Scott and I stopped at the L.A. Mart for their Fall mini-show this afternoon, before coming into the store. The larger shows are in January and in July, but the Fall show affords another chance for buyers to complete their holiday shopping and get a jump on Spring. It also offers one a glimpse into the hot trends on the horizon.
The opening day is usually crowded, and normally it’s hard to find parking. Perhaps because of the heat…..it was close to 100 degrees in Los Angeles after all….or perhaps because of the economic situation, this show wasn’t very well attended. One of my favorite showroom reps said that she had eight appointments booked, but only one showed up. We’ll see what it’s like the next two days, but if this is any indicator, I think everyone’s sitting tight and not spending much.
As for new trends, the most prevalent color schemes for this holiday season seem to be relying on past years’ combinations. Pinky reds and lime greens intermixed with traditional metallic colors are back with a vengeance, with a heavy emphasis on the golds. This is actually great news, because you can use older gold and silver decorations and just add in a few pieces of the newer pinky red & green colors. Natural elements are immensely popular, and birds, butterflies, insects of all sorts and dragonflies are important motifs this year. Good news for Altadena and the surrounding areas, since we’re so close to nature anyway! Owls are still popular, possibly owing to the Harry Potter craze (the Harry Potter theme park just opened in Orlando, FL) and the new Legends of the Guardians movie. Otherwise, the traditional elves, Santas and snowmen are the pillars of this year’s holiday decor.
On a different subject, Scott and I hope you’ll be able to visit us on Friday evening for our Social Media Meet & Greet: The Networking Event. Our event is up on Facebook, we’ve sent out our invitations to our mailing list via Constant Contact and have fliers on the counter. We’ve lined up several wonderful speakers who will clue you into what you need to know about social media and how it can help you. We’re getting the restaurants together for our tasting menu and our theme is Fall Tailgating Parties. There’ll be great food, great conversation and great networking opportunities, so again, we hope we’ll see you this Friday night!
Have a great week, my friends!
Lori & Scott
2 comments:
Time I visited your blog again, LEW!
Maybe besides the heat it was on account of the economy!?
Thanks for dropping by, CO! It's always a pleasure when you visit.
It's most definitely a combination of both the heat and the economy, but we'll see how busy the Mart is today and tomorrow. It's very sad to see how many gift vendors have either gone out of business or moved to other locations. The Mart has had to rent two floors to government facilities and condense the remaining showrooms on other floors. A sign o' the times, I guess.
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