Retail Business News: Pam Brown Joins Marson LLC

Industry vet Pam Brown is appointed vice president.

Marson LLC, a company that offers an innovative approach and strategy to sales management in the juvenile industry, appoints Pam Brown as vice president.

Pam’s knowledge and experience in the industry, and relationships with customers will be valuable assets for Marson clients. She brings a tremendous passion and enthusiasm for the industry and I am thrilled to have her on board to help grow sales and build a brand presence.

-Alison Bates, President, Marson LLC

In her new role with Marson, Pam is responsible for managing the independent retail store channel, calling on stores directly and managing Marson’s team of sales reps to help them drive sales higher in their respective territories. Most recently in 2011, she was recruited to help re-launch the Sunshine Kids brand as Diono; Pam’s prior experience includes positions at Britax Child Safety and Combi USA.

Founded in 2010, Marson provides outsourced sales and sales management to manufacturers in the juvenile products market with a seasoned team of senior level sales and marketing executives. Marson clients include Kastel International (Mutsy and Babyhome), Scandinavian Child (Svan and Beaba) and Amy Michelle.

Alison Bates is president and founder, and has more than 18 years of experience marketing and selling consumer products. Bates’ experience includes positions as Vice President of Kastel International and as Vice President, Sales and Marketing for leading stroller brand Maclaren U.S.A. where she was responsible for the company’s overall sales and marketing efforts. For more information on Marson, email alison@marson-mgt.com or call 678/428-0533.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

We Have a Winner in the OMAs!

Premiere Organized Mom Awards sponsor Stuck On You donates $1000 to Regina Food Bank for Local Mom

When Kathryn Lavallee was growing up, her family didn’t have much money. Often, she and her siblings were convinced that they would run out of food. “No child should ever have to feel that fear,” she says.

Kathryn is the newly crowned winner of the Organized Mom Awards 2012 (OMAs) –an exciting new way for moms to share tips, favorite things and fun stuff that makes life easier for families everywhere. And as part of this honor, Kathryn is presenting a check of $1000 to her favorite charity –the Regina Food Bank in Regina, Saskatchewan, her hometown. “Thanks to the Food Bank, children are able to sleep knowing there will be a meal waiting for them the next day,” Kathryn says. “It’s not just about providing food to families, it’s about giving children the feeling of security that so many of us take for granted.”

With a total cash prize of $2000, OMA sponsor Stuck on You also presented Kathryn with $1000, donating a second $1000 to the charity of her choice on her behalf. “To be able to give such a wonderful gift to a cause I support so strongly is going to be an incredible experience and I am honored that the Organized Mom Awards has given me the chance to do that.”

Entries came in from families of all descriptions and all sizes, all with an organized mom at the center.

100 Words or Less. Throughout the summer, moms from all over Canada and the United States entered the OMAs by explaining in 100 words or less what makes them feel like an organized mom, sharing their top three tips for organization. Friends and family were able to vote for their favorites on the OMA Facebook page. “The common thread was that moms are doing the very best they can and have developed the most inventive and creative ways of managing their families and keeping organized,” says Carrie Felton, Stuck on You owner and mom of three boys. The Award judges enjoyed reading all of the wonderful entries and were overwhelmed by the hard work, dedication and care that so many moms are providing to their families. “We loved Kathryn’s entry because it was genuine, had the perfect balance of humor and humility … and we all agreed that we will be using her tips.”

Kathryn is a mom of two boys and the editor of Mommy Kat and Kids, a blog offering solutions that make life a little easier for busy moms and their families. Here’s a little of what Kathryn shared in her OMA entry:

I am nominating myself not because I am the most organized person in the world; I am not. But if improvement is considered, I’ve got this one in the bag! I went from total slob to Manager Mom after the birth of my boys and while I’m still learning as I go, I can’t help but be proud of how far I’ve come!

Read Kathryn’s Top Three Tips here.

Children’s Retail Today is a very proud media sponsor of the OMAs, where I shared a few of my favorite children’s companies that also support charitable causes with panache. In addition to Kathryn’s prize, the top 30 entries who received the most votes will also receive a voucher from Stuck on You.

Stay tuned for some exciting news from Stuck on You later this fall!

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

Enter the Organized Mom Awards 2012

Starts Today – enter The Organized Mom Awards and you could win $1,000!

Attention all moms in the U.S. and Canada! Care to share how you stay so organized? Here’s your chance to be recognized –and win for your efforts!

