Retail Spotlight: Patti's Petals Florist, Gardens and Gifts

Patti's Petals Florist, Gardens and Gifts

On a beautiful October afternoon I ventured down to Denton, Maryland to introduce myself to Patti Wood, a very busy full-service florist who, although she was knee deep in flowers, flashed me a big smile, shook my hand, and took the time to speak to me. 

Patti is amazing. After putting in a full day at the local police department, she not only fulfills orders for floral arrangements, she is active in downtown Denton activities, including the Denton Farmer's Market, and hosts after hours "Corky Canvas" and  "Paint by the Glass" parties while she's resting. 

Patti's daughter Ashley manages the shop during the day, and daughters, Alison and Kimberly, lend a hand as needed. Known locally as "The Wood Girls", Patti and her family of four have lived in Denton over 26 years after moving to the area from western Maryland. 

Patti is gearing up for the holidays and choose Primal Elements vegetable glycerin soaps and Color Bowl Candles to be among her gift shop offerings which feature nautical and "country primitive" gift lines.

Please stop by and say "hi" to Patti next time you are in town.

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Lightmark Press Greeting Cards

Everyone who knows me, knows I love dogs, My sister calls me the "dog whisperer". Whenever she calls me, I chat with her doggies, Teak, a prissy Jack Russell, and Stevie, a sweet chubby Corgi, and tell them "I love you".

What is interesting about Rondi's cards is that she tells a story about each photo. For instance, about the card below, she writes:

"Although the reason I was in my friend Susan's home was to photograph her two delightful dogs, her cat was such a poser that I could not resist. Susan's home is full of wonderful art, and cats are another kind of art for the home. So I like the way it all came together. The caption is just a piece of whimsey."

While looking for a dog-themed greeting card line, I stumbled across Rondi Lightmark's "Dogs in Cars and trucks and such" and fired off an email asking her if she needed a rep for Delmarva. It wasn't long before I received a very enthusiastic response and so without further ado, I present the cutest, funniest, happiest dog and cat cards on the planet. 

The artist, Rondi Lightmark, tells it best in her blog, but this gal is super creative and energetic. During a long telephone conversation, we discovered we had something in common: she attended grammer school with Jamie Wyeth and I shared an elevator ride in NYC with him...LOL. She revealed that she had crayon drawings rendered by Wyeth in elementary school. Better hold on to those...

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Brrrr...And It Is Only August 30th!

Coming down the stairs this morning, headed for the coffee, a chill hit me from the open screen porch doors. Brrrr...and then, instantly I was back in time, standing across the road from the Victorian farmhouse where I grew up, wisps of fog floating up from the warm cow pies in the pasture behind me, the cows standing at the fence staring at me, me turning around and saying "moooooooo!" to them. My arms are full of books (nope, didn't have a book bag and no one else did either, whoever invented it is probably a millionaire) waiting for the yellow school bus to take me to my school in Greenwood, Delaware. The first day of school, back then, was the day after Labor Day and it was still warm enough to go barefoot. Which also reminds me that the Mennonite children, who went to a different school, I guess because kids like me were a bad influence, went to school barefoot. So all of these memories swept past me....and then the feeling was GONE. Poof. (Well, that was fun. And kinda weird).

Greenwood School

Back to the present.

When I started this blog I had just re-started my gift rep business. Since then, I have acquired several more greeting card and gift lines. I've gotten orders and re-orders and things are starting to pop. It's a fun job. 

Here are my newest lines:

MORRIS MAGNETS. www.morrismagnets.com - Wow! What a terrific company. They have all the bases covered: great product line of signs, magnets, picture frames, coasters, key chains, badges and custom gifts. Their color catalog is probably a half inch thick. They have been at it 25 years and definitely have their act together. I'm delighted to be bringing these products from their home in the State of Washington to the Delmarva Peninsula.

