Wednesday, November 15, 2017

How NAFTA Affects Local Retail

I know I usually write about candy, gift items, events at the store, etc.

However today I came across an interesting article which I thought I would pass along.

The article was about NAFTA, North American Free Trade Agreement, which we are hearing so much about in the news these days.  I wonder if we are thinking whether changes in that agreement will affect local business right here in Tulsa and in our state?

100 U.S.-based trade associations have just sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer, urging him to preserve trucking provisions as related to crossing the U.S. and Mexican border to deliver goods.

The letter explained why the current provisions should stay intact.  If changed, new provisions might have a negative impact on business in the U.S.

Not only do retailers have to be concerned about the impact which recent hurricanes have had on various ports receiving and sending goods.  Now we have to be concerned about potential changes in the NAFTA agreement.

So it's not just me writing about candy and gifts.  It is me writing about RECEIVING candy and gifts in a timely and efficient manner....not to mention increases in costs for all those shipments if the trucking provisions are changed.  Increases in costs for the retailer often turn into increases in costs for the consumer and occasionally loss of jobs in industries which support retail. 

Wow!!

Saturday, October 28, 2017

Halloween....You Know It is Fall

Wow, time is rushing by and it is almost Halloween.

As a child, I loved Halloween.  Didn't you?  We didn't buy a costume.  Rather we went to someone's closet in our house, pulled out someone else's clothes and figured out what we could BE...like a farmer, or a ghost or a beauty queen.  It seemed to work and frankly, we didn't know any better.

Then on Halloween we would rush around our neighborhood, collecting candy (of course, our favorite), cookies, apples, rice crispie treats and whatever someone's mom had made to give out at the door.  People decorated their porches with pumpkins and sometimes scary critters.  No blow up characters, no lights, no store bought items.  I am not criticizing what people do today.  In fact, Halloween costumes and decorations are really BIG TIME now and people do have a lot of fun putting ideas together.

When we first bought Sweet Tooth, Halloween candy was more popular purchased at our store.  Now days, Halloween candy of the sort we carry is candy grandparents buy to give to their grandchildren....with the warning from parents not to give the kids "too much sugar".  Sometimes people find a decor item or candy to give to a friend, or bring to the office.  Our candy orders these days for Halloween are a lot smaller than at that earlier time.

When we were at The Farm Shopping Center, some merchants participated in a Treat or Treat evening.  Kids from all over Tulsa would come to The Farm and have a great time running around from store to store, gathering candy.  Our store was somewhat special...we always had the most interesting and unusual candy and we also loved to dress up in costumes just like the kids.

This year, at our new location, we will still be dressing up and at the end of the day, if we have any left over wrapped candy, it will go home with us for the Trick or Treaters who might show up at our front door.  I have to say that those kids are wide-eyed and delighted with the candy we put in their pillow cases, their plastic pumpkins or their decorated bags. 

And we continue to smile and laugh the entire evening, even when the teenagers show up for their treats.

Halloween.....you know it is Fall when it is time to Trick or Treat.

Friday, September 29, 2017

I Am Back at Sweet Tooth's Blog. Miss Me?

It's been a while since I sat down before THE BLOG.  Things are both winding down and gearing up in our new space at 36th and Harvard.

I need to say that we have been very pleased with the response to our new store.  Between Toni's Flowers and Ed Beshara's Menswear, it is the perfect location for us.  Our neighbors are fantastic and if we get hungry, there is always Fellini's for lunch or a snack.  Who could ask for more?  Maybe The Inviting Place on the north end of the building.

Our plans for the Fall are beginning to jell or is it gel?  This month we are introducing our Thursday evening, once a month or so event with FATE NIGHT.  Intriguing, huh? hope so because we want to see you there.

Thursday October 12 from 5-7 pm we will help you spin the Wheel of Fortune so you can receive your FATE of a discount or a gift at Sweet Tooth.  Then on to Rose wine (or water), a bit of appetizers and of course, chocolate.  We are featuring Seattle Chocolates and Marich Pastel Cherries...both will taste yummy with wine.

