Last week Jamie and I along with Capri Designs showed our brand new collections at the 64th Annual National Stationery Show in NYC.  Overall we thought the show had a great optimistic vibe and we had a great time connecting with new buyers as well as seeing some existing customers.  We love that trade shows are able to give us this invaluable face-to-face interaction time.  While we thought the show was a great success, it appears that we were not alone.  Caroline Kennedy, Editor in Chief of the trade journal, Gifts & Decorative Accessories sent out her write-up of the show this earlier this morning.  She included a lot of the trends she saw at the show along with some of the products that caught her eye.  We were excited to see that Room It Up Back to School products were included in the re-cap!!  You can read her thoughts via the article on the Gifts and Decorative Accessories website here.  Did you attend the show?  If so, what did you think?

In other news I hope everyone is having a happy and productive Monday morning!

Tags: caroline kennedy, gifts and dec, room it up

One of our favorite surfing/active lifestyle magazines WSSM (Women’s Surf Style Magazine) featured a couple of our great products in their Fall/Winter 2009 issue!  Thanks again to Sandra and the editorial team over in Hawaii – not only is your magazine great – but, I may just one day take you up on your surfing lesson offer!

Tags: jewelry roll, merci wallet, room it up, surf, surf style, wssm

The great editors over at RealSimple.com kindly featured our New Dot Lap Desk as a great item for making going Back To School easier for both parents and kids. Check out the link by clicking on the image below!

Tags: 2009, back to school, BTS, Editorial, Lap Desk, new dot, real simple

Even though school has barely let out for this year, and summer is quickly upon us, we are already hearing (and creating!) the Back To School ’09 buzz!.  Recently the friendly people over at School Uniforms Magazine contacted us for an editorial spread about our growing Back To School business.  Maureen (vice-president of RIU & a former uniform kid herself!) was interviewed as well as one of our customers, Thomas from TC’s Uniforms in Jackson, MS.  Not only does TC’s sell tons of school uniforms, but they also do a great amount of custom embroidery in their store.

Throughout our endeavors in the Back To School business we have found that some of our best selling accounts are those that also sell school uniforms in their store.  Uniform kids are always looking for fun ways to show their style and express themselves.  Our bright and fun backpacks, lunch totes, pencil cases, 3 ring binders, etc… are great for that reason!

Don’t get School Uniforms Magazine to your door?  Check out the pictures below!

So what does Room It Up + Your local school uniform store = ?

The ultimate one stop shop for any family looking to outfit their kids for Back To School 2009!

Tags: 2009, back to school, backpacks, embroidery blanks, lunchtotes, messenger bags, Retailer

Here at RIU it seems we are always hearing the latest monogram buzz.  Our customers love that we continue to make fun items that are easy to embroider.  So when GIFT SHOP Magazine contacted me for one of our best selling monogram-friendly items for  their Spring/Summer issue I jumped at the chance to share with them (and their readers!) our Laguna Stripe Towel Set!

When the issue came in the mail last week I couldn’t help but notice that a large portion of the editorial content was dedicated to the growing monogram trend!  The articles highlight how offering embroidery and personalization services in your store can help boost sales while also adding a heightened shopping experience for consumers. I applaud Gift Shop for also noting that while deciding to add embroidery services in your store may be a costly endeavor at first, once you get started, your business possibilities will continue to grow.  People just love giving (and receiving!) personalized gifts.

One of our current customers, Francene at Monogram Muse in Clarks Summit, PA, was even featured in a spread about her uber-successful monogramming business.  As a side note it was also pretty exciting to spot some New Dot & Paris RIU products in the photos of her store.  I must say her store really does look great and well merchandised!  Congrats to her for that fabulous spread!

Do you offer personalization services in your store?  What do you find to be your customer’s favorite things to get personalized?  Do you agree that adding embroidery services in you store has helped you boost sales?

Tags: embroidery blanks, monogram