• Plan your shopping by pre-determining the categories of merchandise you need to buy. Remember to buy what sells – don’t sell what you decide to buy.
• Study the Locator Map in your Atlanta Buyer’s Guide and find the floors that carry the merchandise categories you need. Then, study the individual floor plans and highlight the showrooms you need to visit.
• Begin shopping on the top floor of your category and move down using the stairs and escalators (often faster than elevators).
• Shop all appropriate floors for your merchandise categories by going through each hallway. If you see a showroom you’d like to visit that isn’t on your original list, highlight it on your floor plan for a return visit.
• Study the floor plans of the temporary display areas to determine the categories you need to shop. Again, shop for what will sell in your stores.
• Remember that you are a purchasing agent for your customers, not a selling agent for the manufacturer, so take time to establish a good relationship with vendors and suppliers.
• C.O.D. shipments aren’t recommended. Be prepared to present the necessary credit information to be able to place an order.
• Always convert all orders placed to retail to determine the real value of what you’ve ordered.
• Include a shipping date on every order placed – never assume an order will be shipped unless the date has been confirmed.
• Include a cancellation date on all orders (normally 30 days).
• Always find out the freight charge to accurately calculate the total cost of the order and find out the method of shipping.
• Finalize any open issues before leaving Market.
• Take all copies of all orders placed at Market and double check ship dates and cancellation dates.
• Visit the on-site AmericasMart Travel Desk to book housing and plan travel for upcoming Markets.
• Finally, enjoy your trip – you’ll do a better job of shopping if you relax and take advantage of all AmericasMart Atlanta has to offer.

Organic Cotton

Organic cotton is a great product and a great fiber, no chemicals on one of the most chemically intensive crops in the world, what a great story. Before you purchase make sure your supplier can certify the source of the fiber and their certifications. Bottom line: make sure your organic cotton has integrity. Companies such as MantraMeds a U.S. manufacturer of fashion medical apparel, takes the approach of purchasing Texas Organic Cotton  and following the flow of the fiber. Like many other companies their comfort level is in knowing the farmer, seeing the Department of Agriculture certifications, and working closely with the spinner.

Recycled Cotton

The concept of recycled cotton is to take good fibers out of waste and in turn reduce the need to actually grow more cotton. In a lot of ways recycled cotton is much better than organic cotton; it reduces the acreage of cotton grown. It’s important to remember however that the process of reclaiming fibers is difficult on the integrity of the fiber itself. You simply cannot make a fine count yarn out of short fibers, but you can make beautiful blends and coarse counts. Patrick Yarns (www.patrickyarns.com) is a domestic leader in placing recycled cotton in the correct market

Bamboo

Bamboo is the source of cellulose in rayon; it’s not the fiber. Rayon can be phenomenally harsh in manufacturing with the cellulose put in a slurry of acid and then extruded into fiber. Rayon was originally made in the U.S. out of wood pulp, but economics and environmental issues stopped domestic production. One item of note is that it is against FTC regulations to label a product as just “bamboo,” it must be labeled as “cellulose” or “rayon.”

Modal and Tencel are cellulosic fibers but made by Lenzing in a close loop system. If you like cellulosic fibers such as bamboo, it’s imperative to ask your supplier about Modal and Tencel. These fibers have the attributes of rayon, including the great “hand,” plus more, and all are done in an environmentally friendly way.

Recycled Polyester

Recycled polyester (rpet) is a fiber that is making great strides for all the right reasons. RPET saves energy, reduces our dependence on oil, and can save millions of plastic bottles from our landfills. Much like organic cotton it’s imperative you trust your source. One leader in the industry is Unifi with their U-Trust third party verification on their Repreve brand of recycled poly. One of the most attractive aspects of RPET is that the fibers have all the attributes of virgin polyester, but with a great environmental story.

Earthspun Apparel  has just launched an intriguing new RPET that is the color of the feed stock. Brown recycled plastic bottles make brown fiber, green/green, blue/blue, etc. The color of the garments are derived without the water and energy consumption of the conventional dying process.

