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March, 2009


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April, 2009
5-7, Los Angeles
14-16, Los Angeles
16-19, Rosemont, IL
19-21, Minnetonka, MN
22-24, Northern Michigan
25-27, Memphis
25-27, San Francisco
25-30, High Point
26, Marlborough, MA
26-28, Columbus

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In this issue:

The British Are Coming!
And Bringing Cozy Comfort With Them


Snuggle World, a UK based company, is introducing its lines to the US

American parents can at last get a better night's sleep! Snooze experts Snuggle World - creators of the award winning Original Snuggle Sac® - launch their innovative range of sleep accessories for toddlers and children in the USA this spring.

Renowned for their safe and comforting bedding ranges and sleeping bags, Snuggle World creations are designed in England and manufactured from high grade fabrics that combine durability and function with the all-important 'Snuggle Magic'. The independent label dominates the international branded sleeping bag market and is a trusted trade name among retailers and consumers alike.

To mark its entry into the American market, UK manufacturer Snuggle World has opened it's American website, www.snugglesacusa.com in partnership with OmegaNet Inc., creators of the CAMEO EZ© wholesale e-commerce software for the Gift and Decor Industry and publisher of GIFT AND HOME RETAILER NEWS. Snuggle Sac is the company's signature product, but the company also makes complete bedding sets, Sofa Snugs, picnic and beach products.

SnuggleSacUSA.Com is the first website OmegaNet has built for a company based outside of North America. Hansen's Christmas Stuff is a Canadian company and DB Imports and Malden have Canadian sites.

A Dallas warehouse is at the center of distribution with locally held stock. Pick and mix orders also enable buyers to stock products that best reflect their customers need, whatever the age group, season or price in question. It couldn't be easier to stock the latest brand to watch. Snuggle World will be showing at the Dallas Gift and Home Accessories Market in June.



Featured Vendors in GiftsWholesale.Com
indicates a CAMEO EZ© web site.

At Alexa's Angels , the special moment of gift giving motivates everything we create. Each of our expressive and inspirational jewelry products were crafted with your friends and loved ones in mind. Because what you give to the special people in your life can say so much about the sentiments you with to share.


Aspen Bay Candles: The best candles on the market--a result of our continual and diligent application of superior candle science. Take a moment to visit our unique high quality line of candles. Once you have experienced the superb fragrances and long burn times, we are sure you will be back again and again.

Box and Wrap Your Unique Source for Wholesale Packaging! We offer Stock and Custom Packaging. Gift Boxes, Apparel Boxes, Candy Boxes, Candle Boxes, Pillow Boxes, Wine Boxes, Jewelry Boxes, Paper Shopping Bags, Plastic Shopping Bags, Gift Bags, Gift Wrap, Gift Basket Supplies and more! With our Gift packaging Selections, the Possibilities are Endless!

Brownlow Gifts: Brownlow produces a full line of inspirational gifts for every occasion. You will find useful and attractive home decor gifts for the kitchen, bedrooms, study and all other rooms in the house. Brownlow is well known for gourmet products, journals, gifted paper items, photo albums, photo frames, decorative sentiment plaques, a variety of stationery, many different ceramic gifts as well as a large assortment of inspirational gift books. Most products are in coordinating themes that retailers can purchase in eye-catching countertop display collections.

Don Mark Lifelike puppies & kittens that actually breathe. These adorable pets offer a real pet ownership experience without the work or expense. Perfect petzzz -------the ultimate pet. We now offer 30 breeds of puppies and kittens to choose from. Visit our web site to see our entire line of petzzz plus over 180 other unique gifts and gadgets.


Gina B. Designs is an award-winning greeting card, stationery and gift company featuring exceptional art and design. With an array of styles, variety of products and outstanding customer service, Gina B. Designs has “something for everyone.” Online ordering is now available!


Hansen's Christmas Stuff : Everything you will need to make your Christmas season merry and bright. Hansen's is the exclusive distributor in Canada and U.S. for Gnomy's Diaries, handcrafted originals from Annekabouke of Holland. Gnomy's Diaries is a wonderful line of products that has something for everyone. Two sites: US and Canadian.


Mud Pie: Mud Pie products are now featured in three catalogs: Mud Pie Baby, Mud Pie Gift, and Mud Pie Pet. It has always been our goal to offer innovative giftware that's affordably priced and adorably packaged.


Peking Handicraft, Inc. is a global manufacturer and wholesaler specializing in home textiles decorative accessories and gift items. The company expertise in sourcing, manufacturing and brand development are second to none. Peking’s variety of products consists of renowned designer collections as well as exciting designs from their in-house design studio. Both are trend right and of exceptional quality and value. With over three decades in the home textiles and gift arena, Peking is proven to be a company that you can trust today and in the future.


