News

Shop Owner’s Love of Dolls Becomes Her Livelihood

Bowie, TX - Imagine going to work and being surrounded by beauty and joy.Frances Wiggins says she has that each day she enters her doll shop and is greeted by the faces that smile at... more »

Everyday is a Craft Show on 95th Street

Oak Lawn, IL - Most local churches and schools hold craft fairs once a year.Kathy Kampenga holds one every day.Owner of the Craft Show Store, 5370 W. 95th St. since January, Kampenga presides over a... more »

Nonprofit Gift Shops Add Local Color to the Christmas Shopping Season

Wichita Falls, TX - Jingling all the way doesn't always have to mean jingling all the way to the nearest megastore. Nonprofit arts and cultural groups at this time of year like to tout the... more »

Lorain Pop-up Shops Continue Business Downtown During Holiday Season

Lorain, OH - Vintage furniture, custom-made clothes, flowers, pictures, music and video have moved into downtown Lorain in the pop-up shops that opened for the Christmas shopping season.Lorain officials have said they want to match... more »

St. Regis Gift Shop Has Been Offering Treats to Highway Travelers for 50 Years

St. Regis, MT - The only place in the world where you can probably find a huckleberry milkshake, "Fartless 16 Bean Soup," and a live trout aquarium all under the same roof is the St.... more »

New Life for NL Fair-Trade Store

New London, CT - A new missionary of the fair-trade movement in the region has reopened the Flavours of Life gift shop on Bank Street, ready to take over a store and a vision pioneered... more »

Spending Helps Small Business Across Nation, Locally

Spending by holiday shoppers trumped Superstorm Sandy's impact on small businesses in November. A recent report from MasterCard Advisors and Wells Fargo shows that shoppers spent 5.2 percent more at small retailers in November than... more »

Friends’ Strengths Work Well Together in Business World

Middletown, OH - Kathryn Schaub and Amy Tolson discovered early on they were a perfect compliment to each other when it comes to running a business. Schaub said she had previously run a mortgage business... more »

At Ann Arbor’s Falling Water, Themes of Peace and Gratitude Resonate This Holiday Season

Ann Arbor, MI - When Jim Johnston recalls his 24 years of operating Falling Water on Ann Arbor's South Main Street, one word comes to mind: gratitude."I've always thought about (Falling Water) as a gift... more »

Cash Mob Hits Readers’ Books

Sonoma, CA - There are packed ballparks, crowded theaters and now, thanks to two Sonoma friends, at least one mobbed bookstore. Some 50 people collectively descended upon Readers' Books Saturday afternoon as part of Sonoma... more »