Trollbeads: They Don't Live Under a Bridge

Today is the first day of a week of a Trollbeads Launch Event for the Spring Collection.  The chilly nature of the weather is not an encouragement for shopping for luxury items.  Some of us, though, think that jewelry is not only necessary but essential to the way we look and feel. 
I dressed up today with my Trollbeads earrings, my Trollbeads blue bracelet and my Trollbeads ring.  I could have gone for a Trollbeads necklace but I asked myself, "Would this be over kill?" and decided to leave well enough alone.
What about Trollbeads, you ask?  Well, Sweet Tooth is the only retailer in the state of Oklahoma which carries Trollbeads.  We have had this line for about 6 or 7 years and during the majority of that time we have continued to be an oasis in a desert for Trollbeads fans.
The line itself originated in Denmark probably 40 years ago, but has an international reputation and has made its mark in the U.S.  A few years ago the family owned business established a headquarters in Princeton, N.J. and everything about the line has grown beautifully during that time.
The Spring Collection is a group of exotic silver and glass beads with names such as Arabian Nights, Hanging Gardens and Ancient Palace.  Drawing upon the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (considered one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World) the jewelry designers have produced a luxuriant collection of beads.
I had a little fun with several of our staff explaining what a Dromedary is.  The Dromedary, standing on an elegant glass bead, is an outstanding bead, as is the Falcon, the Swan and the Jewel Fairy Basslet.
I was especially drawn to the Moss Agate bead and will probably add that to a bracelet.
The down side of a Trunk Show is the possibility that all the new beads may not be available on the day the collection "launches".  Sigh.  And in the case of this show we are waiting for several beads to be delivered.
If you are curious about Trollbeads, come into the store and take a look.  One of the continual questions we get from some customers is:  Will Trollbeads fit on a Pandora bracelet?  The answer is:  Some beads will.
Hope to see you around the Trollbeads case....a perfect gift for oneself or for Valentine's Day.

Gift Market and Valentine's Day: Random Thoughts

As we approach our annual trip to the Dallas Gift Show, we are beginning to analyze our store and our sales from last year.  As Lisa said to me, "What are we going to look for?"
Not sure at this point.  We know that jewelry and candy are our most popular lines and we will always be looking for what is new.
But the other 20% of our store is wide open.  Sadly some lines have to go...for various reasons.  Nothing new.  The line has sort of died out.  There needs to be more space for new lines.  The trends are a-changing.  On and on.
We know that when we discontinue a line we are occasionally regretful that we have to do that.  Although we joke about "voting a line off the Island", we have still become attached to certain merchandise and we recognize that some of our customers are very attached to a particular line.  Sorry Anna about Kelly Rae.
We are pouring through catalogues and emails.  We will sit down for a Staff Meeting to discuss what our Market Plan will be and when we return from Dallas we will be jubilant and very excited about what we have found.
In the meantime, Valentine's Day is over the horizon.  Next week we get our Valentine's candy.  And bit by bit some gift items and jewelry will be arriving. 
Footnote to Valentine's:  This month's Food Magazine has a little article about the new Candy Hearts words.which often illustrate popular words and phrases we will be seeing a lot.  This year Necco, which is the manufacturer of Candy Hearts, plans to bring back a few old favorites, including.....wait for it......LET'S READ.  That puzzles me.
Other new phrases include OCCUPY MY HEART  and #LOVE.  What ever happened to BE MINE?
This is all in a day's work for a candy and gift store.  Let us know if you #LOVE a line of gift items or candy.  We will look around for it a the Gift Market.
P.S.  Check us out on Instagram.