In addition, we are featuring our Obsidian jewelry collection because of its metaphysical powers.  Gemstones are known to produce all sorts of responses from the people who wear them....from greater energy to releasing stress to connecting with spiritual realms, telepathy and healing, to name a few of its powers.

As the only Tulsa retailer of Obsidian jewelry, once featured at Miss Jackson's, we are pleased to offer a new collection each month.

Naturally we want our guests to check out our other jewelry lines, our apparel, our gift items and candy.  We have our fall and Halloween goodies at this very moment and as seasonal candy, they cannot be re-ordered.  We hope you don't miss out on your favorites.

Watch our Facebook for events.  November 12 is our Holiday Party, November 26 is Santa's arrival at Sweet Tooth and in December we will be hosting a number of trunk shows.

We look forward to seeing you.  Happy Fall.

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Socks: The New Necktie

Is it news to you that Socks are the new necktie for many men?  We are seeing lots of options for men, women and kids in the sock category.

Fun socks, colorful and clever, show off the wearer's personality.  Just think.  If you have to wear a suit, a uniform or something other than your favorite clothes, you can add a bit of whimsy and zing to your outfit by putting on a pair of trendy socks.

We have been carrying a line of comfortable, soft and colorful socks from one of our favorite sales reps, Trudy.  Just yesterday we ordered an entire displayer of the latest and greatest socks to arrive in August at our new store.  REMEMBER THE NEW STORE AT 36TH AND HARVARD??

Not only will we have kids socks, but men's sizes and styles have been added to this line.  How about O.U. and O.S.U. socks?  Sure enough, those collegiate socks will be at Sweet Tooth too.  Let's also mention Halloween socks, Christmas socks and the old/new style....knee high socks.

Trudy told me that on one of the morning programs she saw a variety of men and boys modeling knee high socks with bermuda shorts in just the right length.  Come on, Tulsa, let's show those folks in the East and West Coast our good looking legs!!

Watch for this sock trend.  Don't be the last person to pull on a pair of amusing or colorful or trendy socks.  Set the style at your school or work or just around the house.

You can find these socks and a whole lot more at our new location:  3541 South Harvard, next door to Toni's Florist and Ed Beshara's Mens Wear....also Felini's and Inviting Place.

Excitement abounds.  We will be moving into our new space the week of July 10 and the new store will open Monday July 17.  Be there or Be Square.

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Moving and Tweaking the Details

Time is slipping away....just a few weeks until we move from 38th and Harvard, to 36th and Harvard.

Those 2 or 3 blocks may not sound like such a big deal.  Well, moving is always a big deal.  Think back to the last time you moved from one home to another.  Didn't you go through a ton of stuff you had been hanging on to just because......

That is just exactly what we have been doing for at least 18 years, if not all 25 years of Sweet Tooth's history.  Fortunately for us we have a couple of good things going in our effort to sort out the keepers from the losers.

(1)  Our new space will be smaller than the one we are in now.

(2)  Lisa, one of our staff, is simply great at getting rid of things we don't actually need any longer.  And I am her cohort in that project.  We quickly pass our ideas past Jeff and when he isn't looking, out the back door go all those old displayers, packages, boxes of stuff we haven't used in a very long time, etc.  Today I actually put papers from 2003 in the recycling box...but I did save the binder in which they have been sitting for 14 years. No use wasting the re-useable items.

Our last day at 38th will be Saturday, July 8.  The very next day we will begin to pack up items, jewelry, candy, etc. which we are keeping.  And on Tuesday Michael our neighbor and our mover will begin to take all sorts of cases, shelving, etc. over to 36th Street.

With the expertise and curiosity of our staff, we will spend that week re-establishing all the inventory we are keeping.  And by Monday, July 17, if all goes well, we will open the doors at 3541 South Harvard.

Pardon us if we have a few weeks of forgetting where things are.  Tweeking the details will be a critical task for all of us.

In August, THE GRAND OPENING.  Won't you be there to participate in the celebration??  Watch our email newsletter, our Facebook and Instagram sites for details, times, etc.

36th will be our last reinvention of OUR HAPPY PLACE and we want you to be there with us.  Onward.

