Wrapping Up The Dallas Market Trip

We are now back at Sweet Tooth, with multiple bags of catalogues, a long list of orders and some thoughts about our experience.
If someone asked me what I thought were some of the main themes at the Gift Market I would reply:  Burlap, Monograms, Collegiate and more Christmas merchandise.
It seemed that every showroom had some merchandise in burlap.  I really can't say that I know why that was so, but I will say that we did order some goodies made from burlap.  The Oklahoma basket is one of my favorites and I think it will be a big hit.
As for Monograms, apparently this will be the year when customers will see monogrammed merchandise everywhere, including many upscale department stores.  We certainly couldn't be left out of that trend so we ordered some really pretty white ceramic mugs with initials which can be used for everyday as well as holiday gifts.
Collegiate is all over the place.  Not a single category is left out of collegiate colors...and that means clothes, shoes, hats, scarves, jewelry, tailgating supplies, head bands and tons and tons more.  Sweet Tooth will be selective but you will see our collegiate section grow.
In the past few years, Christmas merchandise offerings seemed to have slowed down.  People can only collect so much holiday stuff before there is no more room for another ornament or wreath or sweater.  However, this year that segment of the market has returned.  As you can imagine, every year more young people move to their own place and begin the process of accumulating decorative pieces for the holidays.  There is always a new crop of collectors and shoppers.  This is a catagory which will always be with us.
As for conversation, there was more talk about shopping locally.  The cost of overhead for showrooms has begun to leave the Dallas Market with many unleased showrooms.  Big corporations have moved out and we have to believe that part of the reason is the internet.
It astonishes me that local officials don't see what is happening when people begin to use the internet more than shopping locally.  The city's revenues from sales tax decrease and we find ourselves thinking about cutting out services which make our city more liveable and more attractive to out of state businesses and people moving to Oklahoma.
So along with the trends we saw at the Gift Market, I am hoping that we will see another trend:  shopping locally which benefits everyone.  What do you think about that?

Dayb 4: Final Day at the Gift Market

At 4:00 a.m. I woke up thinking that I had come down with a cold.  Over the 21 years we have come to Dallas for the Gift Market, we have had some close calls with health issues.  Colds were standard, as well as the flu and the major emergency at the Las Colinas Medical Center with a bleeding ulcer.  Luckily it was just a slight moment of panic and I felt fine all day long.
It was raining when we left for the Market...no fun walking several blocks from the parking lot.  Once we are inside the buildings we have no idea what so ever if there is rain or sunshine.  There is no need to go outside and the vendors here have every reason to keep the buyers inside.
We met our staff around 9:15 a.m. and they left with a list of showrooms to visit.  Thank goodness for Lisa, Doris, Jesse and Sarah.  That makes 4 more experienced pair of eyes and more time to check out the Market, finding lines and ideas Jeff and I would never be able to find time to work on. 
They found a line of watches we will consider.  They double checked me, reminding me of items I had not put on our orders.  It was a matter of re-tracing our steps and making sure those items got on our orders.
So what are we considering?  Possibility of bangles with sorority charms, other licensed charms like The Wizard of Oz, Betty Boop and tons more.  The national rep for this line was once our national sales manager for Kameleon...so it indulged in some gossip and shared experiences to catch up with old friends.
Lisa's size 6 foot helped us to get a handle on the new Lindsay Phillips shoes...we picked 3 styles which we are going to order for August.  Around the corner from LP was the cutest purse and tote line featuring great appliques which we snapped up for our store.
How about Frozen?  In about 2 weeks we will have charm bracelets with the Frozen characters...no doubt those bracelets will "fly out the door".
We ordered some great ceramic pieces for Christmas..remember the name Mud Pie??And our sales rep clued us in that all the major stores will be showing monogrammed mugs, etc this fall.  What we did was order a 72 piece collection of gorgeous mugs with initials.  Put that on your list.
We met with the people from Sweet Shop and got the low down on what is coming out from the chocolate company which has been our standard for 21 years.  There is none better.  Sweet Shop has the license for Price's Chocolate recipes which is why we have been able to continue carrying Annaclairs all these years.
We packed in quite a few other stops during the day, left the Market to eat dinner at the new Mediterrean restaurant we love.  Staff went off to he airport and after a slight delay, took off for Tulsa.
The make over at Sweet Tooth began this weekend...new paint color which should be finished next weekend.  We are really excited about that.  Thank you Steve W., our painter.
Come check out Sweet Tooth...you'll be a very important part of the story we are re-writing.

