Atlanta Apparel Sets the Stage for 2011 Retail

Posted on February 2, 2011 by ksantry

With the finishing details in place, Atlanta Apparel gears up for the New Year’s first Apparel Market, kicking off tomorrow, Feb. 3. Poised to welcome thousands of retailers, Atlanta Apparel is featuring the hottest trends of the upcoming seasons in women’s, men’s and children’s apparel with a special focus on Accessories.

As this year’s hottest category, accessories have gained the spotlight at Atlanta Apparel. These products that sell—and fast—will dominate Market. Supporting this trend is an educational seminar with forward-thinking speakers tapped to address how and when to add accessories and shoes to your business. Accessories are crucial for a successful product mix, and this Market, Atlanta Apparel raises the stakes in variety of product offerings with hundreds of lines in jewelry, handbags, watches, belts and more–in styles fit for every buyer.

Plus, don’t miss the Daily Strut Fashion Shows, taking place every day at noon and 3 p.m. These mini-runway events highlight the premier trends of Market and support Friday night’s Style Runway Fashion Show, taking place at 6:30 p.m. on Floor 2.

Atlanta Apparel is your destination for trends, events, education and fun for the upcoming retail season. Prepare to be immersed in the fashion forward excitement tomorrow, Feb. 3 beginning at 11 a.m. with a Light-Up Lip Gloss Giveaway!

To read the entire Market release, click here.

Find Market details here.

Judith March Exclusive Sponsor of February Atlanta Apparel Style Runway

Posted on January 31, 2011 by ksantry

Atlanta Apparel houses the industry’s most sought-after designs and lines, attracting retailers from around the nation. This week, at the first Atlanta Apparel Market of the year, taking place February 3-7, 2011, top manufactures and designers will debut the newest trends in accessories, shoes, women’s, men’s and children’s apparel. To showcase the styles that will soon be seen in stores across the nation, Atlanta Apparel will feature The Style Runway fashion show, exclusively sponsored by Judith March.

As the headlining sponsor of Style Runway, Judith March will take center stage and open the show with its new lines by designer and creator Stephanie Nichols. A returning sponsor, Judith March will debut its spring 2011 collection of breezy new pieces with unmistakable patterns and fresh styles.

It all happens on Friday starting at 6 p.m. in the atrium. Don’t miss it!

To read the entire release, click here.

For more information about the upcoming Market, click here.

Visit www.judithmarch.com for more details on this hot designer and new lines.

5 ways to use Social Media to find success in 2011

Posted on January 10, 2011 by ksantry

It’s that time a year again: new products, new deals, new themes, new marketing and of course, New Year’s resolutions!

In 2010, if you didn’t use social networks like Twitter and Facebook to market your store, network with your community and find ways to grow your business, then that’s ok. It’s ok because in 2011 you’re going to do things differently. You’re going to embrace social media and use it as a daily tool to help you grow, learn and succeed! (If you did use social media in 2010, leave a comment on how it helped your business; also assess what worked and what didn’t, then make a 2011 Plan of Social Media Action.)

To get started, here are 5 ways to use social media to ensure a successful show this January.

1. Pictures! If you don’t have a phone with a built in camera, make sure you bring your digital camera to the show because you’re going to want to make your customers so excited for your new products they can’t stand it! Take pictures of some new items or lines you bought at market. Post to your Facebook page and let your networks know that in a matter of days they could get their hands on those items. Posting pictures of the showrooms and people shopping at market is also a great way to let your customers in on your business, taking your relationship with them deeper.

2. Follow Vendors and Sales Agencies. The best way to stay up-to-date at market is to be monitoring your favorite vendors and sales agencies on Twitter and Facebook. You might even find show specials posted on their social media outlets. To find their accounts (if you don’t know them already) visit their websites, go to search.twitter.com and enter the company name or try Googling their name +Twitter.

