the cool factor

Welcome everyone! Perhaps you're a store owner scouring the web for new inspirations, perhaps you're a student or mom surfing just for the heck of it; perhaps you're trend-hunting, on a fact-finding mission, or just plain curious. Welcome all you creative, curious and collaborative souls out there! So... you already know who you are, but who the heck are we? Here's the short answer: a small design studio that began as a cottage industry in March 2007. We now run a bona-fide manufacturing plant where we design, sew and embroider gifts that we wholesale to lots of hip boutiques across the country. I hope you are one of them! Here's the more complicated answer: we are still discovering that... just who we are, that is. And whether you are a store owner or a store shopper, I hope you are still on that journey, too. Because it is keeping ourselves open to learning something new every day that makes us smarter. Simple. Stay open to the world around you. Avoid complacency. After my first two years in the gift industry, I offered my business partner a buy-out. It was then that I truly started down the road of self-discovery. But the greatest pearl of wisdom I stumbled upon on that uncharted path was this. In strategizing the direction/entity of your brand/store/even self, first and foremost, be authentic. In his book Chasing Cool, Noah Kerner states, " We believe that cool is not the outcome of a chase but rather the province of a tasteful visionary who maintains a personal, authentic point of view." Russell Simmons adds, "Chasing cool is really a bad idea; inspired by cool is a great idea. Walk the street, see what's going on, and spit it out in your own way. Don't do it because you research it, do it because you breathe it." I hope you will follow my blog. There's lots I have in store for you... from stop-your-customers-in-their-boots store displays to the season's hottest Pantone colors. But what better place to start our friendship than with an agreement to be truly authentic in all our efforts. Let's learn to trust ourselves. You don't want to be a cookie-cutter business; you want to be original. Keep abreast of trends, make effective marketing decisions, but always thread your needle from your own spool.

paint a picture for your customers

A picture is worth a thousand words... right? Then what are you waiting for? Start planning your winter window displays now! Here are a few surprisingly simple tips that you may find useful:


1. Think consistency. We are all trying to build a brand, whether it is a line of clothing or gifts or a brick-and-mortar storefront. So think about your trademark...what do your customers identify with your store name? Then play it up and be consistent. The following pictures are the window of a darling store in Michigan called Catching Fireflies.  What an awesome example of how they use mannequins and whimsy for a consistent yet ever-changing store display!

2. Think out-of-the-ordinary.  Do you want potential customers to walk past your store or to take a double look? They won't strain their necks to take a second glance at ordinary shelves or a standard table top vignette. The WILL look twice if they think they saw something unexpected in your store window. Anthropologie is a genius at this:

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3. Keep it fresh.  This says it all. If your storefront or window is not fresh, why should customers believe your store merchandise is fresh?

I hope you will find these little inspirations and reminders helpful. But just remember... always thread your needle from ... you got it!... your OWN spool!