Day 3: Dallas Gift Market

This morning the Dallas traffic was sparse and we arrived at the Market in about 10 minutes.  Off to see Trudy at Demdaco, who  was running a little behind.
Another sales rep, whose name is Janet, took us over to the new Demdaco product:  Glowology, a brand of body lotions, hand balm, cream and body wash.  After hand massages provided by Hannah from Demdaco, we were convinced to bring this line into the store in September.  Go ahead...sign up for a hand massage!!
Another wonderful gift item is Art Hearts, designed by a variety of artists who are licensed by Demdaco, including Kelly Rae Roberts.  You are going to love these hearts with beautiful sentiments, packaged and able to hang or by using the key which comes with the heart, you can sit them on a shelf.  Loved this group!
After stopping shortly at Erin Smith's booth where Jeff provided Erin with a sentiment for a Chanukah card, we went to the cafeteria for lunch....by the way, no DJ playing music.
We wandered through a few showrooms, met with our sales rep Sandy who now has Elly Preston jewelry and a few other terrific lines, then onto Emerson where we ordered more OU and OSU scarves, wraps and bangle bracelets.  Check out the Emerson scarves we have in the store and you will have an idea of the great new apparel coming from Emerson.
Speaking of OU and OSU, a company called Glory Haus has some well designed and priced just right plates, chips and dip, Christmas ornaments and more.
For those who have loved the Snoozies slippers.....more on the way, including new velvet, new crocheted and very cozy winter slippers.
Jeepers, Peepers, where's we get those totally cool reader glasses?  We met with one of the owners of this company, who helped us pick out 18 new styles of readers which will all arrive in September (or before) in a brand new displayer which allows you to "see" the readers as they would fit on your face.
We ended the day with a visit to Leigh at Obsidian jewelry.  We spent some time picking out sterling silver and gemstone pendants, earrings and rings.  We have been building a following for Obsidian jewelry, which several years ago was in Miss Jackson's.  It is our advantage that Miss Jackson's is no longer carrying Obsidian...we love it.  Next week come by and see the new Obsidian jewelry hand picked by yours truly and Jeff.
Tomorrow our staff comes for the day.  We will send them around the Market to see what gems they can discover.  Hint:  it's Lindsay Phillips shoes, possibility of sorority jewelry and a whole lot more.

Yesterday we had 3 appointments with our sales reps.
We started with Angie and her lines of Kameleon jewelry and the new double ring which is only available to order at the Market; more beautiful scarves and a artistic and marvelous line of greeting cards called Quilling....we'll have more to say about this card line in the future.
We stopped by to talk with Erin Smith and ask her about her trendy and edgy greeting card which we carry at Sweet Tooth.  I discovered that the person I email at Erin Smith cards is her husband Fred.  Fred and Erin still have their pizza restaurant; however Erin's cards and gift lines are on the top of the list for her.
Early lunch helped us get past the usual overcrowding in the cafeteria .  We weren't too sure that the DJ in the cafeteria was going to be a hit or the cause of a louder, noisy environment.
Then we were off to our sales rep Lisa where we ordered fabulous scarves, men's jewelry (Jeff selected all the bracelets for men...great prices and very attractive),.  We checked out some collegiate pieces...love the melamine plates for OU and OSU and finally ordered burlap baskets branded for OKLAHOMA.  We even stopped for a short chat with James R. one of our friends and once a sales rep for our store.
Meeting with Sue mid-afternoon was fun.  Watch for the new apparel in our store....totally up to date and the fake fur jacket has my name on it.  Ordered some Carson windchimes with the latest designs,some great cups and plates for Christmas and for the kids, "moving" books and a Slow Cooker recipe book from Mary Engelbreit.  Thanks to George, we had a night light candle which we are considering for the store.
Walking the halls and showrooms can bring you face to face with friends....we literally walked up to Hughla who is back with Stephanie Dawn purses and Lesley from Snow Goose who is always full of pep, smiles and loving hugs.
Today we have 2 appointments and we plan to go through some other showrooms in the Trade Mart.  The weather has been warm and overcast...looks the same this morning.
And we truly wish that the Mediterrean restaurant where we ate dinner would open up a restaurant in Tulsa.
Stay tuned....more insider news on the way,