Saturday, May 6, 2017

Protect Yourself!!!

Have you received new credit cards and debit cards with the CHIP?  Some people think the CHIP is bad business, that it takes longer to run the card, that sometimes the CHIP doesn't work in the credit card machine, etc..

Let me disabuse you of all those thoughts and give the CHIP its glory.

By January, 2016 credit cards in the US are required to begin replacing cards with CHIP cards.  This is an international technology and apparently you don't have to give your consent to have this new embedded  CHIP.

Here is why the CHIP is good for all of us. 

Does the CHIP make our credit and debit cards safer, harder for thieves to steal your identity?  It seems the answer is both YES and NO.

YES for big corporations because the CHIP adds an extra layer of protection in the corporate system computers.  Remember when Target and Home Depot were hacked and millions of numbers were stolen?  The CHIP will add protection to those corporations' computer systems, which is ultimately good for all us card carrying consumers.

The CHIP does not necessarily help us individually.  In fact we might be at greater risk when we are out and about and our cards are not adequately protected as they lay in our wallets.  What can you do about that?

To protect your cards from scanners which penetrate your purse, pocket, suitcase and backpack you need to consider purchasing a sleeve or a case which has a metal alloy that can stop the RFID scanner beam.

Guess what?  Sweet Tooth has been carrying those cases and sleeves for several years and since they are part of the "gift industry", they are attractive as well as safer for your cards.

Come into Sweet Tooth and ask for the Armored Wallets and Sleeves. For about $10.00 or less, you can protect your credit cards while showing off a case with art work, beautiful natural designs or even sort of a plain Joe (or Jane) look.

Remember we are still at 38th and Harvard.....but in July we will move to 36th and Harvard.  Stay with us as we make this transition.  Thanks.

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Short Update on the Sweet Tooth Move

Here's an update on our planned move to 36th and Harvard, next to Toni's and Ed Beshara's stores.

We have received all the plans from the various contractors.....plumber, electrician, carpenters, floor folks and painter.  That means we can create a schedule for the various work which needs to be done to bring our new space into FABULOUS.

As you know, we are moving in July...whew!  hope it isn't too hot for the move.

We are also attending the Gift Market in Dallas in June to search for some new and wonderful lines to put in the store.

Never fear!! We are still going to have lots of candy, jewelry, greetings cards, Oklahoma products, purses and totes...all those items which have been the most popular for our Sweet Tooth customers.

Of course a new store requires some new merchandise and that's what we are planning to do.  In one sense, we are re-inventing Sweet Tooth for the 4th time and it is pretty exciting to do that.  September 1 will be our 26th anniversary...can you believe it?

Soon we will be able to reveal what's coming and we will be posting the GRAND OPENING of the new store.  In the meantime, we are having sales in our current space.  After all, it is time to offer our customers an opportunity to get in on the move by purchasing some of your favorite items at discounted prices.  Stop by and help us develop FABULOUS by scooping up some terrific items at the best price ever.

Onward.





Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Sweet Tooth Is Moving!!!!

The word is out!!!!  Sweet Tooth is making one last move to a new location.  Let me tell you where we are with that.

We have decided to move our store to 36th and Harvard, next door to Toni's Florist and Ed Beshara's Formal Wear.  It is pretty exciting and we want you to come with us when we move.

Our date for opening the new store will be sometime in July.  There will be lots of activities, surprises, special events, drawings, food (of course) and more.

Stay tuned for the exact date.  We will keep you posted. In the meantime, we are still at 38th and Harvard.

There will be a clearance sale at our current location.  We hope you will find some bargains at that sale and you will tell everyone that Sweet Tooth is not closing, we are simply moving.

The first question we got from our staff is how do we move the candy.  We have done this before and timing is everything.  July is a hot month and we don't want our candy to be exposed to the heat as we move up the street,, 2-1/2 blocks.  We will probably scale down a bit prior to the move, just so we have less candy to worry about. 