RAINBOW CARD COMPANY. www.rainbowcardcompany.com - This line contains beautiful as well as cute playing cards, bridge sets, greeting cards, note cards, matted prints, by the artist, Jody O'Meara, who is so talented! And smart. Here is her story:

"Jody O’Meara began painting in watercolor sixteen years ago. She had no idea where that journey would take her. After spending time learning the basic techniques in Denver, where she has always lived, she began traveling the world with other artists applying those techniques to Plein Aire painting. In the beginning, Jody’s love of flowers gave her the perfect subject to paint. As she grew more confident in her work, other subjects began to capture her attention. Jody was excited to see what watercolor would do for anything from landscapes to still lifes, from people to pet portraits, from golf shoes to coffee mugs. She learned that watercolor brought a freshness and depth that could not be achieved in any other medium.

When Jody decided to produce a line of products based on her watercolor paintings, her goal was to bring products to the marketplace that evoked feelings of joy, comfort, love, and happiness. That is why she chose puppies for this year's focus. Puppies are one of life's great joys. They begin by completely disarming you. They make you smile. They love you unconditionally. They are loyal and will follow you everywhere. They will lie beside you when you're sick and lick the tears off your cheeks when you are sad. Jody's watercolor puppy designs are both fresh and timeless with a textural softness that makes you want to pet them. Jody has also created a pet sympathy card based on the poem "The Rainbow Bridge". It is the perfect card to comfort anyone who has lost a pet."

"Rainbow Bridge" Dog Sympathy Card

"Rainbow Bridge" Cat Sympathy Card by Jody O'Meara

"Horse Sense" Card by Jody O'Meara

Rainbow Cards - "Tucker" Bridge Set

BUNGALOW CANYON. www.bungalowcanyon.com - This is my newest line. Mary Rotondi, the creative genius behind these beautiful journals, note pads, and desk sets, started following me on Twitter and when I thanked her, I told her I would like to try to get her some sales on Delmarva, she decided to take the chance. Thank you Mary!

Bungalow Canyon journals, note pads, and desk sets.

RETAIL SPOTLIGHT
Gifts of Serenity

http://www.Gifts-Of-Serenity.com

Just off the Boardwalk, close to Grotto Pizza, in Rehoboth Beach, is a charming little shopping district called Penny Lane. On the left, as you enter, is an upscale boutique, Gifts of Serenity, which has been in this location since 1998. In fact, it is SOOO charming, it received the prestigious "Best Gift Shop" awarded by Delaware Today Magazine. 

Check out the www.primalelements.com vegetable glycerin soaps such as "Winterfall" described in colorful terms as : "Autumn foliage and warm nutty acorns tucked inside a bar of herbal green notes and rich woods to create an aromatic memory of a crisp fall day". You will also be delighted to discover your perennial favorites, Yankee Candle, Crabtree & Evelyn, Bayberry Gift and Peace Frogs, and more. Stop by and tell Jeanine Suzanne sent you and don't forget to smell the soap.

Notice the sign? "Frog Parking ONLY. All others will be TOAD" .

"Primal Elements" displayed at Gifts of Serenity

*Photos are from Gifts of Serenity's Facebook page.

Rehoboth Beach was founded in 1873 as the Rehoboth Beach Camp Meeting Association by the Reverend Robert W. Todd, of St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church of Wilmington, Delaware, as a site for Methodist camp meetings. The association was disbanded in 1881, and in 1891, the Delaware General Assembly incorporated the location as Henlopen City, and later it was renamed Rehoboth Beach.

Historic marker in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Today, Rehoboth Beach hosts millions of tourists who enjoy the boardwalk, shopping, amusements and eateries. Oh, and then there's the beach.

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It's Labor Day weekend. Sheffield and I might go to Suicide Bridge for some crab balls.

Stay tuned....

Back in the Saddle Again.

April, 2014

After nearly fifteen years, I've re-entered the exciting world of retail sales as a gift rep, also known as a road rep, road warrior or outside sales rep.

What happened fifteen years ago that put a stop to my rep career? A car came out of no-where, slammed into me and my head hit the windshield, actually cracking the glass, leaving me with a closed-head injury and a whole lot of post traumatic stress when it comes to driving. Basically, I couldn't make myself get in the car and drive anywhere. 

Resigned, I took a job as a paralegal and did that for 8 years, then, fed up with office politics, and working for "the man", I quit on the spot, and activated my real estate license and sold new homes, a status requiring no driving. 

