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.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
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!!"
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!!"
Monday, June 9, 2014
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
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!
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!
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
On My Soap Box
There are always burning questions in the world of Candy.
Here's one for you: 88.7% people who eat chocolate Easter bunnies eat the bunny ears first.
I am not sure how someone somewhere was able to obtain this information.
I do know that Easter candy sales account for more than $2.25 billion.
For me the real question is: Do you want to order your candy online and take a chance that it arrives melted, "old", "blooming" or just not what you wanted?
Would you rather come into a local store (let's say SWEET TOOTH), look at that candy, perhaps sample it, pick the exact number and kind you want in your own personalize selection, knowing that the staff at that store are experienced and knowledgeable about the candy they are selling?
Here's another burning candy question?
Are we going to be able to get candy from the movie FROZEN to satisfy the latest and perhaps the greatest animated film which is generating all sorts of interest? We have had a number of people purchasing FROZEN type candy for FROZEN parties. So far Rock Candy has worked well, but I am hoping for gummies, lollipops, characters, etc.
We are able to order locally made and superly delicious cookies which could be decorated with FROZEN characters. And when we say "fresh" cookies, we mean exactly that!
So I say "boo" to all those stories about how bricks and mortar stores are on their way out. Where else can you get the personal attention you need? Where else can you actually see, in living color, the gift or candy items available? And who actually stands behind online candy sales? Not very many online candy retailers.
Am I on my soap box! You are darn right I am.
Here's one for you: 88.7% people who eat chocolate Easter bunnies eat the bunny ears first.
I am not sure how someone somewhere was able to obtain this information.
I do know that Easter candy sales account for more than $2.25 billion.
For me the real question is: Do you want to order your candy online and take a chance that it arrives melted, "old", "blooming" or just not what you wanted?
Would you rather come into a local store (let's say SWEET TOOTH), look at that candy, perhaps sample it, pick the exact number and kind you want in your own personalize selection, knowing that the staff at that store are experienced and knowledgeable about the candy they are selling?
Here's another burning candy question?
Are we going to be able to get candy from the movie FROZEN to satisfy the latest and perhaps the greatest animated film which is generating all sorts of interest? We have had a number of people purchasing FROZEN type candy for FROZEN parties. So far Rock Candy has worked well, but I am hoping for gummies, lollipops, characters, etc.
We are able to order locally made and superly delicious cookies which could be decorated with FROZEN characters. And when we say "fresh" cookies, we mean exactly that!
So I say "boo" to all those stories about how bricks and mortar stores are on their way out. Where else can you get the personal attention you need? Where else can you actually see, in living color, the gift or candy items available? And who actually stands behind online candy sales? Not very many online candy retailers.
Am I on my soap box! You are darn right I am.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Ordering Halloween and Christmas Candy
Monday was the 21st time we have met with one of our candy sales reps, Gary to order Halloween and Christmas/Chanukah candy. Along with one other candy retailer in Oklahoma we may be the most consistent and one of the "oldest" stores which Gary has served.
We actually find that statistic amazing. These days so many retailers have been lost to the internet, to bad planning, bad marketing, location-location-location. We are still here and sometimes we find that amazing.
Let me give you a little insight into what a candy ordering day with Gary looks like.
In 1992, rookie me sat down with Gary to order candy for Halloween and Christmas. It took us 8 hours to get through that order! Yesterday Jeff, Gary and I finished in about 5 hours and that included a lunch break for barbeque sandwiches....Gary's favorite meal when he comes to Tulsa.
Halloween ordering was about 1 hour of that time. Over the years Halloween has become more of a party/costume/group holiday and not so much the ole Trick or Treating that I remember as a kid. So the candy we order is much different than the candy people give out to costumed kids who come to their doors. Our Halloween candy is more "gifty", more specialty and not so much a big bag of candy for distributing. As a consequence, it doesn't take as much time to look through Gary's samples and catalogue for Halloween goodies.
My favorite (just to give you a heads up) is the plush Witch with the little Peep candy witches.
The rest of the time was spent looking through over 300 pages of Christmas and Chanukah candy, checking out some of the samples Gary brings in these big coolers including a little bit of tasting, going back and forth between me and Jeff as to what we agree upon and then turning to Gary for his opinion.
Christmas is the biggest candy season and it lasts a lot longer than Valentine's Day or Easter. It begins with clients who want to purchase gift baskets (or hosting Candy Buffets) and need greater quantities of candy. It goes on to marketing Advent Calendars with chocolate, games and sometimes music.
Then we hit the more serious days leading up to Christmas.....oh, about December 5 or so. That is when individual customers come in to purchase Christmas or Chanukah candy before we start running out of seasonal candy.......which as you know cannot be re-ordered.
I will let you know some of my favorite Christmas candy in another blog...as you might imagine, 300 plus pages of a catalogue provides many wonderful candy possibilities.
I know it is only May 20 but retail is all about looking into the crystal ball for what lies ahead in the future.