3. Hashtags! You might not know what a hashtag is, so let me first explain. Hashtags were developed as a means to create ”groupings” on Twitter. Through these you can tag a post with a keyword so it can be found or referred to later. You create a hashtag simply by prefixing a word with a hash symbol: #hashtag. Here are a few examples:

via @AmericasMartATL: AmericasMart launches HD Home juried home furnishings/lifestyle collection: http://bit.ly/hFp0ty #atlmart

Via @AlexasAngles: “To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful.” #quote

Via @snapretail: Cute Displays for the #Holiday Season http://ht.ly/3ipaP #retail #marketing

4. Connect with other retailers. Running a successful retailer store can be hard. One way to learn what works is by talking to a retailer that has proven success. You can find these retailers online and set up a time to share a coffee, walk showrooms together or grab dinner after market. Continuing that conversation throughout the year will help you stay on track and feel the support of someone who knows exactly what you’re going through. A great way to find these retailers is by following the #atlmart hashtag. Another way is by sending out Facebook posts and Tweets that you’ll be attending the market and you’re looking at connecting with other retailers. Finally, go to AmericasMart Facebook page and see who they are talking to/who is posting on their page and reach out to them.

5. Attend a social media seminar at market. As you return to your store after the shows, you should be asking yourself: how will I market the products I just bought? It’s important to create a 2011 marketing plan and make sure social media is a part of that plan.

There are lots of good seminars at Market. I will be speaking on Thursday, Jan 13^th in the Social Media Track. Please consider spending an hour with me on: Top 10 Facebook and Twitter Strategies to Drive Sales.

For a complete list of seminars visit AmericasMart seminar page and SnapRetail’s seminar series page.

If you can embrace social media in 2011, you will find how beneficial it is for your store. Just make sure you know what you’re doing, how to use the sites, and create a plan of action first that way you can track your efforts. Wishing you a happy new year and a successful 2011!

Handmade Rugs—the Orphans of the Decorative Rug Trade?

Posted on January 6, 2011 by ksantry

Ever since I became immersed in the rug world in the 1980s working for HALI and later The Oriental Rug Magazine, I was frustrated that the decorative application of handmade rugs was basically ignored. Although rugs are designed for the floor—either as the focus or as the backdrop of the room’s décor—they were rarely featured in their decorative context. Instead, they were typically displayed as isolated objects hanging on a wall or on the floor. Yes, there are plentiful and admirable books on rugs’ history, construction, and designs but these are geared to the rug aficionado, not to the decorative buyer or user focused on finding out what rugs would work best in their home or their client’s. Moreover, shelter magazines feature beautiful handmade rugs, both antique and contemporary, but how often are they mentioned in the article or even in the caption?

And so, you may ask, why should anyone care? Actually, the decorative application of handmade rugs does matter. For one thing, they represent one third of the usable space and are the first element that catches your eye upon entering the room. Secondly, aside from furniture, they outlive any other furnishing in the home—including window treatments, wall paint and coverings, and upholstery. Their resilience to wear-and-tear and virtually all forms of human abuse is second to none in essence guaranteeing that they can not only move with you from house to house but also be passed down from one generation to the next. Hence they are the most-effective investment furnishing investment in the home. Last but not least, they are the greenest of floor coverings being produced with renewable organic materials such as cotton and wool, and free of from adhesives and petroleum-based products, present in most machinemade carpeting products that produce off-gassing. Still, despite these attributes, handmade rugs have been treated as the orphans of the decorative trade.

When editor of The Oriental Rug Magazine and later consulting editor on AREA Magazine, I sought to redress the image of handmade rugs as important elements in the décor with an ongoing article series featuring the country’s most prestigious designers’ use of rugs in their work. I knew I was onto something when they all responded with unquestionable enthusiasm. “Finally! It’s about time to publish articles on how rugs are actually used in interior design!” they exclaimed. When helping my clients buy rugs, I always was a bit at a loss when trying to recommend books helping them identify rugs they would like to buy. Most found rug books too intimidating. Some sent me photocopies of illustrations of rare collector’s items that they wanted in oversizes. Not surprisingly, they were frustrated when I told them these did not exist in the market only in the hands of a few collectors and museums. Other clients, desperate for a visual guide, created their own “look book” with ads and images of rugs in rooms torn out of magazines.

