Ah, Q3. Sweet, glorious Q3. How I love you! That's 3rd Quarter, in case you're wondering.

Summer always means locking in those holiday and calendar orders, round 2 of show season, sizzling show specials and the juicy debut of new products.

Yesterday, I received word that our good friends at Accoutrements (the wholesale arm of Archie McPhee, have exceeded all expectations with one particular new item:



Now, I have no idea what "salad flavor" is but you can bet I'll be ripping open my sample the day it arrives and flossing away to find out. I hope it's a pomegranate vinaigrette flavor. I love that stuff.

Prepare and order early, dear readers. Set yourselves apart from your friends and peers...not to mention the competition...this holiday season.

Wanna know how?

Give me a call at 877-277-1171 and I'll help you put together an order of killer products, 3rd/4th Quarter transition tips AND a roll out schedule that will have you humming right along with your cash register.

Usually, I charge $200/hour for advice like this but it's a recession, baby...and I'll give you this one for free.

After 51 years in business, the beloved Trover Shop Bookstore is closing its Capitol Hill location. This is a great loss to The Hill community, both residents and workers. They weren't even my customer but I'm still sad to see another independent go under.

Click here and read the article carefully. The owners attribute a big part of their demise to online booksellers. I know, I know, Amazon makes it easy. I use them sometimes too. But think about how many times you browse a brick and mortar store, look at a book, then go home and buy it online where you can "save" 20% only to pay $7.95 in postage. Those small actions add up and the results can be seen right here.



Maybe the world is just changing and I'm behind the times. Maybe a virtual, faceless, impersonal shopping experience is the new way of things and I'm just clinging to an antiquated way of doing business. You know, a world where people actually care about each other and customers actually care about where they spend their dollars and stores make an effort to at least pretend they care about the people spending their hard earned money within their walls.

A friend of mine recently observed that he is amazed at how lousy customer service is, and how little it would take to make it great. Maybe if we were all a little nicer to each other, things would start to turn around. So, customers, hang up your cell phone when you're in line and interact with the person ringing up your purchases. Cashiers and floor staff: take a second and remember who's paying your salary (no matter how meager it is) and step up to deliver the goods without attitude or resentment. We're all in this together so let's stop making it into some kind of seller/buyer retail battle.

It's no secret that one of my favorite things to do is sell and set up a new display. The sense of immediate gratification from this can keep me happy for a good long time. You know, about a week.

My second most favorite thing is a transformation. Old school before and after pictures delight me to no end.

Recently, I got lucky and got both of those things together.

Our good friends at Whole Foods Silver Spring were the lucky winners of a big, beautiful Blue Q Bag Bonanza giveaway at the regional Holiday Show. I rolled in bright and early to set it up, my shopping card overflowing with the disassembled rack.

Product movement exploded at this location and those sly cats made great use of a rolling slat wall display. The time had come, however, to upgrade. It was a lucky day all around when their name was pulled out of the hat as the display winner.

Dang, the results are nothing short of delicious. Natural, unprocessed, no high fructose corn syrup delicious.

Before:



After:



The crazy part is that since I put this spinner up, the store has requested a FIFTH wing. The new configuration is selling even more!

Are you on the fence about upgrading? Survey says, stop hesitating and do it! Just ask Whole Food Silver Spring. Yes, I realize your store might not be a Whole Foods. But an upgrade doesn't have to be a big, colossal buy in. Maybe you just trade in that ratty old wire spinner for a new acrylic one. Maybe you pitch those dusty, worn out display baskets for a fresh set. You can get them for $1 each a Dollar General, you know. Maybe you take advantage of a slow morning and re-merchandise an entire wall. Then, next week, do another one.

Creativity doesn't cost anything and the results just might pay for the new fixtures or a fresh coat of paint. For real, yo.

Just a thought.

Our Paul Boulais Love Fest continues.

After our illustrious debut at the Whole Foods Holiday Show, Paul and I hit the road for a full day of celebrity guest appearances at key Blue Q accounts in the DC area. You can never go wrong getting face time with customers and dragging along folks from the big Home Office goes a long way in demonstrating the fact you really do care. Sure you can tell 'em how much you care, but showing up (are you catching the theme yet?) matters.

We started bright and early with a rousing breakfast of champions with our good friend, Bev, from Pulp. Afterwards, we strolled down the street for a visit to the store. Just look at how yummy Paul and Bev look...not to mention that luscious Blue Q Bag Bonanza!



After saying our good bye's to Bev, we headed out to the deep suburbs of Virginia for a power lunch with our pals at Perpetual Kid. As a former warehouse manager, Paul was in lather over how smooth and efficient this web-based business is run.



Our day rounded out with a drop by at the Whole Foods in Silver Spring, Maryland. This location cranks out more shopper sales than any other store in the region. I'm not sure there's anyone in Silver Spring who isn't carrying a bag from Blue Q. Seriously.



It was a whirlwind day and a high-octane visit with my future ex-husband. In the end, good will was extended and a good time was had by all. Come back soon, Paul!

Working as a wholesale rep can sometimes be like living in a time warp. You never really plant your feet in the moment. January means the rollout for the next year’s calendars; May means Christmas cards, November and December means Valentines. It’s a bit surreal.

I recently had the privilege of participating in a regional holiday show for Whole Foods Mid-Atlantic. They brought together 30 select vendors and stuffed us all in a room to pimp our 4th Quarter wares to the 37 stores in the region. Yours truly was among the invited and I rolled in with a full entourage for three tables and three vendors.

I was joined by a couple of friends, including the smokin’ hot, Paul Boulais, Blue Q Sales Manager and Lion Tamer. He spent the next day with me as well…but we’ll get to that part tomorrow.



