The Big Apple - The Last Day

Well the winter gift show in New York is all wrapped up. It was a good show even though there were fewer vendors and retailers at the show. On the last half day I picked up a couple of small things for the store. When I get back to Grass Valley Deanna and I have a number of potentially new exciting items to consider as well.
Had a wonderful dinner last night at the Palms with Berkley and Lindsey. The food was fantastic and the conversation never ending. New York has been great but it will be wonderful to get back to the foothills.
See you there.

The Big Apple - Day 6

Well the winter New York International Gift Show is winding down. There is only one-half day to go. I am down to a few follow up items which I am sure I can fit into the last half-day.
Today was another busy one. First I got to fight the snow/rain/slush that started last night and was still continuing as of 6 p.m. Stepping into a slush puddle that comes up over your ankles certainly makes you move quickly.
At the show we picked up some beautiful German mouth blown glass ornaments, some brightly colored cocoa sweets, new additions to our annual Christmas Advent Calendar collection, and some bright and colorful re-usable tote bags. For our future consideration we found a number of stylish handbags, along with some nice guy accessories. We will certainly be looking to bring them into the store.
Now it’s time for dinner.
See you tomorrow.

The Big Apple - Day 5

Here is a quick update on today’s gift show activities in New York City.
Many of the items below will soon be arriving at the store. In fact they may get there before I do.
Mobiles,
New Art Cubes,
Beautiful hand-cast and hand-painted pewter from Wilhelm Schweizer,
Alicia Klein Taxi Wallets and newly designed bags for that busy woman,
And some great new puzzles and books.
Of course, coming for the holiday season we have some brand new hand-made German Christmas items, (Pyramids, Smokers, Nutcrackers and Ornaments), and Polish mouth blown glass.
No doubt there will be more tomorrow.

The Big Apple - Day 4

Another busy day in the city that never sleeps.
In terms of the Gift Show, we have some beautiful new pieces of art glass coming in from Robert Held as well as an untold number of those enameled art boxes that are so popular with so many of our customers. In addition, from Hebi Arts we are bringing in some beautiful lacquer Heart Vases for Valentines Day along with some contemporary Lacquer Plates and Accent Mirrors.
I also had time tonight to attend Late Night with Conan O’Brien, courtesy of our son Berkley who writes for Conan’s show.
So it has been a busy day/night and I am ready to sit back and relax.
More Tomorrow.

The Big Apple - Day 3

Another cold day in the city, but it was warm and delightful inside the Gift Show. Saw a number of new and interesting items:
Some premium wooden jigsaw puzzles. Each puzzle contains a number of charming whimsical pieces and no two pieces in a puzzle are the same.
Speaking of puzzles, I found some reproductions of a type of puzzle traditionally forged by blacksmiths. These puzzles are mechanical in nature and require old-fashion problem solving.
The store will have some new kaleidoscopes coming in. If you haven’t seen our kaleidoscopes before you will need to come in and take a look.
And of course a new supply of those beautiful real leaves dipped in gold, silver, or iridescent copper are on their way.
Well, so much for this third day in The Big Apple.

The Big Apple - Day 2

It's a little cooler today and the wind makes it really nippy. Got in a lot of walking - 73rd to 34th and back as well as walking the 10 floors of 7W 34th. Began our Christmas purchasing even though Christmas seems like just yesterday; and, I saw plenty of interesting items from Italy and Brazil. Tomorrow I'll hit the show at the piers.
Had a great dinner last night at a Turkish restaurant. Tonight it's Belgian food. You've got to love the food here in NYC.

In The Big Apple

Well I made it, a bit sleep deprived, but I am here. The trip from Grass Valley to Oakland to JFK to the Upper West Side was 12 hours door-to-door. Thought I would hit up a couple of showrooms today but I've just been kicking back. The weather here isn't too bad - mid 40's. I did manage to go to the greatest grocery store in the world - Fairway Markets - to pick up a few odds and ends. I need to start lo0king for Christmas items, so tomorrow I'll go to the permanent showrooms at 7W 34th Street. I'll let you know what I see.

Off To New York

Off to the New York International Gift Show. It's a long flight, west coast to east coast, and the weather in New York doesn't appear to be that great, its rather cold, but it will be great to be in the Big Apple. The flight is a red eye out of Oakland, the only non-stop I could find at a reasonable cost, but hopefully I'll be alert enough on Friday to get to a couple of off-site permanent showrooms. I'll keep you up to date.

The Store Has A New Look
Since the holidays we've taken some time to rearrange the items in the store. Of course we continue to carry the same high quality unique products you have come to expect, it just may be that you will find them in a different location within the store. If you don't see what you are after - just ask. Kate, Linda, John or Deanna will be happy to help you. And don't forget we are always happy to special order items for you. Just tell us what you are looking for and we will do our best to find it for you. We take pride in the customer service we provide.

New York International Gift Show
John will be off to New York within the next week. He plans to bring you a day-by-day description of what he sees and finds at the show. So check daily to see what's happening. (Berkley, John and Deanna's son, is hoping that John will carry some of this warm California weather to Manhattan as well. Berkley says it's the price of room and board at his apartment.)