Day 1: First Stop at the Gift Market

Today we drove through some serious rain in Oklahoma to finally see sun about the time we got to Stringtown and the prison.  We were on our way to the Dallas Market.  The rain slowed us down a bit but we were only late to our 4:00 p.m. appointment by 15 minutes.
Our first stop was the Anne McGilvray showroom which is the only showroom we visit which isn't in the World Trade Center.
It is in a renovated warehouse which houses a ton of merchandise lines.  We only made it through 4 manufacturers before 7:00 p.m. when the showroom closed.
Our first stop:  Hobbs and Dobbs and our friend Barry who owns that company out of Beverly Hills.  We love Barry because he is always on the edge of the newest candy and is totally honest about which candies we should buy.  If he doesn't think it will sell, Barry tells us and that means a lot to us.  Our tradition for the last few years is to bring Barry a t-shirt with an Oklahoma or Tulsa logo.  This time we brought a red t-shirt which says "Someone in Tulsa loves you." Barry wears t-shirts all the time and occasionally gets a great comment about the shirts we give him.
Barry did say that his wife doesn't like to wash his red shirts...the dye bleeds on other clothes.  So apparently she saves up the red shirts until they make a laundry load.  I told him about Color Catcher...if you don't know about it, let me know.
We also visited with Ari from Unemployed Philosophers.  Ari's concern is that we buy items which will sell and if they don't, he'll take them back as credit against other merchandise.
What does Unemployed Philosophers sell?  Those terrific disappearing mugs, the Sticky Notes themed just like you'd think a philosopher would create.  We have ordered some great new pieces which you will find in our store about end of July.  And the display of watches coming in November will knock your socks off.  Think about Dr. Who, Freud, Charlie Chaplin, aand more.
We also found out that Ari is about to propose to his sweetheart....we even got a description of the gorgeous ring he had designed for her.
Tomorrow we are off to the Trade Mart.  We have 3 appointments in showrooms and we will walk the rest of the Trade Mart.  We hope to meet up with Erin Smith....love her greeting cards,mugs, totes....
Watch for our next blog.

To Market, To Market

To Market, To Market to buy..............what? 
It's June and June is Gift Market time.  We attend the Gift Market in Dallas and we figure that this somewhere around the 50th time we have been to the Dallas Market.
I have memorized every pit stop along the way.  I continue to dread the potential highway repairs, the crazy drivers (apologies, apologies) in the Dallas area and the potential heat wave that always seems to happen about this time in Dallas.
Over the years less people are attending the Dallas Market and one of the issues we are dealing with at this time is large showrooms shutting down because of the expense involved in keeping that showroom up year around.
I also think that showrooms are closing because more and more people are willing to forgo the actual experience of looking, touching, talking about the item they are about to purchase to simply going online and ordering it.
We come from the "old school":  we want to see the lines we are purchasing.  We want to ask questions and discuss each line with a sales rep who knows the line.  We actually want to make sure that our store is filled with candy and gifts we can be proud to sell and not junk.
Over the past 21 years we have seen retail change a lot.  The value of working with a competent sales rep is not the same.  Understandably so, since most sales reps have to pay for all their expenses...they are generally not salaried.  It is a lot less expensive to work from home, on the computer or making phone calls than to pay what is now $3.44 a gallon to drive around to retail stores.
Oklahoma is even more problematic because we have so many small towns and often times, sales reps orders are smaller when working with a store in a small town.  Make sense?
Nonetheless, off we go to Market.  The physical exertion of walking the floors in the Dallas Trade Mart and World Trade Center can be exhausting.  Yet if we find one great item...something we know will be different from what other stores are carrying, it will be worth the effort.
Wish us "happy hunting!!"