And so, buoyed by the encouragement of my clients and featured interior designers, I took on the project of The Decorative Carpet—Fine Handmade Rugs in Contemporary Interiors, a monumental but very rewarding task. I was lucky to find Monacelli Press/Random House who believed in the project. My 32 featured celebrity designers—including Samuel Botero, Clodagh, Jamie Drake, David Easton, and Bunny Williams—were overwhelmingly as enthusiastic as I about giving decorative handmade rugs at long last their deserved place in the interior design world. Today, handmade decorative rugs are orphans no more.

_______________

Learn more from Alix at her presentation on Friday, January 14 during Market at 2 p.m. Here she’ll discuss “The Decorative Carpet in Interior Design.” Plus, stay around and purchase a book for her to sign. Find her in Building 1, Floor 4, 4-G-7

Guest Speaker Niki Papadopoulos’ Top 10 AmericasMart Tips

Posted on January 5, 2011 by ksantry

I love going to the AmericasMart. When I first moved to Atlanta, it was this giant treasure chest of a building and I would ALWAYS tag along with my Mother-In-Law when she would offer to take me. We would start with breakfast at the diner across the street and hit up the 7th floor for serious shopping. That was before I knew what else lived inside and I was able to get access on my own as a designer (one of my happiest moments!)

Being that I have spent some serious time there both shopping for fun and shopping for work I have some tips for making the most out of your AmericasMart experience.

1. You MUST wear comfortable shoes. It is not an option, it is a necessity. You will walk forever and you need to be comfortable (or you could just buy cute flats somewhere in Building 3.)

2. Get a map/directory and hold on to it! If you are coming for the first time you might get disoriented but a campus map and the directory will get you where you need to go.

3. Bring business cards. As a designer this should be automatic, but it is the easiest way to hook up with showrooms. Give an associate your business card and ask them to send you whatever you need to set up an account/line list/etc. This way you don’t leave with 5,000 brochures, unless you’re into that.

4. It also doesn’t hurt to keep a copy of your Tax ID and Business License in your bag. I carry mine around and I pull it out more then you could imagine.

5. Bring a small notebook that can fit in your bag. You will need it.

6. Have your camera ready and charged. Of course always ask if you are allowed to take pictures, but I find that snapping a photo of what it is I like and then jotting down where it is from, is the best way to keep track of what I see. There are so many showrooms and options that if you like a piece, snap a photo, get the info, then send that photo to your showroom rep and chances are they can hook you up with the rest of the line.

7. Utilize the Coat Checks! You will have your hands full, you will have a bag, maybe a cart as well, they will get full and cumbersome. There are coat checks located in each building near the lobby or registration area, ditch your coat, it’s one less thing to struggle with.

8. Market Wednesdays are awesome. If you can’t make it to Market or if the idea of fighting ATL traffic downtown on a busy Market Week isn’t appealing, hit up Market Wednesday. They are typically every other month (check www.americasmart.com for exact dates) and most showrooms are open specifically on those dates. Sometimes showrooms are open every day, some are only open during Market, etc. But most vendors make and effort to be open for Market Wednesdays.

9. Coffee. If you need coffee like I need coffee (or water and sustenance in general) you can find it in every building! Specifically: Building 1, floors: 2, 4, 7, 10, 14, 15, 16, 19. Building 2, floors: 8, 10, 12. Building 3, floors: 1, 2, 5, 6.

10. Strategy: I like to work from the top down and walk the loop in each building. It helps to have an idea of where you want to go and what you are looking for in advance, that way you make the most of your time. If you aren’t up for chatting with vendors or showroom staff and just want to get through as much as possible, I like taking my directory and noting each showroom that looks appealing and then contacting them for information later. That way I can see as much as possible and still get the information I need when the time comes.

If you don’t see Niki on the Home floors, you can find her at the “Blogging, Business and Bites” panel on Saturday, January 15. She, along with three other blogging peers, will give insider tips on how blogging can build your business. It all starts at 4 p.m. in Building 1, floor 14, 14-D-9.

