Take Me Back To Tulsa!!

Counting down to our trip to the Dallas Market causes us to reflect on the past 20 years of our attendance there.  In the 60 plus times we have made that trip to Dallas, we have bought hundreds of gift and candy lines.  The other day we were discussing what our Top 5 Finds have been. Here they are.
Sabrina's favorite Find was the Farkel dice game.  For a number of years we carried that game in our store.  One year the University of Tulsa had a big Farkel tournament on campus.  Farkel is a really fun game and although we don't currently carry it, Farkel could make a Come Back some day.
Our surprise Find at the Gift Market was the Peppermint Pig.  I had been searching for that candy item, having read about it in a trade magazine.  I never expected to walk down the Gourmet Food Market aisle and find the owners of that company. We had so much fun with the Peppermint Pig, one of the few American companies which hand makes their candy in copper pots.  One year they also made a chocolate Titanic ship, complete with the rock candy glacier which sunk that ship.  It was Terri Bowers favorite gift from Sweet Tooth that year.
Number 3 great Find has to be our ongoing relationship with Barry Horn, owner of Hobbs and Dobbs, a candy distributor located in Beverly Hills.  Twice a year we look forward to seeing Barry because he always has the latest, the greatest and the most fun candy.  We hug and talk and order from his showroom....he is so honest and never lets us buy anything which he doesn't put his personal guarantee on.  These days we bring Barry an authentic Oklahoma T-Shirt, his clothing choice.  Barry's favorite t-shirt is the one we brought him which says I SPEAK OKIE.
Number 4 and Number 5 Top Finds have to be 2 of our all time best selling gift lines.  The first is the North American Bear line of Muffy bears.  No longer on the Market in the same format, Muffy and her friends and family allowed us to have a line of plush which could be dressed, which had accessories and had a wonderful story line.  We even rented the Full Size Muffy Bear Costume and held Muffy parties in our store.  Ask Sabrina...she was usually the one in the Muffy Costume.
Finally there was a great fun company called Our Name Is Mud.  The ceramic mugs and plates from that company were a big hit...clever, witty and funny sayings on the ceramics which made the best gifts for just about everyone.  Purchased by a larger manufacturer, Our Name is Mud lost its uniqueness and we had to give it up.  What a shame!
Let me add one other Great Find.  That was all the years we were known as the Mary Engelbreit store.  Cherries, flat flowers, wonderful quotes and bright cheerful colors, Mary Engelbreit's creations were our longest running line of gifts and cards and books.
So...we are looking forward to the next Great Finds at the Dallas Market.  We never can tell what will jump out at us and say TAKE ME BACK TO TULSA!!