Crossing the Blues
Showing posts with label Atlanta Gift Market. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Atlanta Gift Market. Show all posts

Living With What You Love




Hilarious letter.


(this was my handout)

Saturday's panel discussion at the AmericasMart went great! After trying to come up with a design concept for more than a week,  I decided to go with what I feel most passionately about and that's living with what you love. I extended this idea to my pillow design and took a vintage textile (something that you may love but be unsure of how to showcase) and showed how it could be repurposed for everyday use. 


For the front of the pillow I used a vintage raw silk scarf and a solid navy velour on the back--simple, colorful, and very one-of-a-kind (a pillow project like this is perfect for repurposing textiles).  I also found this gorgeous vintage tablecloth and brought it as an example of a piece that could be repurposed as a pillow, wall art, or even a throw.


Isn't this tablecloth amazing?? 

It was great to see the pillows created by all of the other designers. Each one was beautiful and definitely spoke to the style of the designer who created it. Here's a peek at everyone's final project:

From left to right: Kari Fisher, Capella Kincheloe, me, Sherry Hart, & Erika Ward. 

All of our designs were raffled off and all of the winners seemed pretty excited to walk away with their custom pillows. Special thanks to the ladies at the AmericasMart that work so hard to put all of these great events together (hey Tess, Amanda, & Jennifer!!)--I'm so appreciative for the invite!
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Join Me at the AmericasMart this Weekend!

Join me this weekend...


I'm delighted to have been asked by AmericasMart Atlanta to be one of their "five hottest design bloggers" at a Pillow Talk & Cocktails event this weekend. Join me on Saturday as I present my transformed 18x18 pillow and talk about the inspiration behind my design. Hope to see you there!

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Atlanta Market Is Here!

It's that time again! The 2011 Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market starts tomorrow and runs through January 19th, and I'm super excited to be in attendance again!  You can read all about my first experience at Market here along with a few tips to know for those of you first timers who are planning to attend.  

This year I've been invited to attend as a VIP and am excited about the key events they've lined up for bloggers & designers including:

I have to admit, I love that so many businesses recognize the power of bloggers and are actively finding ways to integrate them (us) into their marketing efforts.  I'm honored to be included and can't wait to report back next week!
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5 Things You Should Know About the Atlanta Gift/Furniture Market!

1. WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL??



The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market (commonly known as "Market") is a biannual market held to showcase the newest merchandise in the world of gifts & home furnishings. Don't be fooled--the term "gifts" covers a wide range of products! Gift/furniture markets are held in most major cities (San Francisco, Chicago, NYC, Toronto, Dallas, & Las Vegas), but Atlanta is home to the largest in the world, with 3 buildings housing up to 23 floors and 7.7 MILLION square feet. Only 800,000 of that is used for trade shows, but still . . . that's a lot of wholesale shopping! In these buildings you'll find more than 4,000 showrooms housing products including area rugs, beds, apparel, novelty gifts, furniture, kids toys, candles, ornaments, dinnerware, accessories (home & fashion), lighting, linens, cookware, & wall decor.  They even have massage stations on every floor to add the pep back to your step when your energy starts winding down! Still not sure what you'll find? Take a look . . .


Got it?

2. IT'S A PRIVATE CLUB (sort of).



Most gift markets are wholesale (meaning items are sold to other retailers, not general consumers) and therefore not open to the public.  Entrance is only granted to established businesses, and a guest pass can be purchased by a business for an additional $50.  Attendees are expected to wear badges at all times and identification must be visible upon entering the building, so it's not the kind of  place where you can just plan to mix in with the crowd--security is tight and ever present. Unfortunately, attending Market is not as simple as providing a business license for entry;  AmericasMart requires all of the following to register:
      
- Current retail business license or federal resale tax certificate
- Imprinted business check
- Corporate credit card or proof of merchant credit card ID #
- Photo ID or passport (one per buyer)
- Personalized business ID (business card or cancelled payroll check) – One per buyer required
- Internet businesses must provide proof of search engine with website and proof of URL registration

  Plus one of these:
- White or yellow page business phone listing
- Current year executed sales tax return or sales tax coupon book
- Lease agreement for commercial space
- Photo of retail store front with company signage clearly displayed
- Current invoices showing you purchase Mart related merchandise in quantity for resale

Definitely serious business.


3. YOU HAVE TO PAY TO PLAY.





Because Market is technically for wholesalers, every showroom has an established minimum purchase requirement (or "open"/"opening").  Depending on the company/showroom, minimums can go as low as $500 (and maybe lower for certain goods) and as high as $3,000-$5,000.  Higher-end showrooms set high minimums as a means of increasing demand and ensuring that their products lines don't become oversaturated in the marketplace.  Most showrooms also have minimum purchase quantities on smaller items, meaning you can't buy just one of that cute little ginger jar you had your heart set on.  These rules often keep the average consumer at bay, because there aren't too many non-retailers that would want to buy a lot of 75 iPhone cases or 25 Mother-of-Pearl jewelry boxes.
4. TRENDS RULE!!!




