Feature Articles: Features

AmericasMart is the juggernaut behind the popular Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market. AmericasMart offers a convenient and accommodating venue for exhibitors, with over 4,000 permanent showrooms available, along with temporary exhibits. The first Atlanta show of the year is on now through January 16, 2013. Here are a few must-see recommendations: Choose Friendship, Hotline to God, Sister Chic and Moonjar.

So many comforters, so few cribs on the retail floor. Nursery furniture stores always have a difficult choice to make for coveted display space. There are so many styles of coordinated crib soft goods available. Colors, textures, traditional or modern, and bold or neutral are just the beginning of many decisions retailers and parents need to make. For our latest bedding review, The Giggle Guide® looks at Bacati, The Little Acorn, Cotton Tale Designs, and Trend Lab.

Even after a toddler is comfortable using the toilet, accidents happen. Remember that potty training is a complex skill in which a youngster has to both make and understand connections between their body and that big, porcelain throne. We have found that items from vendors, including Intelligent Potty, Clouds and Stars, Earth Friendly Products and Tots on Mars all help make toilet training a little easier. Parents appreciate having a range of helpful merchandise available to smooth the road to freedom from diapers.

Designing a room that fully reflects the child who inhabits it requires vision and resources. There are so many choices and decisions to be made that it can become a daunting task. Furniture, bedding, wall art, toy storage and more are some of the components that will need to be selected. Companies that offer a range styles, colors, themes and designs make finding the perfect pieces and accents that much easier and can quickly turn a blank space into a room that appeals to both parent and child. Lazzari, Swankie Blankie, Nurseryworks and Studio Arts provide lots of options in toy storage, bedding, furniture and wall art that help turn a child’s room into a one-of-a-kind sanctuary.

How can we help expectant moms get some peace of mind? By giving them what they really want: a break from the concerns and discomforts of pregnancy. Cares include nutritional issues while pregnant, facing the pain of labor, breastfeeding and attachment problems. Other problems concern discomfort; during and after pregnancy a woman’s body is never the same. Companies such as The Clueless Chick, Owie Pillow, MomBod Fitness and Belli are available to give mom exactly what she needs.

Nowadays, the choices in the shoe department are overwhelming. While choices are plentiful, however, they aren’t always high quality, and a new move toward well-made shoes is underway. But today’s kids won’t accept anything less than cutting edge style, so shoemakers have had to combine form with function in some innovative ways. The following companies are showing us that when it comes to quality footwear, there’s life beyond brown Oxfords: Joojos, Shupeas, SWYT Culture, and Shoemees.

In our trend-centric world, it is vital to be flexible. What looked good on Thursday can feel old-hat by the following Monday, so products that can be re-imagined are bound to have a following. With write-on/wipe off duvet covers and pillowcases from Doodle by Stitch, changeable hair personality via Infinity Bands and Flying Buttress handbags that can take on a new persona with a simple panel snap, making changes is part of the game. Life is never dull when styles can easily be updated, giving accessories a new look and enabling girls to be totally “with it” in ways to suit themselves and their ever-changing personalities.

The tween market can be a little hard to nail down: tweens are moving beyond the childlike toys and behaviors they are used to, but still not quite ready for the almost-grown-up style of older teens. Retailers need to be wary of coming off as too cutesy or way too sophisticated. Kids in this group tend to be very creative. Edgy, fun, yet practical accessories and designs all make for happy families. The best in tween products combine individualism with creativity, and the lines from Nail Candy, Shwings, and Tractor bring customers back for more.

Some parents take it for granted that they can go into a toy store and buy whatever their child wants. Parents of special needs children know it’s never that easy, and retailers who carry toys and clothing for their child’s specific needs can foster a valuable customer relationship to last a lifetime. A few examples of all-inclusive products include Pocket Frenz for children who need something small and tangible to get them through the day; Fun and Function toys, games and apparel; Soft Clothing’s seamless, tagless apparel for children who find regular clothes irritating; and WorryWoos for children who have trouble processing emotions.

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