There are many other fibers on the market with some very unique features. Fibers today are being made from unique products like coconut shells and corn sugars,  each new fiber has its own set of attributes and each has a great story. The best way to understand the products you purchase is to ask the simple questions, and to build a relationship with your vendor.

Jack Miller is a partner with SustainTex LLC, and he would be delighted to discuss sustainable fabrics and practices in more detail during Atlanta Apparel Market.

In Living Color
Color expert Rebecca Ewing of the Color Marketing Group will show you how color unconsciously affects feeling, behavior and physiology. Learn to use these predictable and universal color responses to attract, inspire and compel customers and clients.
This seminar is worth .2 CEU credits.
TIME: 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
LOCATION: Home Furnishings Center, Building 1, Floor 14 Seminar Room
Coffee and muffins will be served. 

Benjamin Moore Color Pulse
Join Randy Smith of Benjamin Moore as he presents the upcoming color trends for interiors and exteriors.
TIME: 1 – 2 p.m.
LOCATION: Living. Outdoor/Indoor.^® The Gardens.^®, Building 2 WestWing, Floor 10 Seminar Room
Coffee will be served.

DON’T WAIT! MAKE YOUR PLANS TO ATTEND TODAY!
Seating is limited. For more information and to RSVP, contact:
Meagan Maron: 404.220.2104 or mmaron@americasmart.com 

And while you’re here…
Refresh, Renew and Reenergize your store or client’s home with the latest in home furnishings, gift, gardens and more when you shop Market Wednesday in Buildings 1, 2 and 2 WestWing.

(I was inspired to do this article after visiting my daughter’s store, RUBY,  where I noticed how many little items she had tied together with ribbon as a “set.”  There were several bracelets together, panty packs of two, three or five, a package of three tees, etc.  The pricing was even numbered like $10, $20, etc. and as a shopper I could realize how quick and easy this choice could be. It seemed especially effective for the Valentine shopping season in progress.  The more I thought about it, the more I felt the need to share “bundling up” for better profits with each of you!)

All of us enjoy a sweet deal, by just like icing on the cake, it can be overdone.  Bundling is a delicate blend of ingredients that:

*Sweetens the deal for your customers
* Increases your average sale
* Boosts your employees’ productivity
*Reduces your risks

If you are considering bundling, ask yourself these questions:

1) What are some of the challenges shoppers face in buying clothing
Some folks are color blind or have no fashion sense. They are in a hurry and forget to buy the related purchases they need. They long for help in making    decisions.  A bundle is already combined and ready – no choice.

2) What can I bundle together to make life easier for my customers?
Shoes and Handbags
Assorted Accessories that mix/match
Hosiery for the outfit
Socks for the shoes
Tees with Jeans
Tops w/suits
Slippers with robes
Panties with bras
7 panties (one for each day)
Basic tees set (red, black, white)
Lip gloss and mirror
Gloves & scarf
Anything that makes sense together or fills a need!

3) What benefits would buyers gain from bundles?
Customers would save time, whether shopping for themselves or a gift, they would find things easier. A bundle usually adds more versatility and functionality to a wardrobe by mixing and matching. Shoppers usually think a bundle is a better deal and they feel good about saving.

4) What benefit would the retailer gain from this?
Total sales should increase. Multiples units would be sold. Customers would appreciate the creativity and novelty of the combination.
Employee’s productivity should go up because they will generate more sales dollars per customer.

Look around, what goes together as the perfect bundle in your store?

Learn even more and be further inspired at TJ’s seminar at the Apparel Market on Saturday, April 2 at 10 a.m. She’ll get you excited about driving traffic through promotions and contests. More information on her seminar and full lineup of events can be found here.

More on bundling can be found in “Pricing for Profit” by Dale Furtwengler, available from www.amaconbooks.org.

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

The cocktails start flowing at 6:30 p.m. so be sure to hop over after your day ends at Market.

Market Kick-off Part
6:30 p.m.
Bar Eleven at the Loews Atlanta Hotel
1065 Peachtree St NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 745-5000