The second question is what lines are we keeping, in addition to candy.  Well, there is jewelry....that is easy enough to pack up and move.  We want to continue to offer gift items, fun and trendy merchandise which is, frankly, what our customers expect of us.  We will take a trip down to Dallas Gift Market in June to see what new and exciting gift lines are on the scene.  There will be more reporting on this as time allows.

Why are we moving, you might ask.  We have wanted to be next to our friends at 36th and Harvard but the time was never right.  We have sunk a lot of money into lunches at Fellini's and Toni's is our favorite florist.  Ed Beshara is a dream of a landlord and friends at Inviting Place will definitely compliment what we have to offer.  Could there be a better location for Sweet Tooth?  We don't think so.

I will do my best to keep you up to date with all the moving news.  Come and see us at our current location.  We enjoy sharing and talking about what we are doing.  In the meantime, don't get too annoyed by the work at 41st and Harvard.  You can always take a route through the neighborhood behind us or zip across Harvard at 38th Street.  We will draw you a map.  Just think:  new infrastructure (isn't there a lot of talk about THAT these days!!) and no more flooding at the corner of 41st and Harvard.

Yippee!

Saturday, March 4, 2017

Happy Anniversary Mary Engelbreit

Can you believe it? Mary Engelbreit has been drawing professionally, selling her images and her gift ware for 40 years.  Mary is celebrating the entire year of 2017 and I feel really good about that.  Let me tell you how I discovered Mary Engelbreit.

About 25 years ago I went to St. Louis for a reunion at Washington University, the university I attended and from which I graduated.  A few of my close friends from college all showed up and we spent a few days together.

They took me to the renovated train station in St. Louis which had become a "shopping mall".  Somewhere in the middle of that train station mall I saw a glass kiosk room...well, that's what I call it, and I went in to see what was going on there.

The kiosk room turned out to be a store full of Mary Engelbreit merchandise....at that time, mostly posters, totes and other paper goods.  I was fascinated by her colorful, yet sometimes edgy drawings and I literally thought that Sweet Tooth, which we had recently purchased, absolutely had to have Mary's merchandise.

When I returned to Tulsa, I told my "partners" (my sister and brother-in-law and my husband) that we had to research what manufacturers were working with Mary Engelbreit.

One of her first contracts was with Sunrise Greeting Cards and that was the perfect place to start with Mary's images.  It was up, up and away from that point on.  After a few years, Mary's merchandise had a rather large space in Sweet Tooth.  People used to refer to us as "The Mary Engelbreit Store".  I don't think those folks knew our actual store name.

Mary's most popular colors were black, white and red.  People loved her black and white checked borders and the truly happy and clever message of her images.

Today Mary is still sitting down to create new images and convey her thoughts through her art work.

I say, Happy, happy anniversary Mary!! We have loved you for 25 years and there was always a large place in our hearts and in Sweet Tooth for your work.

Thursday, February 23, 2017

What's A Candy Girl To Do

Remember my post about the James Harden candy beards which were coming to the nearest candy store in your neighborhood?

I was so excited last week when one of our distributors sales rep brought a sample of the package of The Beard candy, so I ordered it as fast as I could.

Boo hoo!  the order came this week minus The Beard candy!!   

I was consoled by the arrival of the Gummi Sushi and the Gummi Pizza boxes.  And finally, the new manufacturer of Strawberry Licorice Wheels came through, as well as the Black Licorice Wheels and one of our favorites:  the Violet Crumble bar from Australia.

What's a Candy Girl to do when The Beard disappoints me?  I split a Violet Crumble bar with Jeff and it really did make up for that disappointment.

Now I am already searching for the new Halloween candies...believe it.....that season is already upon us. I am intrigued with the Crazy Teeth with Slime Candy in the center and the spooky lantern with lights and sounds and of course, a candy bracelet.

However on the gift side we received the Flint remover (a totally cool looking lint remover which opens like a lipstick and can be tucked away in your purse or brief case) and the new PUR Tumbler with the extra layer of copper to outdo the Yeti Tumbler.  In a test to see which would keep the ice cubes longer, the PUR Tumbler outdid the Yeti by 4 hours and the cost is less for the PUR.

What a world ....Candy & Gifts....always something new around the corner.