Regal Art & Gift: Offering unique & colorful Metal Garden Décor, Home Décor and Gifts. Garden items include: 3-D Garden Décor, Garden Stakes, Wind Chimes and Welcome Signs. Home items include: Wall Art, Wall Hooks, Candleholders, Ornaments, Boxes and Photo Frames. Popular themes include: Garden Bugs, Birds, Frogs, Tropical, Coastal, Fish, Suns & Celestial, Southwest, Western, Crosses, Americana, Country, Halloween, Harvest & Holiday


Sample House Take a look at our unique collection of original design gift bags, tissue paper and home to the 2-second wrap. We have a complete selection of Take-Out-Cartons solids and prints, tissue, bags, wraphia and more.


Snuggle World Bring some magic to night and day, rest and play with a little help from the creators of the Original Snuggle Sac New to the USA this award winning British collection is going to become a talking point, so get ahead of the crowd and enter the world of Snuggle Ideas.

Spring Street is proud to offer the finest assortment of personal, home, and office accessories. Our extensive product lines are all theme oriented, from baby to bride and beyond. All of our gift items are hand epoxy enameled and adorned with faux jewel encrusted motifs. Many of our designs are inspired from the famed Soho district of New York City where the very real Spring Street is located.


Sunset Vista Designs: From the same creative team that brought you Care and Wonder Company; We're back with a fresh new line of the latest in home and garden decor.


Wellspring: Stationery products that help keep you organized by giving you fashion with function--wherever you are in your home, office, or on the go. Includes: Pencil Pads®, Auto Notes, Flip Notes, Wiggle Pens, note cards, note pads, and recipe books.


Fear In The Marketplace
Surviving the Recession

Fear begets fear, so as politicians continually blather about the "worst recession since the Great Depression" and how their plans will solve all our problems (source), consumers tend to stay home and sit on their wallets. How does a retailer survive to the end of a recession without his business coming to an end too?

The temptation is strong to cut staff, cut hours, cut, cut, cut. Big retailers from Macy's to Wal-Mart are downsizing everything from packaging to store sizes. (source) But people who counsel business owners say that some things, like sales hours, shouldn't be cut during a recession. Closing up when you used to be open means you may miss loyal customers.

Instead of cutting hours, if anything you should increase them, says Norm Brodsky in Inc. magazine (source). There's another consideration, he says. If you have good employees, by cutting back, you could risk losing them, because they'll be working less and making less. "If anything, I'd want to reassure them that their jobs are secure." Brodsky suggests negotiating with your landlord to defer a percentage of your lease to the end of the term, thereby saving thousands per month and that's invisible to customers and employees.

Then increase sagging sales not by cutting prices, but by adding value. Offer a premium gift to people who buy a particular product or meet a dollar amount. One Detroit retailer holds a drawing for a shopping spree and then uses the customer information to send regular email news about the shop. (source)

One area Brodsky does say to cut is excess inventory. If it doesn't affect the perception of the customer you can defer ordering as much of some items as might have otherwise. This can mean savings of thousands more.


Quick Industry News


One of Sterling Industries' 160 introductions at April’s High Point market
For Buyers, Glass is Where it’s At

Home accents and gifts made from glass continue to grow in demand in 2009. To stay ahead of this demand, Sterling Industries, the Atlanta-based home accents company, has expanded its line of glass lanterns and decanters to include a new line of decorative glass bowls, trays and dishes. Each new item has been inspired by nature and created in the form of leaves and flowers, or includes botanical designs.

"The market is calling for items that feel honest and real, and glass fits those requirements perfectly," says John Scott, Sterling Industries CEO and Founder. "Many of our new glass items are reverse painted to accentuate the organic patterns of the item. These pieces are large in scale, some as big as 20 inches in length." Sterling Industries is announcing these new glass items as part of 160 introductions at April’s High Point market. "The color is dazzling on our new leaf dishes," says Scott. "The tones range from a shimmering fern green to a radiant deep umber."



Fuzz-Butt Marketing, which manufactures the Orange County Choppers® licensed pet line has recently taken on the US distributorship of Hugx Pet Feeding Bowls.