We actually find that statistic amazing. These days so many retailers have been lost to the internet, to bad planning, bad marketing, location-location-location. We are still here and sometimes we find that amazing.
Let me give you a little insight into what a candy ordering day with Gary looks like.
In 1992, rookie me sat down with Gary to order candy for Halloween and Christmas. It took us 8 hours to get through that order! Yesterday Jeff, Gary and I finished in about 5 hours and that included a lunch break for barbeque sandwiches....Gary's favorite meal when he comes to Tulsa.
Halloween ordering was about 1 hour of that time. Over the years Halloween has become more of a party/costume/group holiday and not so much the ole Trick or Treating that I remember as a kid. So the candy we order is much different than the candy people give out to costumed kids who come to their doors. Our Halloween candy is more "gifty", more specialty and not so much a big bag of candy for distributing. As a consequence, it doesn't take as much time to look through Gary's samples and catalogue for Halloween goodies.
My favorite (just to give you a heads up) is the plush Witch with the little Peep candy witches.
The rest of the time was spent looking through over 300 pages of Christmas and Chanukah candy, checking out some of the samples Gary brings in these big coolers including a little bit of tasting, going back and forth between me and Jeff as to what we agree upon and then turning to Gary for his opinion.
Christmas is the biggest candy season and it lasts a lot longer than Valentine's Day or Easter. It begins with clients who want to purchase gift baskets (or hosting Candy Buffets) and need greater quantities of candy. It goes on to marketing Advent Calendars with chocolate, games and sometimes music.
Then we hit the more serious days leading up to Christmas.....oh, about December 5 or so. That is when individual customers come in to purchase Christmas or Chanukah candy before we start running out of seasonal candy.......which as you know cannot be re-ordered.
I will let you know some of my favorite Christmas candy in another blog...as you might imagine, 300 plus pages of a catalogue provides many wonderful candy possibilities.
I know it is only May 20 but retail is all about looking into the crystal ball for what lies ahead in the future.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
The Heart is Home
After 21 years of being in the Sweet Tooth business, we are more than ever dedicated to the idea that shopping locally is necessary for a robust economy. In the last few months we have seen a number of local retailers shut their doors and these are retailers who have been in business for a number of years. I am thinking of Steve's Sundries as an example.
On the other hand, while some stores have been closing, downtown is bustling with new restaurants and some new retailers.
For me, it is an odd coincidence since I grew up in Tulsa and remember the days before Tulsa Promenade and Woodland Hills and all of the development in south Tulsa, as well as the Tulsa Hills area.
My best friend and I would take the bus to downtown Tulsa where all the important clothing stores were located and we would spend the day going from store to store, browsing and attempting to find a little gift or two for our Moms.
Then came Utica Square and Southland and eventually the closing of retailers in downtown Tulsa.
No one ever spoke about shopping locally...of course, except for a few catalogues, there was only one choice and that was buying what we needed in our own town.
The internet, as you know, has forever changed that scenerio and one by one local stores are closing their doors, unable to compete with the 24/7 ease of ordering on line. And of course we can talk about no sales tax and free shipping....2 very alluring elements of online shopping.
For those of us still around, we are searching for ways of competing with the internet. Recently we began carrying a line called the Heart is Home, developed by a local woman who truly believes that Oklahoma is in her heart. The Heart is Home has sterling silver and gold Oklahoma state pendants, t-shirts, onesies for babies, Oklahoma shaped baskets and more.
When we finished the display of these products we had such a sense of satisfaction that the Heart is Home not only looked great but made a statement about what is essential to keep local business and local entrepreneurs alive.
Come take a look. I think you'll like the home-grown merchandise and find your heart is in Oklahoma too.
On the other hand, while some stores have been closing, downtown is bustling with new restaurants and some new retailers.
For me, it is an odd coincidence since I grew up in Tulsa and remember the days before Tulsa Promenade and Woodland Hills and all of the development in south Tulsa, as well as the Tulsa Hills area.
My best friend and I would take the bus to downtown Tulsa where all the important clothing stores were located and we would spend the day going from store to store, browsing and attempting to find a little gift or two for our Moms.
Then came Utica Square and Southland and eventually the closing of retailers in downtown Tulsa.
No one ever spoke about shopping locally...of course, except for a few catalogues, there was only one choice and that was buying what we needed in our own town.
The internet, as you know, has forever changed that scenerio and one by one local stores are closing their doors, unable to compete with the 24/7 ease of ordering on line. And of course we can talk about no sales tax and free shipping....2 very alluring elements of online shopping.
For those of us still around, we are searching for ways of competing with the internet. Recently we began carrying a line called the Heart is Home, developed by a local woman who truly believes that Oklahoma is in her heart. The Heart is Home has sterling silver and gold Oklahoma state pendants, t-shirts, onesies for babies, Oklahoma shaped baskets and more.
When we finished the display of these products we had such a sense of satisfaction that the Heart is Home not only looked great but made a statement about what is essential to keep local business and local entrepreneurs alive.
Come take a look. I think you'll like the home-grown merchandise and find your heart is in Oklahoma too.
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