People go to Market for one of 3 reasons--to purchase items for design clients, build store inventory, or get an early peak at the trends that will be hitting the design world in as few as 4 weeks.  Certain companies are known to be the Market trendsetters, and buyers flock to those showrooms to see the newest trends, as well as their fabulous displays.  Want to know the trends I spotted last week?   Lots of ceramic/iron animal motifs (not just owls anymore!),  big infusions of fresh color featuring a lot of orange & turquoise, and an abundance of organic elements.  




polyvore



5. NO PHOTOGRAPHY, PLEASE.



Because Market is really about spotting the latest trends (see #4), there's fierce competition among the showrooms--everyone wants to be the manufacturer (or wholesaler) of the latest and greatest product.  As such, showroom/display photography is generally not allowed.  While not every showroom has a posted "no photography" sign,  company reps will often ask you to put your camera away if you whip it out and start snapping away.  Sometimes asking helps, sometimes not. I have a bit of personal experience with this because I was actually asked by a security guard to stop photographing a display--they don't play around!  Some of the showrooms are known for scouting out their more prestigious counterparts and then copying the popular items for the next Market (lesser quality at a lower price), so it's not uncommon to see similar items on different displays. Don't be immediately fooled by the big discrepancy in price--often times it's indicative of quality.  
In addition to thousands of showrooms, each Market also features dozens of seminars by well-known personalities.  This year's lineup included Lifestyle Designer Eddie Ross, Potter & Interior Designer Jonathan Adler, renowned Interior Designer Suzanne Kasler,  Chef Tyler Florence, and Brand Strategist Olivier Blanchard.  The seminars are a great way to round out your Market experience and promise to add to your repertoire, whatever your interests!  In a nutshell, I'd describe the Atlanta Gift/Home Furnishings Market as one of the best places to go to spot the newest trends and color palettes for the upcoming season.  


For those of you who attended, what were your thoughts??
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The Joys of Internet Dating.

By now, you DO know that this is my term for a blogger meet-up, right??

Friendships in the blog world are amazing, and yet a bit like internet dating because the process is much of the same. Think about it--you see (or read about, in this case) someone you think you might like, start to exchange comments with that person, slowly working your way towards private emails.  Suddenly emails begin to exchange more often. Then you schedule a face-to-face "date" where you spend the hours (or minutes, in some cases) seeing if there's a connection, after which you  decide whether you want to see the person again or "keep looking".  Very similar, right?  I told you.

Well this past week(end) I was able to meet up with Nashville-based Interior Designer (and boutique owner) Amanda Burdge of AB Home Interiors, and I would have to call our meet up a successful "date". Think I'm fibbing? Here's some proof.

(Photo via David Naugle of Naugleworks; taken @ Pieces)
Amanda and I have become email/blog friends over the last few months through her blog, AB Home Interiors, and when she graciously offered to show me around the 2010 Atlanta Gift & Home Furnishings Market (commonly known as "Market") in exchange for my showing her my fabulous city, I had an offer I couldn't pass up.



For those of you who know Amanda from her blog, she is as beautiful, smart, and witty in the flesh!  Not only did she take 2 days to show me the ins and outs of Market (the details of which I will share in the coming days), but we talked incessantly about the business of design, blogging, retail merchandising, friendships and much of the like. She's lived in several states and has a great understanding of the various geographic cultures of design, in addition to an immense knowledge of the business itself.  Not only is she a friend, but she's someone I would also consider to be a business mentor.  As a new designer painstakingly creating my own brand, I value the advice of other successful people whom I trust and with whom I feel a mutuality.  Needless to say, Amanda definitely fits the bill.

Want to know what we did for 2.5 days?  Well here's the skinny . . .

We attended a private party honoring Jonathan Adler thrown by Lee Kleinhelter from the ΓΌber-fabulous Atlanta boutique, Pieces.

We ate.
(This turkey burger from Flip Burger Boutique is perhaps the best one you will taste in your life.  It even has pomegranate ketchup . . . YUM.)

We shopped.

And shopped a bit more.



And she kept me from hitting pedestrians and driving on the wrong side of the street because I was too busy trying to stay engaged in our conversation (Amanda, I really am a great driver!).


Sounds like fun times, right? You bet.  Stay tuned for more details about our "date" and the tips you must know before attending any wholesale gift/home furnishings market!
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