Darrah & Co. Winter 2011 Magazine

Web 2.0New Web site eases the order process

PLUS: Three Cheers for USA-Made Products

Creating a Good First Impression

Atlanta International Gift Market: Jan. 12–19 — Special VIB Day on Jan. 11

Darrah Co.&winter 2011

COVER STORYTech Savvy 12Darrah & Co. rolls out a Web site that

makes ordering more convenient.

IN EVERY ISSUELet’s Chat! 4Vicki Darrah and Lindsay DeMyer

share their contagious enthusiasm

for 2011.

Trend Alert 6Born-in-the-USA products pack a

well-crafted punch of patriotism.

Retail Adviser 18Make the kind of first impression

that will net you repeat customers

with this guide to initial encounters.

Coming Attractions 20All your most-loved activities —

The Varsity dinner, artist signings,

VIB Day and more — are back

for a better-than-ever market.

Darrah & Co. Ltd.230 Spring StreetSuites 1818, 1819, 1812 & 1834Atlanta, GA 30303(404) 577-6538; (800) 741-6614 Fax: (404) 577-9278www.darrahreps.com

PRISM Media GroupPresident Ray LarsonEditorial Director Leanne LibbyManaging Editor Haley ShapleyGraphic Designer Nancy KekichPrint & Production Manager Pete AdautoCover photo by Lance Davies

Darrah & Co. is published twice a year by PRISM Media Group, 1830 Lakeway Dr., Lewisville, TX 75057. Visit PRISM Media Group on the Web at www.prismmediagroup.com. No part of this publication may be reprinted without permission. © 2010 Darrah & Co.

taBLe oF ContentS wINTER 2011

2 DaRRah & CO. Winter 2011

Goodbye, 2010 … hello, 2011!

We ended 2010 as our best year ever

in 21 years of business. We hope that

2010 was a good year for you, too. We

are so excited about 2011, we can’t even

stand it! We have an amazing lineup for

January with lots of great lines, some

old and some new, plus newly expanded

showroom space. But our showroom

isn’t the only thing expanding — our

family is, too, as Lindsay is set to have

a baby boy in late February!

We are also expanding our presence

on the Web. Our feature article is about

the growing role of the Web in the gift

industry and specifically on what we

are doing internally to keep pace. We

Let’S Chat

Bring on the New Year


have launched our

newly updated website,

www.darrahreps.com,

and encourage all of

you to get to know our

virtual side!

We think it’s impor-

tant to talk about our

vendors that are trying

to keep jobs stateside, so check out our

Trend Alert article on products made in

the USA. In our Retail Adviser section,

we cover making a good first impres-

sion. When customers walk in our front

door, we want them to be excited and

want to come in and shop. Our displays

can either make us or break us if they

are not intriguing enough. Hopefully

you will find some good tips to utilize in

your own store!

There is lots more in store for Janu-

ary, so be sure to read all about our

events, signings and new lines in the

Coming Attractions article.

Happy New Year! •

ring: 877.467.7248www.bunniesbythebay.com

find that products made in the U.S.

are more expensive, but you do pay

for what you get,” says Susan Wim-

berly, owner of The Dish. “We know

the product is more expensive when

you make it here, but we feel like the

quality’s better and we’re supporting

where we live.”

By basing the production here, The

Dish is able to have more control over

the process, offering customers items

with an individualized, made-to-order

feel as opposed to something off the

shelf from afar.

Indeed, inventory from the USA has

its own special appeal. “Products that

are made here really

are a brand,” says

Laurel Tielis, retail

marketing consul-

tant and author of

Ka-Ching! How to

Ring Up More Sales.

“It’s really like a

top brand — it has

a lot of cachet to it,

it’s well made, it’s

desirable.” Because

customers attach a

high value to these

items, they often

don’t mind grabbing

a few extra dollars

out of their wallets

for them.

“People will pay

for products that

trenD aLert

Born in the USAA product manufactured on home soil can be a major selling point.

