Preferred Customer Alert

Are you a loyal HiHo customer? Do you shop regularly at HiHo for your gifts…your home and decorating needs? If so, you just might be a Preferred Customer!
We’re rewarding our best customers with the HiHo Preferred Customer card. Come in to the shop and ask about how you can get one and what the benefits are.
Believe me, it is well worth being a Preferred Customer at HiHo. It’s our way of saying “thank you” to our frequent shoppers who continue to support us through thick and thin. We appreciate the fact that you’ve invested in your own local economy by supporting us…a local business that gives back to its community.
Don’t worry, if you already have a Preferred card hang onto it. Mention the blog and we will give it a punch!

Dancing In My Head

"Visions of sugar plums danced in their heads" this quote has always appealed to me. I have always imagined the candy magically floating , spinning and bouncing about in their minds all through the night. I have imagined their excitement and wonderment.

The quote has taken on new meaning to me this week as my dreams have been visually packed with products. Products I saw at the gift show. Not dreams that have a story line, or have recognizable people in them, but just stuff everywhere. My dreams have always been in color, (not surprising) but most often I remember them and they have an order to them. I have even found inspiration for store themes and displays from my dreams.

MAIN FLOOR OF THE JACOB JAVITS DURING THE GIFT SHOW

I'm still trying to make since out of the millions of ideas that are "dancing in my head". Dancing day and night. I guess you can tell from the photo the visual overload I experienced. Maybe it's excitement and wonderment...kind of a romantic way to say I need to organize my thoughts. Yup , that's this weeks plan, hmmm.

Homemade in a Box

I have always baked the birthday cakes for the family by scratch, however with the need for six sheet cakes gave me reason for using Duncan Heinz.
Everett put them through a taste test before going to bed. I think they passed...he asked for a second piece. Looking forward to seeing and feeding you all this weekend.

EAT CAKE

JOIN IN THE FUN, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...SO FORGET THE SUPER BOWL...STOP BY HIHO FOR CAKE. SEE ALL THE NEW THEMES IN EACH OF THE ROOMS. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF 20% OFF IN OUR PET ROOM AND RECIEVE A PARTY FAVOR FOR YOUR FAVORITE CANINE. HUMPHREYS SIX!!

My Trip to NYC

I got home from NYC Tuesday evening. It's always nice to come home. Nothing like a few days away to make one appreciate what they have.

The show was, huge. I visited with all my favorite vendors. Isabella spent much of Sunday with me, we really (she really) enjoyed the food booth samples. I am working on a theme for the summer that would have us selling lots of nostalgic candies. So that meant we had to taste the sweets to be sure of the quality, (wink, wink). I spent Monday on my own, looking at trends in home decor and color palettes for next season. I attended a seminar featuring editors from two retail trade magazines that I love. I ended the day with a Mardi Gras party in the permanent showrooms across from the Empire State building. (Often the show uses food and drink to entice attendees to spend.)

PARIS BORED WITH MY RESEARCH

After two days of none stop walking it was time to put my feet up. MY SWOLLEN FEET

I was blessed to have keys to a friends place on the East side. PARIS

I stayed with Paris the cat, both nights.....don't tell Humphrey.
Tuesday was a full day as well. Carol, friend and one of the resident dealers at HiHo joined me first thing in the morning. It was a day of return visits to booths that got my attention on the first two days. It will take me weeks to digest all the products and ideas I have absorbed from my outing to the show, but as always, I'm sure good things will happen at HiHo as a result of making the trip.

I'm Off to New York

For the first time in the history of HiHo we will be closed on a Monday. With two employees away and Whitney at college I don't have anyone to keep shop this Monday the 26th of January. I will be at the New York International Gift Fair seeking great new things for the shop. Remember we are always closed on Tuesday's, see you Wednesday...

TRUE BLUE

I have been gathering my lists, finishing up with loose ends around the shop, because I'm preparing to leave Sunday for The New York International Gift Show in NY City. Making the windows a top priority. Blue seemed the best bet. Everybody seems to have some blue in their homes. It's a color that represents every season, making blue a great transition color for inbetween seasons. I have written about the challenges of the shop's windows before. I won't bore you with the a replay of the task. However I will state once again how I would LOVE to have a grand picture window or two, to showcase all of HiHo's best. I chose to mix an assortment of blue hues in each window. I think it makes for a more inspiring display. I think it's always a good idea to mix things up! On the second floor of the shop we have our year round Christmas shop and six Antique dealers. Having the dealers represented in the building adds to the mix of merchandise. Carol is the dealer who has the pretty front room on the Post Office side of the building. She stops in regularly to refresh her room.She brings in new items and shows off her finds in sweet artistic groupings. She too went blue....