Friday, February 3, 2017

Dash Away, Dash Away Robotic Cart

I couldn't wait to tell you about a new robotic shopping cart which is supposed to be coming out in 2017.

It is called the Dash Robotic Shopping Cart, designed, they say, with the frustrated shopper in mind.

Here's what you do and what it does.

Take your shopping list on your phone to the grocery store.  Walk up to one of the Dash Robotic Carts and transfer your list to the Cart.  The Cart will then sort your list based on the design of the store and will give you the most effective route to do your shopping.

The Dash is equipped with a scanner and you can even pay for your groceries through the Cart.

The Cart will follow you out to your car, while you unload your groceries and then turn around, go back to the store and set itself in the docking station.  That fact alone ought to make grocery store employees jubilant.  No more running out in the rain or the snow to pick up the carts and take them back to the store!!

The Cart shows the shopper what item is coming up next, by highlighting that item on the screen.

This Dash Robotic Cart is pretty cool .  It doesn't appear to take away any human jobs and it makes grocery shopping a lot of fun.

Let's hope one of our Tulsa groceries gets the Dash.

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Haiku, Not Achoo at Sweet Tooth

Here is something fun which we did at Sweet Tooth.

A few weeks ago we had Connie Cronley in our store, signing her new book, SHAKE A STICK AT IT.  By the way, we have some signed copies still available.

Connie is a fan of Haiku.  In preparation for her visit, all of us attempted to write some Haiku poems.  Read on.

Holiday season
amidst noise and confusion
May we practice peace.

May serenity
and harmony abound this
holiday season.

Swamped by the great
ladies from snowy Vermont,
they came, they conquered.

Black Friday shoppers
Be kind to retail workers
Santa is watching.

May I have patience
with selfcentered shoppers this
holiday season.

Duties at Sweet Tooth
stretch my capabilities
so I do my thing.

Many treats are sweet
Some are sour and some are both
Chocolate is not.

Connie also wrote in her book that she does not like accordion music.  So, Jeff got out his junior accordion and while Connie was in the store, he played WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN.  Connie has a captivating laugh and she used it well as Jeff played the song.

He also attempted THE YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS which Connie declares in her book that any piece, no matter its subject or purpose, can be sung to that song!!

Sweet Tooth:  Our Happy Place.

Saturday, January 14, 2017

350,000 Oklahoma Folks Work Retail

Hello and Happy New Year.

I have been saving a Tulsa World article from December 30 to comment on.  It was titled "Data show state retail employs 350K".

The National Retail Federation had published information which showed that a majority of working folks in Oklahoma are employed in retail jobs.

Now that number, 350,000 people, demonstrates that the majority of workers are employed in all sorts of positions, from grocery stores to health and personal care.  There may be some jobs listed which you don't think of as retail.

Knowing that our state is largely a retail job state, it is somewhat difficult to believe how many people in Oklahoma shop on line, more than ever before, according to this article.

I have to admit that I am fired up about online shopping and I hope you don't get too tired of me bringing it up.  With our state running so short of money for teachers' pay, schools, infrastructure, etc. which are underwritten by state taxes, it is a real sticking point that we Oklahomans still use the internet to purchase items which can be found in local stores.

Those are the purchases which pay the salaries of retail employees and underwrite all the other jobs which we desperately need for our economy.

I would like to see more emphasis placed on shopping local.  Have you noted the number of large stores, small stores, oil related businesses, restaurants, etc. which are closing their doors because less people are shopping locally?  If you are with me on this issue, please talk it up among friends and family.

I know there are some items which cannot be easily purchased locally and the internet is our only resource.  However supporting local businesses should be the first thought we have when we are needing or wanting to purchase something for ourselves or others.

Give it a try, ok?

As for the new year, one of our plans is to spend more time holding events in our store and continuing to look around for interesting, new products.  After 25 years of Sweet Tooth, we are always excited when new trends and new merchandise and new candy comes our way.

Check in with us once in a while to determine if Sweet Tooth has new goodies....don't be that customer who tells us, "I only shop here once a year, for Christmas."  That one sentence is a heart-breaker.

Hoping to see you soon.