Mix Pleasure With Business
Caroline Kennedy -- Gifts and Dec, 6/17/2011 4:06:30 AM
Caroline Kennedy, Editor-in-chief
Mary Liz Curtin's "shopkeepers journal" column this month struck a chord with me; what she advocates - taking the time to visit other gift and home retail stores, especially when you travel - is something that i strongly believe is important.
Visiting other gift and home stores is important. a picture may be worth 1,000 words, but a visit does a picture one better.
As much as I believe it to be important, I don't put this into practice much myself. I find it frustrating when I travel around attending trade shows, that I often do not have the time to experience more of the place, other than the airport, the hotel and the convention center and/or market center.
At market, there is always so much to do and we all have limited time in which to do it. As for many of you, there are also many other pressures related to our business that demand our time and attention. For me, magazine deadlines are always looming, or so it seems; stories assigned, articles written and edited, and so much more. For you, it's a concern about "who's minding the store" while you are away, among other things. We all may have trusted staff, but there are some things that only we can do. And of course, there are the budget constraints to consider.
This past winter, though, I decided to take the extra time when I went to Seattle for the market and visit a manufacturer and two retailers. It truly was an enlightening experience. I visited the headquarters of the Madison Park Group and was given a tour of its operation by Glen Biely, who took time out of his busy schedule. It was very informative and gave me a better understanding of the complexities of an operation such as MPG, which not only manufactures and distributes its own lines, but also handles the sales and distribution of product for its partner companies.
I also visited the stores of two past Retailer Excellence Award winners: The Little House and Watson Kennedy. A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but a visit does a picture one better. Both of these stores are even better in person and my visit with Bettie Edwards of the Little House and Watson Kennedy's Ted Kennedy Watson, confirmed why they are award winning retailers.
So take Mary Liz' advice please. It is a worthy experience.
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