The Birmingham Collection Map Plate — like all pieces from The Dish — was

designed and decorated in the United States.

are well made — no one wants to go

out and shop for something and have it

be something they didn’t want,” Tielis

says. “When you buy a product, you

want to enjoy it from the moment you

buy it and you want to feel good about

it, and that’s why you’re willing to pay

more for it.”

A Local Focal PointSmall town Starkville, Mississippi,

is home to the hand-pouring process

that each of the candles from Aspen

Bay Candles goes through. “When you

look at the state of the economy right

now and the loss of jobs, people are re-

ally becoming more and more passion-

ate about buying locally in the U.S.,”

says Hilary Shank, marketing director

at Aspen Bay Candles. “We buy locally

as much as we can because we know

that it makes an impact.”

Beyond headquartering their manu-

facturing process here in the country,

Aspen Bay Candles focuses on the en-

vironmentally friendly aspect of being

local by printing their catalogs on pa-

per certified by the Forest Stewardship

Council, employing soy ink for all their

printing, and making use of recycled

glass and metals for their product

packaging. Because items made in the

country don’t have to be shipped the

long distances that items from other

continents have to, there’s a reduction

in the fossil fuels that all that trans-

porting takes. “[Green] is something

It’s not just at the

Fourth of July that Americans feel a

tie to their country — take advantage

of that patriotic spirit year-round

by offering items made in the USA.

Among other qualities, these prod-

ucts are synonymous with fine crafts-

manship, boosting the local economy,

employing friends and neighbors, and

being eco-friendly.

A Brand of its OwnWith tabletop collection line The Dish,

all of their city and collegiate plates

and other pieces are designed and

decorated in America. “Sometimes you


Our New Favorites from Sleeping Bear PressTM

Our Absolute FavoriteDarrah & Company has completely fallen in love with this adorable picture book about getting along with others.

Memoirs of a Goldfi sh 978-1-58536-507-4 | Ages 4-8 | $15.95

Seasonal HitsI Spy With My Little Eye: Baseball978-1-58536-496-1 | All Ages | $13.95

Willow and the Snow Day Dance978-1-58536-522-7 | Ages 6-10 | $16.95

New Alphabet TitlesB is for Blue Planet: An Earth Science Alphabet978-1-58536-454-1 | Ages 6-10 | $16.95

S is for Scientists: A Discovery Alphabet978-1-58536-470-1 | Ages 6-10 | $16.95

F is for Friendship: A Quilt Alphabet978-1-58536-532-6 | Ages 6-10 | $16.95

Regional FunLittle South Carolina978-1-58536-486-2 | Birth to 3 | $9.95

Little Florida978-1-58536-487-9 | Birth to 3 | $ 9.95


people look for, and it’s important to

us,” Shank says.

Spreading the WordUntil now, The Dish hasn’t widely

advertised the fact that its products

are made domestically. But starting

in 2011, they plan to make a push to

get the word out. “With everything

that’s going on in the world and the

United States, we’re hearing that

people want to support our country,”

Wimberly says.

To let your existing and potential

customers know that you stock U.S.-

made items, Tielis recommends using

ads, newsletters, in-store events and

social media to promote it — for many

people, it is a major selling point.

“It’s interesting to me the ques-

tions customers are asking at market

now,” Shank says. “They’re asking, ‘Are

you made in the USA? Is your product

green? Are you using recycled materi-

als?’” To that end, Aspen Bay offers

stores downloadable signs that can

be put on displays to answer those

questions for shoppers who might be

wondering the same things.

Not everyone carries homegrown

products, so don’t be shy about tout-

ing your red, white and blue stripes.

“Things made in the USA create a sense

of community,” Tielis says. “Anytime

there’s less of something, it becomes

more desirable.” •

aspen Bay

Candles’

products are

hand-poured

in Starkville,

Miss., and come

in recycled

packaging.


the newly redesigned Darrahreps.com

houses easy-to-browse catalogs from

all your favorite vendors.

Twenty years ago, less than 1

percent of the world’s popula-

tion had a cell phone, cameras

used film, and the Internet was still

off on the horizon for the general pub-

lic. There’s no doubt that technology

is changing — and fast.

