The Ireland Show, Secaucus, NJ

Secaucus, NJ — A little bit of Ireland set up shop in New Jersey, as the 10th Anniversary Ireland Show took over the Embassy Suites Hotel from April 22–25. The show presents a potpourri of fine merchandise from Ireland and Britain, including gold and silver jewelry, apparel and woven goods, crystal, ceramics and metalwares, gourmet foods, and giftware of all types.

The atmosphere at the show was relaxed and friendly, though the buying was brisk. And the buyers were varied; we encountered buyers from Michigan and Georgia, as well as Ontario, Canada. And though much of the merchandise was targeted to Irish American gift shops that are members of the North American Celtic Buyers Association (NACBA), there was plenty of product for gift and home decor retailers.

Jewelry was abundant at the show, including a range of sterling silver and gold earrings, necklaces and bracelets from Solvar, featuring traditional Celtic and Irish design motifs. Regarding service to the company's American customers, Solvar executive Marcus Obernik commented that “Fed Ex is one of the best things that has happened to our company. A customer can place an order early in the week and have it a few days later.” He noted that buyers can place smaller orders more frequently, which allows them to keep the merchandise mix fresh.

Also among the exhibitors were a few Americans companies presenting lines with Celtic flair. Michigan-based Touchstone Distributing, showed its porcelain jewelry featuring Celtic artwork. The pendants, brooches and earrings are crafted with finely detailed artwork that has the appearance of scrimshaw.

Dragon Fire Art's Kathryn Looby presented original, three-dimensional repousse artworks in copper. Design offerings ranged from traditional Celtic motifs such as thistle and knotwork to Fantasy fairies and spiritual cross designs. Each piece is a hand-sculpted original.

For the complete Ireland Show Market Report, visit www.giftsanddec.com and click on “Direct From Market.”