Secrets to Shopping AmericasMart’s HOME Category

Posted on December 21, 2010 by ksantry

I will always remember when I first met the celebrated interior designer Stan Topol. It was during our July 2009 Gift and Home Furnishings Market, and I was brand new to AmericasMart assisting with our b.inspired home design showcase (pictures here: http://on.fb.me/gU6sbD). Within moments of our introduction I instantly felt his legendary presence. A legendary presence stemming from a highly successful interior design career beginning in New York assisting Bill Baldwin to becoming the founder of award winning Stan Topol & Associates (http://www.stantopol.com) based in Atlanta, Georgia. His signature work can be seen throughout America with many different avante garde individuals, companies and industries. With a solid love for Atlanta, the interior design industry, AmericasMart and ADAC, Stan is quick to share his passions and extensive knowledge of the Interior Design industry. Since our b.inspired home design showcase, Stan has brought many of his clients to our HOME showrooms (Building 1, Floors 9-14) and I have had the privilege of working with him on our upcoming exclusive event. I know that the same legendary presence that I first felt will be evident as he brings his passion and secrets to shopping AmericasMart to our January Market Walk and Talk event.

This is a “can’t miss” event if you are interested in learning how you can better use AmericasMart as an interior design resource. First, hear Stan’s tips, strategies, design solutions and inspirations. Then, he will take you on a guided tour throughout the Home floors and showrooms where he will point out some of the best designer showrooms, products and lines. You are sure to leave this event with a better understanding of the reasons why many interior designers, including the legendary Stan Topol, consider AmericasMart one of the most valuable resources in the Nation.

Friday, January 14, 2011
2:30 p.m.
All About Home: Talk and Walk with Stan Topol
Building 1, Floor 14, Seminar Room 14-D-9

R.S.V.P. Please e-mail tturberville@americasmart.com by Monday, January 3, 2011.

Blogging For Business

Posted on December 20, 2010 by ksantry

In preparation for speaking to fellow retailers at the upcoming AmericasMart Gift Market in Atlanta next month, I’ve been thinking about what I feel are the most important aspects of blogging for business. I started a blog for my invitation, stationery and gift boutique in October of 2008. I wasn’t exactly sure what a blog would do for my small business when I started it, however, I now know how valuable it is for keeping current customers engaged and obtaining new customers. I hope to be able to share some of what I’ve learned about “blogging for business” with my colleagues in Atlanta in January.

Here is a sneak preview of what I’ll be sharing.

Keep It Simple

It really couldn’t be easier to create a blog for your business. It is much easier than creating and maintaining a website and can even be your business’ website if you don’t have a reason to keep a separate web presence. Using free blog hosting services such as WordPress and Blogger, it’s as simple as creating a free account, selecting from one of their excellent blog templates and filling in the blanks to customize the blog for your business. Then you do have to actually come up with what you want to blog about.

More about that at my upcoming seminar. Hint: It’s simple.

Keep Communicating

One of the original reasons I started a blog was because I didn’t want to send emails to customers too often at the risk of ending up in their SPAM folders or them just not reading emails because they were to frequent. I have always sent a monthly email newsletter to customer who subscribe and found that as business grew, there were times I wanted to communicate with customers more than monthly. Blogging was my answer. I post information on the blog that is worthy of sharing between newsletters and then direct customers to the blog for special updates, event info, sale and new product notifications. In this case, if customers want the information, they are free to review it, however, we are keeping our promise of only emailing them once per month.

Keep It Going

Blogging does take time. You may be lucky enough to have someone to delegate

blogging to, which would mean it won’t take as much of your time. I actually really enjoy blogging and using it as a platform to tell others about my business, therefore, I maintain our blog entirely on my own. Anything worth doing takes time and one of the biggest blogging mistakes you can make is to stop blogging once you’ve started. Make a commitment to your blog, just like you commit to your business. Make it something reasonable for you, not something an expert told you. If you can commit to blog once a week that’s great. If you can commit to once a month, that’s better than not at all.

Keep It Connected

Because I’m also an avid user of social media for my business, I use other social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter to promote our blog to existing and prospective customers. After I post on our blog, I always put a link to the new post on Facebook and Twitter. These avenues expose our blog to many more people than just those who choose to follow it. I also reference the blog in our monthly email newsletter. I’ve found that this makes creating the newsletter faster and easier. I typically cover some of the same information in the monthly email newsletter that’s recently been posted on the blog. I link directly from the newsletter articles to the blog to share more detailed information, making the newsletter more concise.