To keep pace with those changes,

Darrah & Co. has redesigned their Web

site to make it easier for retailers to

get the information and products they

need. “We’ve always tried to be pro-

gressive when it comes to technology,

and this is just another aspect of it,”

says Lindsay DeMyer, vice president of

Darrah & Co.

The revamped Web site at www.

darrahreps.com includes a rep locator

by region, history of the company, in-

Winter 2011 DaRRah & CO. 13

CoVer StorY

formation on upcoming shows, a list of

the lines the company carries, and on-

line catalogs for all those lines that can

be flipped through on screen, similar

to flipping through a catalog in person.

“We wanted to emulate the experience

of a sales rep walking into a store and

sitting down and going through a cata-

log together,” DeMyer says.

Pick a time, Any timeRunning a store involves a number of

factors: things like product savvy, man-

agement skills and, perhaps toughest

of all, time. If you can’t catch up with

your rep due to a crunched schedule (or

if you don’t have a rep), the great thing

about the Web site is that it’s available

24 hours a day — so if you only have

time to do the reordering for your store

at 10 p.m., that’s not a problem.

Along with all the new Web site fea-

tures, Darrah & Co. has partnered with

Brandwise, a Web development compa-

ny that specializes in the retail indus-

try, to provide online ordering servic-

es. With Brandwise’s BWconnect, you

can make purchases from as many of

the 70-plus suppliers on the site that

you’d like to in one transaction, as well

as access your order history quickly.

“We’re giving retailers the opportunity

to buy at their convenience,” says Todd

Litzman, president of Brandwise.

Extra convenience also equates to

extra time. DeMyer says Darrah & Co.

gets called often from retailers look-

ing for catalogs. And they don’t mind

Tech SavvyDarrah & Co. rolls out a new Web site that makes

ordering easier than ever.

sending those along — but if it’s a

time-sensitive request, traditional

mail isn’t always the best way to de-

liver something. “We’re happy to send

a catalog, but it will take two days to

get there. You can now go to the Web

site and have it in two seconds,” she

says. Not only does the catalog reach

you quicker, but the window on prod-

ucts reaching your door also shrinks

with the computerized ordering.

information at Your FingertipsIn addition to providing the ability to

access catalogs, the redesigned site

highlights information that helps you

in other ways. Search for a rep by loca-

tion, read their bios, and access all the

contact info you need to be in touch.

It’s never been easier to find and get to

know the background of a rep. You can

also check out profiles of the manage-

ment team and learn just how Darrah

& Co. started. Browse through all the

categories and lines from Darrah to get

an idea of what’s available, then click

on the specials and shows headings to

find out when and where to get those

products. Last but not least, don’t miss

the current and past issues of this very

magazine you’re reading now — they’re

archived on the site for your perusal.


CoVer StorY

the rep ConnectionVideo killed the radio star — but will

the Internet kill rep relationships?

According to Litzman, your connec-

tion with your rep is only enhanced by

the use of technology. “Some retailers

that really cherish the relationship

with their sales reps are afraid to use

the Web because they’re afraid to cut

the rep out of the loop,” Litzman says.

An at-a-glance look at the benefits of BWconnect, the new

online ordering system Darrah & Co. is offering through

its Web site:

1. Build and review new orders online with your reps

2. Easily place reorders for best-sellers

3. Quickly search for new products/suppliers

4. Get instant updates on hot promotions

5. Access your order history online

6. Buy thousands of products from multiple suppliers

in a single, online location

7. Easily browse and purchase from product images

or catalogs

8. Communicate with your reps virtually

9. Work anytime, maximizing convenience

10. Reduce your reliance on printing, paper and

catalog usage

BWconnect Top 10

The management team at Darrah & Co. is working hard to make their web site an indispensable resource

for retailers.


CoVer StorY

“BWconnect is the only site that en-

sures that your reps get visibility to

the orders that you place as well as get-

ting full commission.”

One nice feature of BWconnect is

that reps can suggest an order for you

by inputting it into the system. You

can, at your leisure, review the sug-

gestion and choose to accept, deny or

change it. You’re still getting value

from the experience and knowledge of

a rep, but you’re able to tap into that

expertise at a time that makes the most

sense for you.