Nominate a friend in The Organized Mom Awards 2012. She could win $1,000 –and so could you! Nominate yourself, and you could win $1,000 plus $1,000 will be donated to your favorite registered charity!

It’s not about being the perfect mom, it’s all about moms sharing the tips and ideas that make them feel the most organized.

Here’s all you need to do. 1) Visit the Organized Mom Awards Facebook Page 2) Tell us what makes you or a friend an organized mom, and 3) Share the Top 3 Tips that help keep you or a friend so organized.

Once you or someone you know is nominated, invite friends and family to join in on the fun by casting a vote on the OMA’s Facebook Page. The 10 nominations with the most votes become the Top Ten Finalists, and a Winner is chosen by the OMA’s judges. But don’t go away … 30 runners-up with the most votes win prizes, too!

Want to be in the running to win daily spot prizes? Share your top organizational tips, recipes and parenting advice on the OMA’s Facebook Page for your chance to win.

Runs July 11-August 23. The Organized Mom Awards 2012 are brought to you by Stuck on You, makers of very cool personalized labels for moms –and kids. Here’s a list of important event dates:

Award Nominations Start – Wednesday, July 11, 2012 @ 12:00 pm PT

Award Nominations End – Sunday, August, 19, 2012 @ 11:59 pm PT

Finalists Announced – Monday, August 20, 2012

Winner and 30 Runners Up Announced – Thursday, August 23, 2012

Be a frequent visitor to OrganizedMomAwards.com and check out regular posts from mompreneurs, bloggers and moms from all over the U. S. and Canada, sharing their Top Tips, Favorite Things and Fun Stuff.

And stay tuned to Children’s Retail Today -here and on Facebook– I’ll be featuring the folks behind all this fun, plus nominating a few of my own favorite organized moms, too!

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

Get Your Fireworks On

Be a star and shine bright!

Happy Fourth of July from Children’s Retail Today

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

The Début of ARTIFACT

“I don’t know when ‘re-purposing’ became a word,”

says Molly Gaddy-Walters, self proclaimed glue gun expert, geek-of-anything-crafty, and freak of anything vintage. “I always thought it was cool to find hidden beauty in someone else’s treasure.”

Molly is also the owner/shopkeeper of ARTIFACT –a unique boutique, consignment shop and event space-featuring one-of-a-kind re-purposed and up-cycled home furnishings, clothing, gifts and more. “We specialize in helping people find beauty in the worn, torn and discarded,” Molly says, “or we give their personal artifacts a needed artistic touch.” The Las Vegas-based retailer is scheduled to open to the public on Saturday, June 30 in Tivoli Village with eco-conscious merchandise that’s Handmade in the USA by talented artisans found locally and across the United States. “This is one of the most talented, artistic and inspirational groups ever assembled; a true ensemble of creative genius, and I know together we are going to take the world by storm.”

ARTIFACT looks at retail differently. It has a story and purpose. Each unique object in ARTIFACT is like a lost treasure only to be found. Any kind of work that touches us on an emotional level -that brings us joy or happiness, tears or laughter- is art. Molly Gaddy-Walters has created an artful masterpiece in ARTIFACT. It is gift for all of us, to not only shop, but enjoy.

– Gina Gavan, founder and CEO of marketing development firm Tribal Minds

Making the ordinary art. The store is organized with several departments, including Scribble, the place where kids, babies and their parents can shop for fun, cool, trendy and classic finds that are re-purposed and up-cycled. There’s an organic market with handmade baby items including cribs, blankets, nursery décor, books and toys that have been re-purposed or are green. Scribble also features a crayon bar as well as The Trading Post, named for the historic North American place where folks exchanged goods, met, discussed current events and shared ideas. The Trading Post at ARTIFACT is for kids to meet and exchange toys in a safe environment.

Other ARTIFACT departments include Purpose, featuring vendors and artisans who create special custom orders; Masterpiece, furniture and decorative accessories; Portrait, clothing and jewelry for men and women; and Landscape, full of rare and unique found objects such as books, signage, outdoor/indoor fixtures and large art pieces.

Classes, events and more. Molly and her team plan to hold classes that focus on “the Art of ARTIFACTS,” as well as special ones that celebrate a birthday, birth of a baby or wedding. ARTIFACT also offers Green Chic Party Planning that works with a customer’s ideas and makes them green, including kids parties.

The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.

