Koplik founded Glassworks Studio, since renamed, in 1981. The New York-based company, now owned by Koplik’s two daughters — Kara Garecht and Jill Koplik Tellerman — creates jewelry for women that is both fashion-oriented and timeless while remaining affordable.

“From the beginning, my mother has always said that her mission has been to create jewelry that is affordable and that will make women feel as beautiful on the outside as they do on the inside,” Garecht said.

She added: “We’re your classic American small business. We’re family; we’re women-owned. We’re ‘The Little Engine That Could.’”

The company has created a variety of lines — such as garden- and vintage-inspired — but its celestial line is a must-have for space-lovers. The line began with the Man in the Moon Necklace, a top-selling item that existed for years on its own. The high demand for that item helped to inspire an entirely celestial- themed line with several items at a variety of price points.

Possibly the most extravagant piece from the line is the Celestial Bodies Necklace. The necklace is handcrafted and directly inspired by the solar system. It features a figaro chain with an antique finish, glass-stone planets and a sun charm, as well as star charms and thoughtfully placed crystal accents.

Tellerman designed the piece herself and drew inspiration from her deep-rooted appreciation for the night sky.

“Since my dad explained the stars and the moon to me when I was four years old, looking up, it’s just always been a fascinating thing for me,” Tellerman said. “What we look to are the things that we like and we love. So I said, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to do a [solar system] necklace?’ How I did it was I made the sun, of course, the center. And if we are the third rock from the sun, so going on either side of the actual sun, I did it in order for each of the planets going all the way out.”

Tellerman’s attention to detail was in no shortage when designing the Celestial Bodies Necklace, working to make the planets as accurate as possible when it comes to proportion, details and colors. She even placed a small crystal next to the Earth to represent the moon.

The Earth charm features a cobalt backing with flecks of silver, gold and greens. Meanwhile, Saturn’s coloring is designed to reflect its rings, and Tellerman chose to work off of the latest photos from the highest-powered telescopes to reflect the colors of the planets in the most accurate way while also creating an aesthetically pleasing piece of jewelry.

“Sometimes the most beautiful color combinations are what we find in nature,” Tellerman said.

“When Jill designs, it’s been my experience, being her sister and working with her for all these years, that she goes deep into something [she loves],” Garecht said with a laugh.

Along with the Celestial Bodies Necklace are the Celestial Bodies Crystal Galaxy Earrings, featuring multicolored hand-polished glass cabochons and hand-enameled charms, representing both Earth and Saturn. Other items in the line include the Cassiopeia Celestial Crystal Necklace, Sparkle in Orbit Crystal Jumble Necklace and Stellaluna Celestial Bracelet.

BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Garecht is at the helm of Anne Koplik Designs’ business and sales ventures, and she has found success with the celestial line in planetariums and space museums.

In fact, the Celestial Bodies Necklace is  featured in the National Air and Space Museum’s Smithsonian online store.

“Jill just took it to a totally different level with that necklace,” Garecht said. “It blew me away, and most people that see it, it blows them away. Once I have something like that, I can then go to a Smithsonian with it … For an air and space museum or planetarium, it would be a really an appropriate piece.”

While the jewelry certainly presents a “wow” factor, Garecht said it’s important to Anne Koplik Designs to combine fashion with functionality — that any given piece of jewelry is comfortable, affordable and not too heavy.

“The word is practical,” she explained. “Something that is really giftable and everyday wearable. That’s where our mentality is and what we try to zero in on.”

THE ‘BIG PICTURE’

Ultimately, Tellerman hopes the heavens-inspired line serves as a reminder of how we as humans fit into the grander scheme of the world and galaxy.

“We all look up at the stars in such wonderment,” Tellerman said. “[Outer space is] so majestic, and we’re so small in comparison. It gives you a little bit of a perspective on where we fit in a certain way. People have hopes, wishes and dreams, and they always look up to the stars. I think there are enough people out there hopefully like me who just loved the idea of that and being able to carry a piece of it with you.”

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