When I go to this show a few times every year, it’s more to look for display ideas and see design and color trends that are developing. When Shelley, the home accessory and gift buyer, and I went on July 27, we specifically went looking for things to go with the sheet pattern, “Hera” by Yves Delorme, that we will be featuring in our Christmas window.
We always try to do Christmas windows that are a little different, and had already decided on using “Hera,” which features peacock feathers (see accompanying picture) as the centerpiece. We found some feather trees and peacock feather wreaths as well as other gift items with the peacock theme. It’s always interesting to start planning for and getting enthusiastic about Christmas in July, but retailers must address this early or we won’t get the products we want for that most important selling season.
This gift show was a lot smaller this year, with fewer vendors showing and fewer retailers attending. Fewer vendors meant less selection and what we did see wasn’t all that exciting and fairly conservative and dull. I have heard that this has also been the trend at other gift shows in the U.S. and reflects the troubled economy. We have been told that the next gift show in San Francisco would combine the North and South halls at the Moscone Center, which will hurt attendance even further.
I will be attending the New York Gift Show next week and will be interested to see the trends and attendance there. The New York show is by far the biggest gift show in the United States and includes a huge home section. Hopefully we will see some exciting new merchandise there, especially bedding and linens, the staple of the business in our store.
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