News

Welcome Home gift shop closing

Welcome Home Friends Gift Shop recently announced it will close its doors. Owner Lynn Mallicoat opened the store four years ago in April and sent out a letter to some 100 of her most faithful... more »

GIFT SHOP Magazine Announces Winner of February Retail Forum Giveaway

Hanover, Mass. - GIFT SHOP magazine is happy to announce that Carol Matheys of The Cedar Home Collection in Two Rivers, WI, is the winner of GIFT SHOP Forum's February raffle. She wins a video... more »

New York Gift Cash and Carry Show Offers Expedient Merchandising Opportunity

White Plains, NY - The Best New Product Awards competition at the National Stationery Show (NSS) will expand in 2008, as an eco-friendly Think Green counterpart is added to each of the six defined categories.... more »

There’s plenty of Cleveland-area places to buy all things Irish

As Marcel Proust with his madeleine knew, a taste of the past -- literally -- is a powerful thing. For more than 50 years, tastes and treats from long ago and across the ocean have... more »

Whether At Gap, Kohl’s Or Nordstrom, Women Cut Back First

The Commerce Department says consumer spending, once tweaked to take out the effect of inflation, was flat in January--just as it was in December.And, while this probably won't come as news to the many apparel... more »

St. Patrick’s Day Spending Dips as Holiday Falls During Holy Week

Washington - The luck of the Irish has not been extended to St. Patrick's Day this year as a calendar shift is likely to hamper spending. According to the National Retail Federation's 2008 St. Patrick's... more »

Retailers tighten rules on returns

No, you're not imagining it: In the past two holiday seasons, retailers have imposed stricter return policies. Among those surveyed by the National Retail Federation, about 40 percent said they had tightened the rules covering... more »

Home Decor Store Opens on Eagle Street

North Adams - There's one word patrons to the new A & M Home Decor have been using since the store had its soft opening a week ago."I keep hearing the word 'unique,' which is... more »

Retailer has to shift gears

Greendale - After more than a decade of playing in the big leagues of mall retail, Craig Runkel is trying to stay in business by becoming a little guy.Runkel owns Runkel Bros. American Garage, a... more »

E-commerce sales rise 19% last year in U.S.

Online retail sales continued to far outpace overall retail sales in the U.S. last year, the U.S. Department of Commerce reports. Retail e-commerce sales grew 19% to $136.4 billion, up from $114.62 billion in 2006,... more »