The Biz: Feature Articles

Features

A Room to Call Their Own

By Carolyn Kavarnos

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.

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Business Sense

Paying Employees After a Natural Disaster

By Jeremy Richardson

In late October, Hurricane Sandy slammed into the New York City metropolitan area, Long Island and New Jersey, leaving coastal communities ravaged. Thousands of homes and businesses were damaged; many were destroyed. Unable to open for business, must employers still pay employees for not coming to work? Many employers suffered business closures or interruptions. The public transportation system shut down and the gas shortage meant employees could not get to work. So, as an employer, what are the rules? Should you pay or not pay?

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Bookworm

“A Little Lair” Captures Imaginations

By Mari Gold

Invite a little magic into your customers’ lives by showing them an intriguing bit of wall décor that comes with a book to help them welcome a fairy, elf or gnome into their homes. Fantasy takes us where we might not otherwise go. Kids love fantasy and will thrill to the opportunity when they get A Little Lair. Each of these “lairs” is a whimsical door that is accompanied by a read-along page book that explores the many ways to make magic happen. Mac, an elf, introduces himself and guides kids and their families on the journey, explaining how, by placing a Lair on the wall, the little people can enter, making good dreams happen and diminishing night terrors.

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The Green Scene

IMAGINE GreenWear Combines Art, Eco-Ethics, and Innovation

By Mari Gold

Face it: What we do has an impact on our planet, whether for good or ill. As a retailer you have the power to help your customers reduce the footprint they leave behind. When you offer green merchandise and shoppers buy it, everyone benefits. Now, top fashion designers and retailers are offering more choices for organic apparel with no company more involved than IMAGINE GreenWear, an all-American organization that is justifiably proud of its designs, its ecological direction and its part in helping the world to be a better, greener place. To them, green IS the future of textiles.

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The Green Scene

Tickle Time: Sun Protection That’s Fun Before Sun

By Mari Gold

Sunblock has become a family essential for every day, all year ‘round. Kids often make putting it on a battle, hating the feel of cold spray or greasy cream. Because actress Anne Heche had so many skirmishes over sun protection with her own young sons, she decided there had to be a less stressful, happier way to get the essential stuff on her family. Heche partnered with the founders of La Bella Donna to come up with Tickle Time Sunblock, a mineral, brush-on sunblock that is especially formulated for kids — the first of its kind!

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Features

Pampering, Care and Answers for Expectant Moms

By Kelly Lee

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.

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Features

New Shoes in Town

By Emmi Kern

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.

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Behind The Brand

Bébé au Lait: Its Success is Nothing to Hide

By david gaunt

I first met Claire Ekelund, co-founder of Bébé au Lait, about 8 years ago when she introduced her collection of designer breastfeeding covers, which was a first in what became a new product category for nursing mothers. I loved that she had the practical sense of humor to name her creation “Hooter Hiders,” which was brilliant too because it quickly told the function of the product, which previously had not been so fashionably conceived. The company, Bébé au Lait, has evolved into a multi-line brand that is equally known for its fashion and function.

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Features

“Presto Change-o” Defines Tween Style Shifts

By Mari Gold

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.

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