Gifted Women 2017

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Meet Gifts and Decorative Accessories 2017 Industry Power Players

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Kelly Bristol

Patti Hughes

Michele Mangiacotti

Michelle Ruby

Sarah Mount

Nora Napientek

Jules Pieri

GOURMET

Allison Barrows

STATIONERY

Jessica Barile

HOLIDAYS KIDS' CORNER

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Jessica Barile

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Paddywax Designworks, Inc. Vice President Specialty Sales

Allison Barrows

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GANZ, USA National Director of Sales and Marketing

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GHTA President

Kelly Bristol

HOLIDAYS

GOURMET

National Stationery Show Show Director

KIDS' CORNER

Patti Hughes

Natural Life Founder and CEO

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Gifted Women Gifts and Decorative Accessories is recognizing nine women this year who are putting their stamps on the companies they’ve launched or run, the tradeshows they oversee and the sales organizations they have helped to grow. These women have followed paths that have allowed them to inspire, reshape and reenergize their companies and those around them. Our nine gifted women, along with so many others, are leaving their mark on the industry.

Read on for answers to what drives, inspires and challenges them, as well as their advice for newcomers.

BY B E C K Y T Y R E Gifts and Decorative Accessories: How do you view your role in the gift industry?

Allison Barrows: Having just turned 40, I believe I represent a younger generation of women that needs to grow and become more significant within our organizations and the industry as a whole. Being president of the GHTA has given me a wonderful platform to represent the best of what this industry is about. I work hard every day in order to live up to the expectations set by the organization’s previous presidents.

Kelly Bristol: My philosophy is that I’m working for the NSS buyers finding new companies and products that they will love, and things I think would work well in their stores. I’m also working for our exhibitors to produce the best show possible for them, and hope that each year the NSS brings them new contacts and new sales.

Jessica Barile: I guess after 20 years I'd consider myself a “seasoned professional.”

Having been both a road rep and now sales manager for a trio of brands, I have a unique perspective on the entire sales cycle from product development and release to selling it on the road or at shows and from order fulfillment to merchandising the product in the store to help generate a reorder. Hopefully I can be a resource to industry newbies by sharing my experiences.

GDA: Share a challenge you’ve faced and how it has shaped your career.

Jules Pieri: I am soft-spoken, slightly built and blond. People sometimes underestimate me and I learned to use that to my advantage. When someone is not taking you seriously, they let down their guard and you can learn a lot before they realize you were even paying attention.

Michelle Ruby: Opening a brand-new division on the West Coast was a challenge.

Barbara Knight and I built it from the ground up and I’m thankful for an amazing staff and those vendors that stuck with us. The lesson learned was never give up and never stay stagnant.

Nora Napientek: The greatest challenge for us has been in the choosing to say “no” to retailers that don’t fit into our business model. Once we made the decision to dedicate our brand to the majority being independent small retailers, it has been challenging. It is hard to say “no” when you are a fledgling business and a big-box store shows interest in the line. Looking back, I see it was our most important decision.

Sarah Mount: There are always inherent challenges when you have gaps on your team. A couple of years ago, we found ourselves understaffed for a number of major events and programs we developed for market week—it was all hands on deck and title

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Special shout out to Jessica Barile!

Chosen by the editors of Gifts & Dec MAGAZINE as one of the 9 Gifted Women in the Gift Industry for 2017 Well deserved!

Congratulations, Jessica!

From your Paddywax, OLIVINA MEN, & DesignWorks Ink FAMILY

JESSICA W. BARILE VP OF SPECIALTY SALES

COME CONGRATULATE JESS AT OUR UPCOMING SHOWS! June 21-27 • Dallas Portico WTC #631

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Michele Mangiacotti

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Mangiacotti Vice President Specialty Sales

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Michelle Ruby

&

Just Got 2 Have It!

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Principal

Sarah Mount

HOLIDAYS

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AmericasMart Atlanta Vice President of Marketing

KIDS' CORNER

Nora Napientek nora fleming Owner & Head Creative

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means nothing…I literally ran around the building looking for a food processor for a cooking demonstration! But it gave me the opportunity to experience the execution from the ground up, and it better informed me about how to reorganize the team.

Patti Hughes: For years I tried hiring different presidents to come in and run Natural Life. I felt like someone with experience would know how to do things better than me. I learned that trusting my vision, common sense and gut instinct was all I needed, plus the confidence to lead!

GDA: What inspires you about the gift industry and your work?

Michele Mangiacotti: Knowing the success of my ideas can generate jobs for all types of people is what really inspires me. I am proud to say that our products are made in America and finished by citizens with disabilities. Being part of the gift industry has given me the ability to support these organizations and their efforts to empower mentally and physically challenged people by helping them gain independence and build their self-esteem.

