Do You Wabi Sabi?

We first heard the term wabi sabi earlier this year when it was used by Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, in a discussion about color trends for the upcoming year. Of Japanese origin, wabi sabi refers to the beauty of things that are imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. (Much the way we feel on most days, although we'd failed, until now, to see the beauty in it.) According to Eiseman, wabi sabi is the inspiration behind "discretion," which is one of the eight color palettes Pantone predicts will influence fashion, home decor, and furniture in the near future. The other seven palettes are presented in our story, "The Year in Color." Color combinations are just one of the trends we cover in this, our annual Trends and Forecasts issue. In other articles, we report on how home furnishings manufacturers are targeting younger consumers, how today's consumers crave style but refute the ostentatious trappings of luxury, and the current state of the collectibles industry. And an industry consultant offers advice to independent retailers about the type of products that they should be offering in 2003.

Superior service, innovative merchandise mix, and technology are some of the reasons that so many independent retailers are thriving, according to the article, "Plucky Little Competitors," in the October 21, issue of Time magazine. The article was brought to our attention by CBK president Randy Eller, who said, "I was struck by how positive this article is about the ability of independent retailers to not only succeed, but also to flourish when competing against larger stores. Articles of this type can be very motivating." Time pointed out how the big retail chains killed off thousands of smaller retailers, but that the survivors have found ways to compete and thrive. "Independents make up 68 percent of all retail outlets," noted Eller. "They represent the spirit of this industry."