“I still believe real strongly in

face-to-face and hand-to-hand con-

tact — relationships are a corner-

stone of this business,” DeMyer says.

“That’s what’s exciting about BW-

connect; it still keeps the ability for

the rep to be involved, and it gives

the rep a new avenue to communi-

cate with the customer.”

Looking toward the FutureLike any new project, the Web site is

adapting to its growth spurt and is

still undergoing tweaks here and there.

“We’re just in the infant stages of [the

Internet] being an integral part of how

you do business in the gift industry,”

DeMyer says. “We have to be on board

before it really hits because we need to

be in it and well established in it be-

fore it takes off.”

Younger buyers coming up through

the ranks expect more and more re-

sources to be online, but buyers and

store owners at all stages in their ca-

reers can benefit from the increas-

ing omnipresence of the Web. Doing

something a new way can take some

getting used to, but by embracing the

developing technological tools that can

streamline your work process, you can

ultimately improve your bottom line.

While the Web site will only get bet-

ter in the future, even in its infancy,

it’s a great resource for retailers who

need to get things done quickly and ac-

curately, and who appreciate having

the information they need all in one

place. “This is something that we’re

committed to growing and becoming

a more refined resource,” DeMyer says.

“It’s a work in progress; suggestions

are always welcome.”

To learn more about the site and

send feedback to Darrah & Co., visit

www.darrahreps.com. •

Dinnerware

Glassware

Ornaments

Tea Towels

Thermal Mugs

Totes

T-ShirtsT-Shirts

Wine Bags

Custom Designs

Darrah & Co.Building 2, 18th Floor

Darrah & Co.Building 2, 18th Floor

t h e d i s h l t d . c o m 4 0 4 . 8 7 6 . 1 3 5 9

New Collections! New Items!

Designed and

DecoratedIn the USA

Everything Else!

City State

Collegiate


retaiL aDViSer

Make the First Impression CountWow potential customers with a strong initial impact

In the competitive world of retail today, first impressions mat-

ter more than ever. Given that your

first impression could be your last, the

pressure to hook potential shoppers

upon their initial contact with your

store is an immense one.

“You only have one chance to make

a good first impression,” says Chris-

tine Moynihan, a retail consultant

with Retail Visioning in Massachu-

setts. “That is going to make the

customer decide if they’re coming in

and engaging with you or if they’re

going to try another store they’ve

heard about.”

the Window DisplayIf you have a traditional storefront

with large windows, a prospective

shopper’s first contact with you is

likely to be your window display.

“What I always recommend is to tell

a story in the window instead of mak-

ing a pretty window of items,” Moyni-

han says. She suggests having one or

two large-scale props to draw people’s

eye to your window. For instance, your

story theme might be a garden. In

that case, you could have a couple of

oversized flower pots with the products

you’re promoting in the window, and

in the entrance, a full garden with the

gift items being planted.

Basics like keeping the windows

clean, neat and tidy are a given — “if

windows aren’t dusted and tidied up,

[retailers] will immediately lose the

opportunity to even engage someone

in an attractive display,” Moynihan

says — but what may be less obvi-

ous is monitoring what goes on that

window, even if it’s for a good cause.

Many retailers allow charitable orga-

nizations to hang up flyers for events

— and community involvement is a

great thing — but you want to own

the message in your window. “You’re

paying an awful lot of money to have a

storefront and an opportunity to com-

municate with customers before they

even get in the door,” Moynihan says.

Control the message you’re sending

and de-clutter your window by mov-

ing those flyers near the cash wrap,

where people will have more time to

stop and read them.

the entranceWhether you have big windows or

not, the entrance — what a customer

first sees upon walking through your

door — needs to make a strong, posi-

tive impression. “You can always use

your doorway as a window into your

environment by having a fabulous

threshold table with hot items of the

season, whether it’s a build-up from

the floor, several boxes put together,

shelving units or a beautiful table,”

Moynihan says.