AB: Our access to trends and data, coupled with the diversity of products and people in the industry, foster a natural drive in all of us to seek out/create “the next big thing.” On top of that, the individuals I’ve met through my involvement with GHTA have driven me to look at things from many different perspectives and to consistently strive for professional growth, both as a company and as an individual.

MR: I am inspired every single day by the people I meet and talk to. Whether they are brand new manufacturers or vendors who have been in the gift industry for 30+ years, sales managers, sales reps or customers or other rep principals, I am constantly learning something that I can use at Just Got 2 Have It! We work with some incredibly talented people and if I can take away one thing from every conversation, then I feel I have learned something which I can in turn share with my team.

JP: There are so many things that matter deeply to me about this industry and our economy. As a citizen, I believe in the importance of strong shops, strong Main Streets, and supporting innovation. There is no substitute for meeting a customer face to face and having the experience of

physically experiencing a potential purchase. I appreciate that committed shop owners work just as hard as our 75-person team at The Grommet to share the stories of the people and companies behind their merchandise. And on a personal level, very few activities give me as much joy as giving a gift. True confession: When I have a long to-do list and it includes wrapping a gift, I always save that task for the very last one, as my reward for powering through the other more annoying projects.

NN: My main role in my company now is to travel around the country and personally meet and chat and learn from our customer base. I get so inspired by everyone who uses nora fleming, the stories they tell about what the product means to their family and suggestions on what they would like to see next.

JB: Retail store owners and people who start gift lines are true entrepreneurs.

They have a vision of what they want their store to look like and how they want consumers to feel in their space, or, in the case of a manufacturer, what they want their product to be—and they just “go for it” and put themselves out there and are living their dream. I get excited to see the pairing of these incredible, unique products, especially products from our three brands, and the fabulous spaces they end up in.

GDA: How have you seen the gift industry evolve in recent years?

SM: We’ve been seeing gift make its way into so many home and lifestyle stores over the past several years—and increasing interest from designers. I work with a lot of interior designers and I can’t tell you how many ask me where to source client gifts, tabletop and more. I enjoy seeing how manufacturers diversify their product mix in order to maximize new business potential.

KB: We’ve been through the advent of the digital age and economic downturns, and have survived by adapting—resilience.

The changing landscape has allowed for new companies to enter. Recently, we’ve seen the impact of the independent designer-makers movement on the gift and stationery industry and the resurgence of small, independently owned retail stores.

MM: The industry has learned to evolve over the past few years by using technology. Younger retailers have become savgiftsanddec.com

congratulations nora!

keep the unexpected coming. your ideas have made gift giving easy and entertaining fun for *mini* people. love, your nora fleming team

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Jules Pieri

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The Grommet Co-founder and CEO

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vier promoting themselves by using social media to drive traffic to their stores and promote events. They understand the power of creating excitement by engaging their customers through Instagram and Facebook. Manufacturers are starting to understand that by partnering with their retailers, they too can create demand for their products and help drive their loyal customers to stores by posting on social media.

JB: In terms of how we as an industry do business, technology is, by far, the biggest change I’ve seen. When I started as a sales rep, I hand-wrote orders that I then mailed to our offices for processing. With advancements in technology, we’ve gotten more efficient, more responsive, and have the ability to analyze sales data in ways that we couldn’t possibly even imagine 10 years ago.

KIDS' CORNER

HOLIDAYS

GDA: Name something you expect to see change in the gift industry in the next five years.

NN: More retail sections in restaurants and bars; a shift back to collectibles; function equal to form; small artist shops — like brick-and-mortar Etsy shops — people want to buy original, unique works.

PH: I expect the gift industry to embrace technology and move the entire wholesale buying process online, using wholesale websites and online marketplaces. The retailer and wholesaler will be able to cut costs, drive revenue, improve the customer experience and analyze performance through data analytics.

MR: I see shopping patterns shifting and Amazon continuing to grow. I see our

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retailers having to change things up a bit of the industry. Partnering with reps can to be resilient. Social media is a must. I give them an advantage in the cannot tell you how many times I will see retail world. something on Facebook or Instagram and PH: Make sure your location is awesome!

I pick up the phone or make plans to go in Give your customers reasons to come that store to buy. I know customers still shop in your store; have events, create want the experience of shopping, but time a special experience, have food. Carry or the lack thereof is rapidly becoming the categories that people prefer to buy in a store; clothing, accessories, furniture and name of the game.