For today, ( click here for the Whole Foods time warp )

Mercy, what a week it's been! Can you handle one more company premier? Yeah, I thought so.

I have always managed to have a big assortment of small companies in my lines package. Sure, I've got a couple of big guys. I need them. They keep the bills paid so I can rep the smaller guys--who really have my heart--and give them a fair shake. Today's new company is exactly the kind of thing that gets me excited. Different, quirky, and very small. So small in fact, that they only have one product...and here it is:



No need to rub those eyes, dear readers, you're seeing it right.

Describing Scabs Bandages is easy. As their tag line says, they are the grossest bandages in the world. Really, is there anything more to say?

Why yes, there is!

Click your bippy over to Perpetual Kid and order yourself a box and get a couple extras for your friends.

Happy Friday!

Keep those seatbelts fastened low and tight across your hips, dear readers, we've got two more days of hot new manufacturers to go!

Today's feature hails from San Francisco and with a tag line of "unsappy, uncrappy, letterpress greetings", well, how could I resist?



Old Tom Foolery is the brainchild of ad-industry veterans, Joel Gryniewski and Lauren Weinblatt. Unlike other card lines that rely on flashy graphics or glitter or a visual gimmick, these cards are clean and simple and old school at it’s finest.

They use the old footnote idea. You remember that right: a line of text, followed by an asterisk and a more detailed bit of information at the bottom of the page? I guess the kids today all use end notes but back in my day...we used footnotes AND we did them on a typewriter...by candlelight...and we had to walk two miles to school, up-hill, BOTH ways. Bah, kids today! But I digress...

The brilliance of these cards is jacked way up by the heavy paper and letterpress technique used. What's letterpress you ask? Well, grasshoppers, it's an old printing method that stamps ink onto paper, using raised lettering or images. It transfers the images to paper from a raised (or ‘relief’) surface, such as from a wood-cut or from metal. The plate is then pressed into the paper and, voila, you've got letterpress. The result is a clean, sweet, crisp image that certainly qualifies as handmade and original. This pressing method was how books and other documents were first printed (hence the printing press) so there's a long history to this technique.

The card that stole my heart and sealed the deal for me was, of all things, a Father's Day Card. The full footnote is a bit difficult to see in the picture but it says: "And to think it all started with a boner". I nearly fell on the floor when I saw it and, yes, dear old Dad will be getting this card next year.



Get those credit cards paid down and get ready to order these bad boys. They are a breath of fresh air for card racks everywhere!

Oh, it's hump day, dear readers, so let's bust some humps!

History, maybe even your own, has shown that amazing things can bloom in the shadow of tough times. No one is a better testament than today's new manufacturer: Mean Cards.



These little gems are a great addition to any card selection. Honest. Simple. Laugh out loud funny. 'Nuff Said.

The backstory is brilliant. I spent a lot of time trying to sum it up into prose but finally gave up when I failed (repeatedly) to do it justice. It's really much better told by the artist, Julianna Holowka, in her own words and images. So, reheat your coffee, sit back, click here and enjoy the show.

Oh yeah, then be sure to click on the retailer button, find one near you, and go buy some cards. Your friends will thank you for it. So will Julianna. So will I.

Premiere Week continues today with the high rollin' introduction of our good friends from the great white north, Junkmail Greetings.



It's been a long times since I've had a line with this much bite and I'm super excited about it. Headed up by artistic and sarcastic masterminds, Lee and Carol, this is just the kick in the teeth card spinners across the mid-Atlantic need. And you can bet your bippy I'm prepared to give it to them. Wha-Tah!

The designs are simple, practically elegant, and completely incongruent with the Vulcan grip-like text included. That's part of what makes them so brilliant. They're also funny as hell.

The card that hooked me was, of all things, a holiday design. It simply says: "Wishing you an acceptable Christmas and an adequate New Year". It stopped me in my tracks. I had to read it twice. It was at that moment that I lost my heart to Lee and Carol forever.

I think you can guess what I'll be sending my customers this year.

Dear readers, please click those keyboards in a big Road Rage welcome for our new pals: Junkmail.

I've just inked a whole slew of new deals with up and coming manufacturers and it's time to announce our new-found love to the public. The gossips mills were fueled by the most recent round of website updates at my always poppin' website but, just in case you missed it, I'm rolling out the red carpet this week for the newest addition to my bag of tricks.

Dear readers, please give a big Road Rage welcome to Hard Cards!



Based in Los Angeles, Hard Cards is wrangled by the smokin' hot Randi Picarelli and Stacey Rifkin. You want snarky, funny and irreverent messages camouflaged on beautifully designed greeting cards? Well, you've got it.

My favorite card in the line says: "I'm sorry you're going through a rough time right now". Inside: "But if you quit making shitty choices this wouldn't happen". Don't tell me you can't think of a dozen people to send that to. Brilliant!

But don't be fooled, these bad ass babes do have heart. These cards are made with minimal environmental impact, even if the emotional one is significant. Every Hard Card and envelope are printed with soy ink and made from 100% Post Consumer Waste Paper. That means no new trees are cut down, and no bleach, acid, or chlorine is used. They also employ local designers and printers, and support local businesses. That means you can feel good buying these cards because not only are you expressing your deeply hidden feelings but you're also supporting the good 'ol U S of A.

But wait, there’s more! These girls also donate 5% of their proceeds to various social causes; from No-Kill Animal Shelters to Cancer Research. So while they may not be friendly towards people, they are damn good to the planet and that, dear readers, makes them friends of mine...and now yours.