Cashing in at the Bank

The month of August is HiHo Home Market month at our local bank. What does that mean??? We get to have a table on display featuring items from the business. This is a shot of all the things I gathered for the display. Yup, Fall is on the way....you can stop by the Gardiner branch of Walden Savings Bank and take a look.

Country Business Included HiHo

Country Business Magazine included HiHo in an online spread named Dynamic Displays, and they said....

The ability to create eye-catching displays is one of the most important skills of successful retailers. From vintage baby-themed displays to light and bright bedrooms, our readers have a knack for putting together unique and inspiring displays. Here are some of the favorites from gift and home decor retailers across the country.

To see the site go to,

http://www.country-business.com/giftindustry/share/displayshare.aspx?id=8210

This is the shot they featured.

I'm grateful for the mention and was very excited tonight when I came across the article. Thanks to Susan Wagner and her staff.

A Book Signing At HiHo

On Sept. 12th and 13th, author Anna Jane Grossman will be joining in the fun at HiHo's Fifth Annual Tent Event. She will be signing first editions of Obsolete, her new book.

Obsolete is a wonderful collection of things gone by. Like many of the items we sell at HiHo, items that have lots of personality and make us smile. Anna Jane is not only an author, she is also the daughter of a friend, a part time Gardiner local, a customer and now part of the extended HiHo family. The publishers description:
Contains essays and entries on more than 100 alphabetized fading subjects, including Blind Dates, Mix Tapes, Getting Lost, Porn Magazines, Looking Old, Operators, Camera Film, Hitchhiking, Body Hair, Writing Letters, Basketball Players in Short Shorts, Privacy, Cash, and, yes, Books. This ode to obsolescence also includes 25 quirky pen-and-ink line illustrations to further help us remember exactly what we’re missing.

Bla, Bla, Bla...I don't know how they made this little treasure of a book sound so dry. I think it's light, smart, funny and I even laughed out load when sharing it with family. Be sure to stop by anytime to take a peek at the book, it's fresh off the press and we have copies. For signed copies be sure to visit Anna Jane the weekend of Sept. 12th &13th here at HiHo.

Home From NYIGF

Yup, the New York International Gift Fair. Where retailers go to buy from wholesalers. Friends and customers inquire about what I do when I am there....well, I walk and walk and walk. Over 4000 booths of merchandise on display at the Jacob Javits Center and at the Piers. I take tons of notes, and do, doodle drawings of products, displays and combinations of both. Have meetings with sales representatives, they tour the sales floor with me, while I place orders.I walk some more and collect catalogs to bring back to the shop for future buying and inspiration. All in all it's work, but a break from the shop. I usually spend at least one day with my pal Isabella and I did this time on Tuesday. I spent the overnights at my friend Vicki's downtown, thank goodness.
It will take me weeks to sort through the catalogs and notes, but they will motivate me easily for the next six months. Then it will be time to do it all over again.

Where Did The Time Go?

The summer has whizzed by and I haven't gotten a chance to visit so many of my blogging friends. In a world where everyone is busy, it seems I've failed at finding the time for blog surfing in the evenings, like I do other times of the year. (Believe me you are not the only one missing comments on your posts from me.) Life is good, all is well, although I think it will be a couple of weeks before I get out to visit. Please know I am missing you and thinking of you. I will continue to post at least twice a week. Heidi

Folded and Stacked

I have a thing for clean closets. I love the feeling one gets from knowing the sheets are folded and the towels are stacked. Linen closets are a display of work well done and serve as a place to showcase ones organization. I admit it, I sound nuts...I even organized my parents linen closet once, when visiting a few years back. My way of saying thanks for having us... So, it is not a surprise that when a reorder of quilted throws and pillows arrived this week, that I decided to turn a Hoosier into a linen closet of sorts. The throws are a great buy at $39.00 a piece and the pillows are only $14.00. This is a shot of the cutest bird cage/chandelier, it has a frosted glass bottom to throw light and two matching sconces. I was thrilled to win it at auction this past Monday. Have a wonderful weekend! Be sure to stop by soon, I'll be posting mid week about my adventures at the New York International Gift Show.

OUT OF CONTROL

Like a roller coaster, life is moving fast and I'm unable to anticipate the next curve.

I have always loved a thrilling ride, I grew up riding a coaster named the Comet,( these first two photos are of the Comet). Every Summer we would visit Crystal Beach, Canada and take the ride. Hands held over ours heads and screaming. Thing is, it was a planned ride.

In the past two weeks the turns have been the kind that hurt your neck and I wasn't aware I was going for a ride. You know your screaming/laughing loving it and then you realize it didn't hurt when you were younger. First thing that happened was fantastic news for the shop...(I have to keep it a secret until the end of September, but I'm warning you it's big). I got so excited it made my head hurt all afternoon. The town is moving forward with sidewalk infrastructure and Main Street is being resurfaced the first week of October. I still can wiggle in my seat over that news. Signage for Main Street is being placed on the outskirts of town to direct traffic....doesn't sound like much, believe me it's a gigantic leap for the town. HiHo's Fifth Tent Event is coming together beautifully.

POW!! an inverted tube and I'm hanging upside down holding on and not liking the ride. Yup one of my kids took me off of the old wooden Roller Coaster I'm used to and buckled me into a super sonic upside down make me sick ride. I'm glad to report even the high speed deluxe coasters slow down and stop.

I have a girlfriend who is a mother of three great kids, like me. (It always helps to have a friend in the same boat). Her quote..."Kids Are Over Rated". Makes me laugh every time. I say..." I'm just along for the ride"....as I rub my neck.