Fast forward to 2014 and I'm bored and disillusioned with real estate and dealing with the whole economy i.e. short sales, foreclosures. 

Selling gifts is abundantly more fun and rewarding, both for me and my customers. Retail gift shop owners buying gifts for their location are happy and excited. It's like Christmas every day. 

You may ask, what is so exciting about being a gift rep? I'm speaking strictly for myself, but outside of actually owning a retail gift shop, helping owners of gift shops stock their shelves with products I would have chosen myself if it was my own shop, is exciting and satisfying. Bringing attention to gifts I have scoured the Internet for and found because they are different from anything they presently sell, and then having that product become a "Best Seller" is very rewarding. 

I've put my license on ice, ordered new business cards, sent out cards and letters to gift, hospital, museum and independent pharmacies letting them know I'll be knocking on their door with a sample case full of "good things" as Martha would say. 

Because Delaware's State Bug is the Ladybug beetle, I designed a card and envelope to send to Delaware gift shops:

Then I turned it into a "musical card":

My "Good Things" are gifts, cards and impulse items manufactured by different companies which have asked me to take their products on the road and introduce, and hopefully sell, them to local retailers, museum and hospital gift shops, as well as other suitable businesses, such as independent pharmacies and convenience stores. 

Reps have territories. Mine is the Delmarva Peninsula which covers the State of Delaware, the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and down as far as Chincoteague, Virginia.

Ideally, a gift rep carries at least twenty different lines. In my case, one of my lines, Smart Charms, offers many impulse items, as well as custom-design services for those shops, groups or organizations that like to brand themselves or offer items with a certain logo on them, i.e. custom lighthouse magnets, trivets, spoons, and pins to coastal resort gift shop depicting the local lighthouse smartcharms.com/custom.asp.

Smart Charms doesn't charge setup or artwork fees, a difference I'm hoping these groups will appreciate (and place a BIG order).

So far my lines are:

Lightmark Arts - Greeting cards featuring dogs in cars, trucks and such and cats wherever.

Sarah Hoduck Chicken Art - Chickens depicted drinking wine, coffee and tea.

Bungalow Canyon - Beautiful journals, note pads and desk sets.

Smart Charms - Specializing in custom and impulse items.

Primal Elements - Personal care products and candles.

Zeppa Studios - Animal-themed gifts.

Arbor Vitae Cards - Beautiful greeting cards and stationery featuring seashells, shorebirds, florals, butterflies and cute animals.

For Arts Sake - For all your greeting card and stationery needs.

Classy Nail Files - Amazing assortment of glass nail files made in the USA as well as a line of fingerless gloves to show off your manicure.

Branelli Beads - Jewelry made in the USA. New line of charms, lockets and bangles.

Creative Dreamer Jewelry - Handcrafted jewelry and bookmarks made made from the bark of paper birch trees.

Chubby Chap - A BIG lip balm.

Things To Do Too - One product featuring dogs on note pads.

Smart Alex Cards - Naughty cards that will make you laugh out loud.

I think I have a terrific mix of cards, gifts and impulse items that I'm betting on my customers will love as much as I do. Meantime, I'm searching and searching for that "perfect gift" that makes someone laugh, bring tears or feel emotions, and just have to buy.

Now, the sample case is packed and I'm ready to roll...

Saturday, May 17, 2014

That horse and buggy is hitched up in the parking lot of a popular retail location in my territory, Byler's Store, www.bylers.com just outside of Dover, Delaware, home of a small enclave of Amish. It is not unusual to find a hitching post (and a pile of horse hocky) in a parking lot in Dover. The Amish don't drive cars, but they do accept rides from non-Amish. I doubt anyone has missed seeing an episode or commercial for the television program Amish Mafia, so I don't need to go into a long description of the Amish lifestyle. My husband, Bill, and I shop at Bylers at least once a week, and on this particular trip I left my Sheffield & Co. business card at the customer service desk after inquiring about who did their buying. Later on I'll share whether or not they actually did purchase from me and what they purchased, and how that purchase worked out for them, and whether it was one of those "Best Sellers".

Stay tuned.