These are just a few of my “blogging for business” tips. I’ll be sharing much more at the upcoming panel discussion “The Power of Blogging” AmericasMart University: Building

Your Brand Course on Thursday, January 13, 2011 from 1- 2 p.m. in Building 1, Floor 10, Room 1001. I hope to have the opportunity to meet many of you there!

Formulating Social Media Success: Where to Start and Find Missing Pieces To The Facebook Puzzle

Posted on December 15, 2010 by ksantry

Finding a formula or social media concoction that works for retailers can be rocket science if you make it, keeping things simple is best! Like other forms of advertising your social media target audience should be identified and a plan must be created. Most independent retail stores have a target audience of generation ages 32-54 to older boomers (65+). Of course there are over a dozen decent solutions waiting to eat away your valuable time; a few include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Google Buzz, FourSquare, and Tumblr. So, how would you dare know where to begin spending time on the social web?

First and foremost, while this article is being written, printed, and distributed Facebook has just gained enough users to make up a small country. There are more subscribers to Facebook than there are people in the United States. If Facebook were a country it would be the third largest country in the entire world just behind India and China. Therefore, your uno, number one choice for social marketing for retail stores and brands should be Facebook!

With over 500,000 users think of Facebook as the largest newspaper in the world that more than 50% of the subscribers actually login to read every single day. Yes! That’s exactly what happens people read what’s happening in the world by going to their Facebook “newsfeed” before they open their email! Facebook makes it easy for people to like and share all of their favorite things. When each subscriber has an average of 130 friends you can bet that those “things” that they like spread like wild fire!

So what’s the missing piece of the puzzle??? Many independent retailers dive into Facebook and other social media as if they’re the BIG BOX and BIG BRAND. Think about it! Does the world know your brand? Do they know of your store? OR do they know YOU!??? In many instances, many independent retailers fail to use their personal relationships in their social media campaigns.

How do you rewind??? Start by creating a personal page, expand your knowledge with the platform and then of course find some friends. You may be thinking there’s no place or space for you. Or that you prefer not getting caught up in the social web or that you’d just prefer a “place” to advertise your business. The last excuse is what I tend to hear most from retailers…they want a “place to advertise” their stores for free. Free is good, but it working to increase your bottom line is better.

Building your “personal” page and “personal” friendships on Facebook are more valuable than you think Remember: Each Facebook user has an average of 130 friends. Therefore, if you can find 100 friends that are in your community that already know you, like you, and may know of your store, then your chances of reaching the masses for FREE are greater!

After setting up your personal page, first and foremost….make the page personal! Fill in as much information as possible on your info tab. You can choose to hide specific information by going to account (top right hand corner) and then privacy settings. I recommend that you leave your information page visible to all, yet hide your posts and wall so that people have to ask you to be a friend in order to see your comments and posts. Be sure to add photos, comments, and positive personal comments that are well written. Post your favorite quotes so that your new friends know something about you.

Next, on the right hand column of Facebook Newsfeed, under Get Connected allow Facebook to find your contacts from your email service provider (ESP). If you haven’t imported your customer email list into your ESP, you’ll want to do so. With a couple of clicks, Facebook will begin to find ALL of your customers for you almost effortlessly. You’ll have hundreds of friends before you know it!

You maybe thinking…”I don’t care about having friends, Christi!” I want my business to benefit! On social media it’s most important for your to connect personally so that you can advertise your business secondly. Think of how your relationships with sales reps, if you have a relationship with a sales rep you’re more likely to buy from their manufacturer. The same is true for your customers.

In most cases, the BIG box stores have products that are like or could replace the products you have in your store. What is the major difference between “Jane’s Hallmark” and Target? RELATIONSHIPS! Target and Wal-Mart change employees faster than most of us change underwear! Independent retailers have the advantage of the relationships and customer service-make yours count

To learn more about marketing your retail store on social media including Facebook and Twitter, join Christi at AmericasMart University – Thursday, January 13 at 9 a.m. Location: Building 1, Floor 10, Room 1002

Have questions about Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, or other social media sites? Ask Christi on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/PuTTinOuT

Never, Never Stop Learning

Posted on December 9, 2010 by ksantry

I’ve been coaching retail owners and managers for quite a while now and I can tell you for a fact, the most successful retailers are the ones who recognize that they must constantly educate themselves to stay ahead, grow their businesses, and make a profit.

