Items tagged “Furnishings & Decor”

Get ready for NY NOW, the Market for Home & Lifestyle, which runs Saturday, August 17, through Wednesday, August 21, 2013, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and Passenger Ship Terminal Pier 94. Overall, NY NOW, (formerly the New York International Gift Fair), will encompass 100,000 products in 400+ product categories. The event anticipates that 35,000 attendees from all 50 states and more than 80 countries will attend. Our preview of discoveries includes mimish, Wash with Water, Funkins, and Kira.

Time magazine’s “Curious Capitalist” Rana Foroohar penned these words that always seem to elicit sighs of relief from some quarters and cheers from others: “Made in the USA is making a comeback.” Having products made in The States not only supports local communities, but also provides other tangible benefits. Quality control is high on that list: a quick walk down to the factory floor can straighten out an issue. Small quantities of well-made products can be created without trouble. Plus, more customers are interested in purchasing US goods. Companies that continue to provide goods made in the USA, like Alex Marshall Studios, Little Korboose, Connor’s Kits for Kids, and Harrisville Designs, are staying strong.

Other than the child’s name, nursery decorating might be the most important part of a baby’s early identity. Retailers looking for a new profit possibility might consider carrying paints in addition to crib bedding and coordinating accessories. Dirt has never looked so clean and chic with the natural pigment of Green Planet Paints. Sweet ones will slumber peacefully with medical grade mattresses and pads by Moonlight Slumber. Creative and chic, Carousel Designs has over 100 options for a natural nursery. Stokke stocks some of the most versatile furniture on the market, including beds, dressers and diaper changing tables that convert as children grow.

Attending a panel discussion presented about how retailers can better work with bloggers and social media outlets, I remembered Marshall McLuhan’s famous quote from my college days: “The medium is the message.” He meant something about the medium influencing, and thus becoming part of, how the message is perceived. It kinda confused me then, just as I realized after the Q&A session that there is a lot of confusion about the ever-changing online media called “social.” Some retailers remained puzzled as to why anyone would be interested in what moms say about their families. One reason they should care is because many of these messages are influencing buying decisions and helping to build brands.

It’s encouraging to see companies manufacturing their products in the U.S.A. Today, consumers are more conscious and making a real effort to buy from manufacturers that produce their products in America. Buying North American products is a great way to support the companies that are providing jobs and opportunity to homeland workers. Sweet Spud, Bambino Burper, Mood Lights and Winsome Fragrance Co. are some U.S.A.-based companies that are producing innovative products and supporting the American economy.