The Biz

Every year on April 22, more than one billion people take part in celebrating Earth Day. Across the globe, individuals, communities, organizations, and governments acknowledge our planet and take action to protect it. Earth Day gets many thinking about their carbon footprint, and no footprint seems bigger than clothing, shoes and beauty products. Upcycled fashion goes upscale with Kallio, where vintage clothing is collected and repurposed into chic children’s clothing; better beauty is a matter of herbs and essential oils at Matter Company; Bento licenses the newest in ecowear with Carta Vetrata; and Oh Baby! provides oh-so-sweet organic cotton outfits and accessories for kids of all ages.

Causes that help needy children are always close to people’s hearts and your customers are no exception. Make yours the go-to shop by stocking well-made items that look amazing and do great things for the earth and its people. You can be a retail superhero by carrying soaps and socks that save the world. SoapBox Soaps donates one bar of soap to a needy child for every bar purchased. PACT picks a different cause each season and for this spring/summer, it has teamed up with Whole Kids Foundation to develop sustainable gardens.

American Blanket Company is proud of what it produces and uses only the highest quality products and finest materials in the makings of its bedding blankets, throw blankets, baby blankets and gift blankets. American Blanket Company’s Basic Baby Blanket line provides little ones with the warmth, security and comfort they need, while creating a lifetime of memories of reading just one more story or singing one more lullaby wrapped up in plush, luxuriously soft, easy care fabrics that are guaranteed for life. The new Hand-Stitched Collection contains baby blankets and quilts individually hand-stitched in the U.S.A.

Bumkins Finer Baby Products
ABC Spring Educational Conference & Trade Show

When you walk into a classroom, you’re likely to notice many things: the way the children and teacher interact, class artwork on the walls, the books and materials available to the kids. In most cases, the classroom furniture and equipment tend to blend into the background, but they play an important role in the education process, particularly in the early school years. ECR4Kids produces high-quality classroom furniture and school supplies geared to children in preschool and elementary school. They offer a wide variety of products to choose from, most of which come in bright, kid-friendly, primary colors.

What really moves a product or service? Is it the fancy packaging? Or is it the utility of the item? When it comes down to it, what makes something a great buy depends on the individual. The power of a product to move one person is what makes it great — the appeal to the uniqueness inside. When a product can speak to many different kinds of people, then you have a profitable winner. Specialty clothing companies that design just for children — such as Indikidual — focus on the fact that each child is unique. With adult fashions currently trickling down into the children’s market, Indikidual goes beyond the trendy to target the individuality of the child. Focusing on primary colors and eco-friendly fabrics, newcomer Indikidual delivers edgy clothing with lots of personality.

Experts agree that reading is one of the best pastimes for children. It stimulates the brain and helps children create important developmental skills. But what they read is just as important as picking up the book in the first place. Books that grab a child’s attention, like the Harry Potter series, help motivate children to to read more. Attention grabbers with positive messages are even better, which is the clear selling point of Brooks Olbrys’s children’s tale, The Adventures of Blue Ocean Bob – A Journey Begins (ages 6 to 10). Lushly illustrated by Disney Interactive veteran Kevin Keele, the book lays out positive messages for finding a goal.

J. Austin Ryan Designs
Itzy Ritzy

Organization seems to top the list of things most people feel they could use improvement on. This quest leads to a search for products that will make their lives easier, more efficient and save time. When kids are involved, it adds an even greater urgency in finding methods and products to simplify storage and cleanup, especially of toys. Neat-Oh! ZipBins were born out of necessity, the brain child of a mom and her 10-year-old son Max. The ZipBin is a unique container that holds building blocks or other small play toys and unzips to form a play mat or other play surface.

It’s what every fashion-conscious person craves. It speaks every language known to man. It becomes screamingly obvious by its absence, enticingly difficult to name when encountered. “Sprezzatura” — even the word is romantic and invitingly chic. It’s that careless grace that gives the impression that even the most difficult task comes effortlessly. Sprezzatura is what defines high quality clothing, too. Effortless, beautiful, something that defies the complex motions that went into its production. Think of natural fabrics that drape over the form without clinging, allowing for movement. Sew Lati Couture focuses on creating this perfect fusion of children’s clothing and style.

An educated populace is better prepared to make decisions. Who better to help than businesses that promote a fun way to understand the electoral process? And how about creating a product that adds in a healthy dose of fun that sidesteps any partisan bickering and goes right to the heart of the process? Companies like Regina Glocker’s are bringing engaging activities like the Presidential Game to homes, classrooms, libraries and store shelves, creating a brand new generation of informed future voters.

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