Shelley Rideout has been our gift and home accessory buyer for ten years. So many customers ask about how she goes about buying merchandise for the store that we decided to let her tell you herself.

   The process of constantly finding new and exciting gifts for the store is challenging. I find most of the gifts and accessory items at the gift shows in New York and San Francisco. Before each show I receive catalogs and postcards from vendors with information about new items and booth locations at the show. I save the ones of interest and look for these when I "walk the show". This is a literal term, and in the case of the New York show, involves 40 miles of aisles in the five block long Javits Convention Center.

   Our customers come to the store expecting to find unique, well-made and tasteful gifts at reasonable prices and this is what I look for. Some items are chosen for theme or color or how well they will fit into a particular display. This year's Christmas window will have an Eastern European folk art theme, inspired by the complex patterns and jewel tones of the new Yves Delorme print, "Bolchoi". When I saw this pattern it reminded me of the opulent "peasant look" in clothing of the early 1970s. I started visualizing a cozy forest cottage in the snow, filled with handcrafted objects. The next step was finding things at the gift show that fit in with this theme. I look for items that compel me into the booth to touch them or get a closer look.

   When I have a gut level feeling that I have found something wonderful, I place an order on the spot. Otherwise I note the booth number and collect pictures or literature and think it over for a day or so. Each day after the show I add up the orders placed, look over the literature I've picked up and make "Yes", "No" and "Maybe" piles. The "Yes" pile contains items that seem perfect for a particular display or that I just can't stop thinking about. The "Maybe" pile gets shuffled until a decision becomes clear. The "No" pile goes into the wastebasket.

   Since the advent of the computer system at Scheuer Linens, we are able to produce many useful reports. The computer can tell us which items sold well and which wound up on the clearance table, as well as how much inventory is on hand. However it still takes the personal touch to select things that will elicit "Oh! Look at this!" from our customers.

   Please join us in the store this fall to see all the wonderful things we have found for your holiday decorating, entertaining and gift giving.