The Hugx Pet Feeding Bowl from Fuzz-Butt Marketing is a high quality pet feeder designed especially for the contemporary home, and winner of the New York Pet Fashion Week Lifestyle Innovation Award 2008. hugx pet bowls have been designed with the ergonomic look of a stylish appliance rather than a simple pet bowl, with rust-proof aluminum construction and a high gloss ABS plastic bowl and matching rubber "paws". Due to the uniquely angled bowl, gravity assists in the feeder "hugging" the floor. The hugx bowl lifts easily out of the stand for cleaning and, by turning it 180 degrees in its stand you can actually control the amount of food the bowl holds. This is especially useful if your pet is on a strict diet or if you need a bowl that will grow with your pet.



Aspen Bay Introduces "Pur Aire"

Aspen Bay Candles’ new Pur Aire line has a unique formulation that stops bad fragrances with a safe and clean malodor-eliminating technology. Unlike traditional air fresheners, Pur Aire contains no harsh chemicals or masking agents. The candles and sprays simply eliminate the bad scent and replaces it with a light, pleasant fragrance. No matter what the smell, Pur Aire can handle it gently, safely, and effectively.



Custom Christmas Ornaments from Heart Gifts by Teresa

Custom is the way to go this year for Heart Gifts by Teresa. If there is a need for an ornament exclusive to a company or city or church etc., Heart Gifts by Teresa can do it. The company has recently finished an ornament for NASA designed with "Americas Space Shuttle Fleet". This will be placed in five retail stores operated by the NASA Exchange at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ornaments did so well that in just three weeks they placed a re-order.

Heart Gifts by Teresa has been honored in the past to do custom ornaments for Billy Graham, Camp David, and the White House and most recent we are working on the Capitol featuring the new Visitor's Center. The ornaments are hand-painted in the USA and are carried in Bronners , the world's largest Christmas Storein Frankenmuth Mich. and also in Incredible Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge, TN.




Calypso Studio's S.H.O.P. Totes were a featured gift at the 2009 Academy Awards. S.H.O.P is an acronym for "Start Helping Our Planet".
Calypso Totes Help Planet

Calypso Studios Inc is receiving tremendous response on its reusable S.H.O.P. Totes. A featured item at the 2009 Academy Awards gift giveaway in February, the S.H.O.P. Totes are growing in popularity and style and will be a terrific spring shopping tote as well as a wonderful Mother’s Day gift. The totes are fashionable, convenient, and affordable. Also, Calypso's eco-cool jewelry offers styles created in natural elements of clay, glass, and shell. New Clay Ball Key Ring and glass Sundance Necklaces are two best selling items available now.








"Pride in the USA" is an answer to the uncertain environment that we face in 2009 and a tribute to Americans' ability to accomplish any feat when they stand together as a people.
Reflections Jewelry Launches "Pride in the USA" Line

"Pride in the USA" is a unique jewelry line from Reflections Jewelry that gathers its inspiration from the honorable and courageous lives of those who put their country and family first. Proud Americans who are serving in all walks of life are drawn together by the inspiration of the Red, White and Blue.

One of the signature pieces of Pride in the USA is Window to Your Pride. This unique piece features a brilliant enameled Stars and Stripes suspended in a silver frame. The color, movement and design speak directly to the beauty and majesty of America and her proud people.

The line was created by two daughters of the Greatest Generation. Sharon Taylor and Lee Cunningham wanted to honor the passion generated by the Greatest Generation and celebrate the greatest nation in the world.. In a letter to their customers they share their wish that
"Our designs will inspire you to wear Pride in the USA as a symbol of honor
And respect for all those who have and continue to serve protecting the American Way of life"




These "Greek @ Heart" products feature a Zebra design with Greek letters in Sorority colors
Servant's Heart Is Going Greek!

Servant's Heart Introduces its "Greek @ Heart" line, with standard pillowcase, design pillow, easel art, photo pillow, coasters and beverage hugger. The line features cute products, great price points and fresh designs. Now you can get Servant's Heart's unique designs & products for the Sororities in your area. Other products are available including note cards and wall plaques.









Don Mark "Go Green" To Protect You and Your Environment

Don Mark's lightweight bottle weighs less than 6 ounces and holds 24 ounces of your favorite cool or cold drink (not for hot liquids) so you can refill, reuse and reduce our landfills. Each bottle comes with dual, leak resistant caps, one for drinking, the other wide mouth to insert ice cubes and make hand cleaning easier. Also comes with handy caribineer clip. Chosen for the popular SustainAbility: design for a better world exhibit at the New York International Gift Fair.



Horse Items Gain Popularity

Sea Island Imports reports an upswing in items related to horses. Especially popular are items that relate to fox hunting such as their sleeping fox step stool. Perhaps horsey people have been able to hold their own in this slow economy or maybe horses are a coming trend as a decorating theme.