A shopper may come to your store

with an idea of what to look for, but

buying decisions are easily influenced

with a high-impact entrance. “You can

quickly forget you wanted to keep the

price point at $50 if the most beautiful

item there is $75 and it’s well-present-

ed,” Moynihan says.

the Staff GreetingWhen a customer walks through your

door, she should feel acknowledged,

so make sure a staff member says a

friendly hello. That way, the shopper

knows that the store is aware of her

presence, and she can feel confident


that if she needs assistance, she’ll be

able to get it.

“If people are busy on the phone,

the customer walking in doesn’t think

there’s a chance they’re going to be

attended to,” Moynihan says. “Hire

for attitude, train for skill. You always

want someone who’s pleasant and

interested in customer service. You can

train a staff person, but you can’t train

them to have a pleasant attitude.”

the Web SiteMore and more shoppers are hit-

ting Google first before they hit Main

Street or the mall, so having a Web

presence — and a well-thought-out

one — is important in driving people

to visit you in person. Take the brand

identity of your brick-and-mortar

store and keep that consistent on your

site, recommends

Moynihan. She also

urges retailers to

place a photo of

their store on the

top of their Web

page. Then, when

people are look-

ing for you, they’ll

know what they’re

looking for.

You should also

have your address

clearly marked on your Web site

— then make sure to clearly mark

it on your door so that those using

GPS systems to reach you will know

when they’ve arrived. The easier you

make it to find you, the more people

will — and the better impression

you’ll make.

As Moynihan says, “There are so

many choices and so many possibili-

ties today that if [your store’s] not ap-

pealing, customers can go home and

find something online, or they can ask

a friend where else they can shop.” But

with a good first impression, you’ll

have the chance to make a second. •


Coming attraCtionS

January market is a big

one, and we’re pulling out all the stops.

Here’s what’s in store:

One-day advantage. Get a jump-

start on market by coming out to Very

Important Buyer Day, aka VIB Day, on

Tuesday, Jan. 11. We’re teaming up

with neighboring showroom Appelman-

Schauben for a customer appreciation

extravaganza that’ll feature special dis-

counts; a free lunch; giveaways from The

Dish, Upper Canada and Carrie & Co.;

and a Free Spirit Party from Natural Life

with treasure bags and sweet treats.

A sign of the times. For a face to the

name of a product — or rather, a signa-

What’s On TapGet burgers, beverages and the best buys at Darrah & Co.

ture to a name — stop by the showroom

during our artist signings. Glory Haus

will be on hand at 4:30 p.m. on Friday

and Saturday, DecoGLOW artists will

sign votive candles Friday at 3 and Sat-

urday at 4, Magnolia Lane will sign with

Cabells Designs on Friday at 2, and Alice

Allred will sign ornaments for Wine

Things Unlimited on Saturday at 5.

new additions. There’s nothing like

freshening up the product mix in your

store, and we love to do the same with

our space. We’re excited to announce

the following new-to-us lines: About

Face Designs (gifts), Allure Jewelry, Ar-

teFlorum (home accents), OKA b. (shoes)

and Upper Canada (bath and beauty).

They have a number of can’t-miss

items, so be sure to check them out.

Sustenance for shopping. Last but

not least, we know how much you look

forward to our Saturday night dinner

from The Varsity, and we’ll continue that

tradition on Jan. 15. Stop by for the ham-

burgers, hot dogs, chips and fried pies

that this circa 1928 carhop has become

famous the world over for. We’ll also

keep you fueled throughout market with

fresh-popped popcorn and cookies every

afternoon for your snacking pleasure.

We’re looking forward to seeing

you soon! •

Darrah & Company, Ltd.Atlanta Gift Mart, Suite 1818230 Spring StreetAtlanta, GA 30303

Take advantage of our

$25 shipping on allorders over $1000!!!

SHOW SPECIAL:

866.953.1762www.GloryHaus.com

What’s a “Burlee”?Come find out!

Meet our artists Friday and Saturday at 4:30pm!

Darrah & Co, 18th Floor, Building 2

Documents

Darrah & Co. Winter 2011 Magazine