The very first of the now seven hundred Specialty Shop Retailing blog entries was posted on June 23, 2008 – back when the Chicago Gift Show at the Merchandise Mart was one of the largest in the country, and when my suggestion to bring stickers with your store’s name and address on them for show… Read More

Are you serious about growing your business? If so, you might consider a program called Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses (known as 10KSB to its friends). According to the Goldman Sachs website, 10KSB  “partners with select Community Development Financial Institutions to provide loans to small businesses in various locations throughout the United States. Through these partnerships,… Read More

We once received a shipment of picture frames that included a piece of pizza with a bite taken out of it. We all laughed at the thought of the warehouse worker wondering where his lunch went – but today we would have shared that funny anecdote on social media. We know that customers love inside… Read More

The Nieman Marcus “fantasy gifts” for 2022 included a bespoke Barbie™ Maserati for $330,000, and an Art Deco diamond tiara for $3.2 million. In case these items were out of their customers’ budgets, at the bottom of the page announcing these luxury items Nieman Marcus included a link to “fantasy for all” gifts starting at… Read More

Heart on Main Street is a new non-profit dedicated to helping independent retailers and locally-owned businesses evolve and thrive within their local communities. According to founder Patrick Keiser, it will do this by providing tools, resources and education so that they can invest back into their businesses and maintain their presence in the community.  The… Read More

We tried a new promotion on Monroe Street this holiday season, and hope that we can build on its success next year. You might get some ideas from our Elf Door Scavenger Hunt and do your own version – it turned out to be a fun way to lead kids and families to discover all… Read More

For better or worse, B2B sites such as Faire have changed the way some retailers buy. You may have recently heard about another entry into this wholesale marketplace – an Asian B2B company called Peeba. Launched in Hong Kong in June, 2020, Peeba is now publicizing their platform internationally. However their website states that for… Read More

Social shopping is back – and not limited to the holidays. One way to boost your sales throughout the winter months is to invite a group to come into your store to enjoy some refreshments while shopping. Offering refreshments that include some wine, or warm gløgg, helps create a festive welcome. It’s easy to host… Read More

Our shop is closed Boxing Day, which is on December 26, unless it falls on a Saturday. We just feel that we deserve two days off in a row after the busy Christmas season. But in many parts of the world, Boxing Day has evolved from being a day to give boxes of gifts to… Read More

Christmas is everywhere at this time of year.  And while many of us try to be more inclusive by saying “Season’s Greetings” and “Happy Holidays,” few stores carry much merchandise for Hanukkah.  There are of course good reasons for this – Hanukkah is not a major holiday in the Jewish year, and some areas don’t… Read More