KB: Post-Millennials / GenZ want to shop unique treasures. in independently owned stores, fueling the JP: Don’t buy from vendors who sell on shop local movement and the return of Amazon and take the time to educate Main Street USA. As the Post-Millennials them why you are turning them down. have a stronger place in the retail market, Beyond that, don’t underestimate the they will continue to need unique, person- power of telling stories through visual alized gifts and stationery as they seek merchandising. If you are not good at that, authenticity to balance out days filled with find a designer friend who is. digital activity and shopping at retail will MM: Be original. Make sure your store tells a unique story and make it an exbecome even more experiential.

JP: I expect gift retailers to be better perience that customers keep coming served with viable ecommerce solutions “I am soft-spoken, slightly built and blond. Peothat help them sell online. It’s too hard ple sometimes underestimate me and I learned to keep up a site right to use that to my advantage.” now. It will get easier — Jules Pieri with some of the techback for. It is one of the key reasons why nologies and platforms we are seeing.

SM: While gifting traditionally veers away customers will come to you instead of from utility and is more about emotion, I’d shopping online. say that because the younger generation is KB: Attend trade shows—they are looking for less clutter and more purpose the best place to see the widest that this may change. Young consumers assortment of products from compaare more discerning about the materials, nies ready to do business with retailers. the brands, and the retailers they’re sourc- There’s nothing like it for making pering from—they want unique items with a sonal connections with designer-makers story and an aesthetic that they connect and business owners in the gift and stationery industry, as well as connecting with with emotionally. other buyers. These connections will last a lifetime.

GDA: NN: For every one line you bring in beWhat advice do you have for new retailers cause you love it…bring in two that your entering the gift industry?

JB: Make sure that your store has a per- neighbors would love. sonality and that you, as the owner, are SM: Hone in on what your goals are and accessible to your customers. Stick to your don’t try to be something you’re not. Devision, but remember that part of your suc- velop your strengths, build good relationcess has to include selling stuff, and not ships and don’t bite off more than you can everyone likes what you like so make sure chew in the first year—it’s all about building your reputation! you have something for mostly everyone.

AB: Give customers the one thing they MR: What an amazing opportunity you cannot get by ordering online: an experi- have. Don’t live in fear of pleasing everyence. A retailer has to seize every opportu- one. Go and do; make a name for yourself, nity to create a space where the customer don’t worry about what the other retailers can look, touch and engage with the re- are doing. If you try something and it fails, tailer. In addition, retailers should always then move on but continue to try. • take advantage of their sales representatives intel, as they are the eyes and ears

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Congratulations

TO KELLY BRISTOL, SHOW DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL STATIONERY SHOW®, ON BEING NAMED A “GIFTED WOMAN”.

With your passion, deep knowledge, and love for this industry, there are no boundaries to what you can accomplish.

We’re so very proud of you!

Your friends and colleagues at The National Stationery Show and Emerald Expositions Circle #253

Gifted Retail Women Veteran shop owners share insights about life before retail, successes, challenges and their decision to expand.

BY B E C K Y T Y R E

Sara Villari Occasionette

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Deanna Wallin Naples Soap Company

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On any given afternoon, you might find a troop of Girl Scouts earning their business badges at one of the Urban Girl Accessories locations in the San Diego area. Owner Annie Glenn, who recently opened her ninth store, enjoys hosting the young scouts and telling them about how and why she wanted to start a business. This love for community played a role in each of these store owners’ decision to open second locations. “Astoria has been my home base for almost 15 years and I learned how to be a retailer here,” said Mackenzi Farquer, owner of four Lockwood stores in Astoria, NY.

Annie Glenn Urban Girl Accessories

If you want to make a retailer laugh out loud, ask them about the glamorous life of owning a store and “shopping” for a living. Deanna Wallin, CEO of Naples Soap Company, describes her chosen profession as amusing, but not glamorous. As with most professions, retail has its own set of challenges that must be overcome. Gift boutiques are pretty—but let’s not forget they are still businesses and require quite a bit of know-how. Wallin recently opened the ninth location of Naples Soap Company and will have two more stores under construction by the end of the summer. Her stores reflect an emphasis on the guest experience as most of the locations are in areas where tourism is a large part of the local economy. When describing such non-glamorous behind-the-scenes tasks like staffing issues and accounting, Wallin notes that customers never see any of this work, if you are doing it right.

Sara Villari, owner of several Occasionette locations, agrees. Customers at her stores might be surprised to know just how much business knowledge is involved in “selling pretty things.” With the recent opening of a new store in Collingswood, NJ, five miles from the original location in Philadelphia, PA, Villari spent much of her time dealing with shipments and logistics. Months before the opening, many hours went into researching locations and product lines to avoid line conflicts with neighboring retailers.