Happy Father's Day!

Sunday June 15 is Father's Day.  The National Retail Federation projects that $12.5 billion will be spent on gifts for Dads.  That is truly an amazing figure and I won't deny that I hope some small part of that amount is going to be spent at Sweet Tooth.
Pardon me for being a little nostalgic.  My Dad, Alvin, died in 2003 and when I come to holidays like Father's Day I miss the opportunity to buy a card, get a gift or help plan a little celebration.
My Dad wasn't much of a candy eater.  I remember that the table next to his favorite chair in the den had a little drawer and the grandchildren, as well as their parents, knew that drawer usually held a Hershey bar, supplied to my Dad by Mom who did the grocery shopping.
Grandkids especially hoped that their Zayde (grandpa) would offer them a square or two of that chocolate.
When we bought Sweet Tooth my Dad did develop a greater interest in chocolate.  He would come to the store and look around on the shelves, pick up 3 or 4 chocolate bars (not Hershey) and purchase them.
He came often enough that we bought a bench so that he could sit and watch what was going on.  Truly I think he bought those candy bars more to "help us out" than to eat them, since he often gave them away to staff who worked at the health care center where my Mom lived.
Everyone needs a Dad like mine, who in his later years was as soft sometimes as a creamy chocolate bar and generous to others.  He really wasn't a retail person, not much of a regular shopper.  However being an immigrant, living through the Depression, serving as a soldier in World War II, my Dad liked to stock up on "necessities" like toilet paper and denture cleaner.  A trip to Sam's or even the grocery store was his opportunity to pile on the "necessities" and sometimes we had to steer him away from purchasing certain items (like cranberry sauce...who knows why he stocked up on that?).
Nonetheless, he always supported what we did at Sweet Tooth and loved coming in to talk to customers and get those candy bars.
Spending a little time and money getting just the right gift for Dad was always important to me.  It wasn't until we had the Sweet Tooth that I paid attention to how important these holidays are to retailers.
Happy Father's Day to dads everywhere.  

And The Chocolate Award Goes To....

This weekend the Tony Awards will be on television.  And of course we are all familiar with the Academy Awards.
Did you know that in the world of candy there are also Award Ceremonies?  There are the Best in Show awards given at the Sweet & Snacks Expo.  I thought I would share a few of the winners with you.
In the Non-Chocolate category, Jelly Belly was the winner with its new Jelly Belly flavor, Draft Beer.  Who ever thought that a candy could come close to tasting like beer?  Come on in to Sweet Tooth; we'll give you a sample.
In the Chocolate category, another Sweet Tooth winner was Tabasco Dark Spicy Chocolate Wedges.  We have been selling these for a while.  Most popular is the round tin which these chocolates come in, but there is also a box of these dark chocolate spicy goodies.
In the Seasonal category, the winner is Doodle Egg Paint.  This is a candy item we should see on our shelves next Easter.  It comes in a box and the whole idea is to use an edible paint pen, decorate the shell of the chocolate egg and then, by golly, eat that masterpiece!
The Sweet & Snacks Expo has many other categories, not all candy, so I only picked the ones related to what we sell.
Today we did receive some other goodies which may not be award winners but are definitely there to be tasted.
The Marvel Comics have taken over a big chunk of new candy and gum items.  It is Captain America, Hulk, Batman, Spider Man.....and so forth.
Star Wars has claimed a large share of new candies.  Taking characters from the various Star Wars movies, we have mint or sours tins with Darth Vader, Death Star, R2D2 and StormTrooper.
For the toddler set there is candy from My Little Pony, Lalaloopsie, Hello Kitty, Toy Story and Muppets PEZ dispensers.
I personally got a big laugh from the 3 new tins of the Grumpy Cat.  Cat lovers will adore these mint tins.
And finally, let's not forget Dad whose special day is coming up on June 15.  For that Dad who is a fan of John Wayne, we now have a tin with JW on the top and the saying:  "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do!"  Love it.
No wonder most people fit the description:  A Kid in a Candy Store.
See you at Sweet Tooth!