-Pablo Picasso

As one of her favorite quotes, Molly takes the words of Pablo Picasso to heart every day. After years of working in the high-end retail world, Molly stopped to stay at home with her kids –and started living with re-purpose. The family motto was “use it up, make it last, or do without,” she says. It didn’t take long for her to realize that re-purposing is not only a way of life, but a freedom –to express ourselves and define our personal style. “Trips to the thrift store seemed to unfold like a story book. I looked around and saw all the beautiful potential many of the items had. I felt the need to repurpose them in a way others would treasure.”

So it’s not hard to image that the début of ARTIFACT will bring back that very best of shopping experiences –finding something super special at an affordable price.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

Celebrating 10 Years of Tea

Inspired by the beauty of all the world surrounding us, is a company that believes their people are its soul, the heart of the brand.

We’re Tea. We go there. Across the globe. And across the street. Turning our experiences into original children’s clothing of unique beauty, modern style and easy comfort. Come along with us. And definitely bring your kids.

It’s hard to believe it’s been just 10 years since two world travelers started Tea in San Francisco, CA USA with three pima cotton baby sweaters and a global aesthetic for designing distinctive fashion for children, ages 0-12. The women’s collection of “easy-going, culturally-connected styles designed to fit your life” was launched in the fall of 2010.

The brand name is inspired by the tradition of drinking tea, shared throughout the world in nearly every culture. Taking it even further, Tea employees receive an annual allowance to use toward international travel; thus, each season’s destination inspiration. “We immerse ourselves in the culture to learn about local textiles, colors, architecture, aesthetics and design practices,” they say on their website. “We explore, we discover, we sketch, we take tons of pictures (video too). We come home – enlivened by the experience, ideas flowing, and ready to jump into the journey of creation.”

The Spring/Summer 2012 destination inspiration is Bali –a world full of happiness.

Co-founders, Emily Meyer, chief creative officer, and CEO Leigh Rawdon bring together Emily’s extensive background in fashion and Leigh’s entrepreneurial spirit in a company ranked on the Inc Magazine list of fastest growing private companies five years in a row. Tea not only gives us remarkably beautiful fashion, but gives back to the world through its work with The Global Fund for Children.

Very Tea, indeed.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

Get $65 in FREE Products! Join Klippie Klub!

Popular children’s accessories brand Itzy Bitzy Designs launches a new club that makes accessorizing affordable.

Do you have a little diva darling who loves wearing the perfect hair accessory with every outfit? She can never have too many hair bows, right? Wouldn’t it be great if all that shopping didn’t break the bank?

Look no further. Michelle Ruesch, founder of Itzy Bitzy Designs, introduces the Klippie Klub, a kit-of-the-month hair accessories club, where members receive a themed kit containing exclusive, newly released hair clips each month. It’s the perfect way to build an up-to-the-minute-cute hair accessories collection that’s incredibly affordable as well.
“Monthly subscription programs are very popular and allow the customer to enjoy products at a significant savings,” Michelle tells me. “We wanted our customers to be able to enjoy a wider range of our products by being able to offer them a substantial savings – and you will not find another club that offers such an incredible value.”

Get $65 in FREE Products. You enjoy fantastic savings from the start, with a choice of two memberships. The Krazy is only $15.99 a month – a 70% savings off retail. The Kasual is only $18.99 a month – a 50% savings off retail – and requires no long term commitment. FREE Shipping is included with each membership – another bargain!

For Children’s Retail Today Followers. Join now and receive the first kit FREE plus a FREE Klippie Klub Hair Accessories & Travel Organizer (total retail value $65.00). Help get the word out about this terrific deal!

use this link to like the Klippie Klub Facebook Page;
or sign up for the Klippie Klub Newsletter (Join My List) and be the first to receive special promotions and coupon codes;
or start following the Itzy Bitzy blog;
and share my posting (this one!) about the Klippie Klub on your own Facebook page!

And sign up for the Klub, of course!

Designed in the USA. Each month, members –and their diva daughters- can look forward to a beautifully themed set of hair clips exclusively designed only for club members, made from high-quality, trendy fabrics and colors. The sturdy clips are easy to open yet stay in place, and the soft inside is gentle on a child’s lovely locks.

Every little girl deserves to feel like a princess. We hope that our unique affordable program insures little girls will always have the perfect hair accessory for any outfit.

Continue reading →

kangacoo designs at SAG Awards

The youngest actor to ever receive Screen Actors Guild recognition wears a kangacoo designs original. Congratulations!

When the cast of ABC’s Modern Family accepted the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, little Lily Tucker-Pritchett was wearing a kangacoo designs original dress.