“Look, Spud. I’m a chain!”

Mackenzi Farquer Lockwood № 72

Although Dolly Parton’s character, Truvy Jones in Steel Magnolias, exclaimed excitement when her husband Spud surprised her with a second location for her hair salon, these gifted retailers

gifts and decorative accessories | june 2017

know all too well the reality of making such a complicated decision. It’s most certainly not just a thoughtful gesture.

In the real world, the decision to expand is not one taken lightly and far more problematical than simply finding a storefront and ordering more product. Wallin suggests such decisions be based on mathematics—not emotion—and emphasizes the need to run the numbers before considering an expansion. Farquer agrees and adds, “Moving to stores three and four was a little more challenging; they’re further away and took more time to scope out and oversee. I always want to make sure I'm doing it for the right reasons—ego is always the wrong reason—and we're in a place financially and staffing-wise to take on the challenge. For the Jackson Heights location, we followed our customers there. It's a neighborhood Astoria residents commonly move to, so it made sense to go somewhere where we'd be recognized by a few loyal Lockwood shoppers.”

In contrast, Farquer, who also owns the website We Heart Astoria, a micro-media company, dedicated to all things Astoria, said it actually “felt really organic” when she moved into her second store. “The shop next door became available and we knew we could expand our women’s clothing offerings by taking it.”

Line conflicts were a major focus for Villari in doing research for the product mix for the newest Occasionette location. Best-sellers in her Philadelphia shop may not work for the New Jersey store as they may already be sold nearby.

This complicates the ordering process for retailers with multiple storefronts. Villari addresses this issue with a receiving warehouse located adjacent to one of her stores.

Product ordered at market or with in-store sales representatives is shipped to the central warehouse and distributed to individual stores from there. “Nobody wants to see the same product three stores in a row,” said Glenn. “Line conflicts are tough. This is why sales reps are so important and take on the task of product mediator. Some companies don't care who sells their product and that is when I personally choose not to carry those lines. I take pride in the fact that my stores are unique, exciting and not something that you will find at the store next door.”

On the up side, stores that carry the same lines in multiple locations have the advantage of being able to

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Villari took her first business course in 2016 as part of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program that helps entrepreneurs leverage economic opportunities and create jobs by providing greater access to education and business support services.

Working in the field of architecture, Villari had no retail experience prior to opening Occasionette, but she had a unique knowledge of the industry from the wholesale side with the Girls Can Tell line of printed products that feature her illustrations. “In 2013, I was so enamored with the local boutiques that were supporting Girls Can Tell through wholesale orders that I opened my own brick and mortar in South Philadelphia,” Villari said.

With a background in finance and design, Farquer worked for a small boutique brokerage firm after college, transitioning

to interior design project management when she moved to New York City. The combination of previous jobs serves her well. "For me, buying and financial decisions takes up most of my time,” said Farquer. “When I first started, I was the only employee so I did it all, and I had no free time ever. Now, I have an amazing staff that can help me with lots of little things and leave me focused on the BIG stuff that I consider my job.”

Glenn majored in literature in college, but knew she wanted to own a business since she was 10 years old. With zero background in retail, she credits good instincts and a lack of fear to her business success, which now includes the Urban Girl Accessories stores, Urban Beach House, San Diego Surf Company, Seaport Shoe Company and her newest store, The Perfect Pineapple, which opened in the spring of 2017.

As a former nurse, Wallin had never written a business plan or taken a business class before opening the first Naples Soap Company, a tiny 300-square-foot store, in Naples, FL. In 2009, she developed and

began selling products that she and her daughter, who both suffered from eczema and psoriasis, could use. With guidance from GrowFL, S.C.O.R.E. and the Collier County Economic Development Council, over the years she continued to add gift selections to complement her line of soaps, hair and skincare products.

For Women. By Women.

Running a successful retail store requires knowledge in many areas and these store owners learned the aspects of marketing, money management and inventory control through on-the-job training. Noting that the majority of gift stores are owned or run by women, Villari feels that women possess an excellent capacity for balancing the aesthetic and business sides of retail and, in general, are well suited to tackle the multifaceted components of retail; visual merchandising, trends and customer service.

With this in mind, the Girl Scouts that visit Glenn’s stores in San Diego just might be inspired to be the next generation of independent gift retailers.•

STATIONERY

Congratulations to

Jules Pieri

Co-founder & CEO of

The Grommet

KIDS' CORNER

HOLIDAYS

GOURMET

on being named one of Gifts & Decorative Accessories’ 2017 Gifted Women

Discover What’s Next TM at wholesale.thegrommet.com Circle #306

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