Let’s face it, just operating your business takes a heck of a lot of your time. Things like staying on top of trends, buying smart, training your employees, and planning ahead requires the right information. Since the Business Fairy doesn’t come into your bedroom while you sleep and magically input that knowledge in your brain, it’s up to you to make time to learn.

Recognizing your, and your employees’, strengths and weaknesses is a great start. You personally have some retail strengths or you would not be in business. You hired your employees, hopefully, because you recognized some strengths in them. So, the most important question you must answer is: What are the weaknesses that are getting in the way of my company’s success?

Answering that question requires a serious reality check and some ego adjustment. Weaknesses can be found in all areas such as: sales ability, merchandising, hiring, training, business tools such as a POS system, or on-line marketing. Write down all of the specific weaknesses you can think of, and be specific. Then ask your employees to do the same (let them know this is not a test, you are asking for their honest input).

Now that you have the weaknesses list, the next step is do something about it.

There’s a ton of information out there to help you succeed. You can find it in bookstores, on line, in seminars and workshops, and in your fellow retailer’s brains. You just have to go and get it. That means making the commitment to learn and then acting on the knowledge you have gained.

What you do with your time on a daily, weekly and monthly basis dictates how successful you can be.

Speaking of time and learning, if you are coming to the January Market, be sure to carve out some time to attend the great retail seminars offered through AmericasMart University.

http://www.americasmart.com/markets/gift/amu-seminars

These free seminars are designed to help you stay in business, grow your business and, above all, make money.

Come join me, and the excellent group of presenters at the January Market.

Remember, time is money. It’s your time.

Never, never stop learning.

William Smith’s seminars at AmericasMart:

Friday, January 14, 2011- 1 pm “The Dreaded ‘S’ Word”

Sunday, January 16, 2011- 9 am “So Where’s My Profit”

Sunday, January 16, 2011- 10:30 am “When the Cat’s Away, What are the Mice Doing?”

AmericasMart January Gardens Market Continues to Grow

Posted on December 8, 2010 by ksantry

With the debut of seven new companies on floors 9 and 10 in Building 2 WestWing, AmericasMart’s Living. Outdoor/Indoor. The Gardens product mix will grow by almost 4,000 sq. ft. These new companies will be joining more than 130 exhibitors—many of which will be launching new product during the January 2011 Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market. Leading this charge is the newly reappointed executive director of leasing, Jill Ford, who reassumes this position after returning to AmericasMart.

New to AmericasMart and establishing a permanent home in Living. Outdoor/Indoor. The Gardens are

Stone Age Creations, 9A13
Jackson Pottery, 9A34
Homespice Décor, 9C103
SS Sarna, 10A11
Spruce, 10A120
Hansen Corporation, 10B56
Giftwares Company, 10B59

Highlighting Living. Outdoor/Indoor. The Gardens at Market is a special Gardens Party hosted by Jamie Durie, host of HGTV’s The Outdoor Room. Durie, one of Australia’s leading Landscape Designers and most recognizable talents made famous in the United States by making regular appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, will speak about the latest and greatest in outdoor room décor trends. A meet-and-greet, cocktail party and book signing will follow. The event takes place on Friday, January 14, 4:00-6:30 p.m. on floors 9 and 10 in B2WW.

Also making its debut this January is the newly created Birding & Backyard Nature, showcasing bird feeders, bird houses, bird seed, bird baths, birding and nature books, optics, hardware, birding software, bird-themed giftware, note cards, magnets, bookmarks, butterfly houses, bat houses, wildlife art, bird-themed jewelry and decorative accessories, recycled nature products, water garden supplies and décor. All three temporary categories are strategically located on floor 3 in B2WW, just a few floors down from the permanent center.

Visit AmericasMart this January and discover new exhibitors and new categories. To learn more about the January 2011 Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishing Market, click here. To read the entire release, click here.

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