The character Lily, daughter of her two loving adoptive dads Mitchell and Cameron, is played by Aubrey Anderson Emmons who, along with her mom Amy Anderson and agent Carlyne from Dramatic Artists Agency, requested a simple, chic dress for the event. Designer Katie Nguyen delivered -adding a little sparkle as well. Aubrey completed her look with black tights, black patent leather shoes and an itty bitty purse. Katie’s longtime friend stylist Brooke Lee gave Aubrey a pretty side bun with feather clip and light makeup.

In 2008, Katie founded kangacoo designs, creating fun and functional clothes for kids using two basic principles: Creativity is King and Life is an Occasion, Dress for It!

My ruffle leggings are my signature piece and I have built a made-to-match collection around the leggings. My design is inspired by the fabric I find so you can always expect to see interesting fabrics and textures in my collections.

-Katie Nguyen

Where the runway meets the playground. “I believe that clothes should be fun and unique,” Katie says, “but also wearable and washable.” The line includes dresses, leggings, play clothes, swimwear and more and Katie tells me the business has grown with a lot of love and hard work. Fans can buy the handmade/custom collection as well as a wholesale line carried in almost 50 stores nationwide and abroad.

Stanford Distributing Corporation Celebrates 50 Years

“Having been a member of Baby News for 23 years, I would recommend it to anyone who wants to succeed in the baby business for the long haul. The group is willing to open up their operations to others and share what makes them successful, or even share their failures. There are a variety of store sizes, so we get differing perspectives from all types of demographics. Merchandise is also available from a shared warehouse, but not restricted to purchasing from the warehouse like some franchise operations.”

– Richard Woo, Citikids Baby News Store, San Francisco, CA

Stanford Distributing Corporation, the main business arm of Baby News, an association of independently owned children’s retailers, celebrates 50 years of business this year. “There are many difficult issues confronting retailing today,” says president Roger O’Callaghan. “However, if you have good people who recognize the value of ‘we’, you can adjust to the bad times. The Baby News family has always been willing to take some chances and change with the times, but the communality of the business and the willingness to work together remains constant.” Roger tells us more about this unique association and its benefits for retailers.

What’s the greatest way an association like Baby News helps a retailer in this economy?

We believe that specialty stores now need to work together to find exclusive products, get better pricing and develop an expertise on juvenile products that will separate them from the mass merchants. Although Baby News stores pay fees to be part of the association, they all benefit from the partnership they have formed together. All independent stores should consider joining one of the major retail groups in our industry.

What one membership advantage do you find is universal among all Baby News stores?

The secret of the growth of the business has been the interaction of the Baby News store owners. Stanford Distributing was created by the stores to service the association of stores. BNO Inc. was created by the stores to answer the need for an online registry and fulfillment. The registry has over 30,000 items with pictures and descriptions due to the stores’ involvement in helping to create the registry program from scratch.

Baby News considers itself a family of stores, which shares many things, from ideas, store volumes and merchandise. The Baby News catalog is a creation of the individual stores in bringing the best products to customers. Yes, nearly all of the growth of Baby News has been from personal contact with existing Baby News store owners.

How do potential retailers find out about Baby News?

Retailers can find out more about our association by visiting BabyNews.com, our informational website. Meetings are held at trade shows and independently. Stores communicate collectively through online services and the corporation sends out newsletters about business promotions and changes.

Congratulations, Roger and everyone in the Baby News family!

Surf Expo débuts new kids feature

Surf Expo’s Newest Feature Focuses on Kids Apparel

An array of children’s apparel and accessories fills up a new and exclusive feature at the September 2011 Surf Expo trade show, giving retailers the opportunity to preview kid’s lines in an area devoted to kid-exclusive manufacturers.

Show organizers plan to display swimwear, towels, tees and more in a floor section specially reserved for kid’s products, designed as 10-by-8-foot preset booths surrounding a buyer’s lounge.

“The kids feature is going to be a great way to help kid’s brands stand out. It’s an outstanding addition to the show and Surf Expo is thrilled about adding it.”

-Jane Preston, Surf Expo

According to Marketresearch.com, the kid’s apparel market is expected to reach $186 billion by the year 2014. The creation of Surf Expo’s new kids feature is in response to these market trends. “With the market growing so much, it only makes sense to feature it,” Jane says.

According to Surf Expo, swimwear and accessories are essential to any child’s wardrobe. Children’s summer trends for 2012 emphasize eco-friendly materials, illustrative prints, tropical and surf themes.

Surf Expo takes place at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL September 8-10.