Making Our Skeleton Dance: Where We Came From. . .

Ruth and Ade Johnston, Gallegos, New Mexico (circa 1920's)

George Bernard Shaw said, “If you can’t get rid of the family skeleton, at least make it dance.”  That’s one of our favorite quotes.  In fact, Sabrina once designed a charm with that written on the back.  We love it because it tells part of the story of who we are and where we came from.

Logan, New Mexico (circa 1907)

Homesteaders.  Hardscrabble.  Hungry.  Tough.  Tenacious.  Those are all words that describe Glena and Sabrina’s great-great-grandparents.  The Osborns and Johnstons traveled to New Mexico from Missouri in 1906 in a wagon train with several other families, headed west with a promise of prosperity in their steamer trunks and saddlebags.  They landed in Logan, a tiny village in northeastern New Mexico, and settled on a section of land north of town, where water was scarce and the weather was frequently threatening and almost always unpredictable.

Logan, NM - crowd photo from 1911

But they persevered.  They were trailblazers and they were adventurous.  There’s a story about Tralve Johnston, Glena and Sabrina’s great-grandfather – when no one else could get a wild black stallion across the Canadian River, Tralve climbed on and then he held on.  It was a rodeo in the river, the old folks say, the craziest ride of the trip.  Tralve became a legend, renowned for his own wild and fearless behavior.

Ruth (right) and her cousin Opal in the 1920's

After staking their claim near Gallegos, New Mexico, Ade and Tralve Johnston tried their hand at dry-land farming.  For those of you who don’t know it, dry-land farming is a truly fearless endeavor – you plant as soon as the rains end in the spring (if the rain shows up at all) and then pray for moisture (but not too much) all summer long.  Sometimes, if you get extremely lucky, you actually make a crop.  It’s dry and dusty work, and seldom rewarding.  But it gets you land.  It gets you roots.

Logan Train Depot

They raised chickens as well, and sold the eggs in town.  Tralve took a job in the 20’s driving a truck, and when he started misbehaving and staying away from home too long, Ade divorced him.  It was scandalous, unheard of in those days, especially in rural New Mexico.

But she was stronger than the scandal; Ade just held her head high and worked harder at raising her daughter Ruth to be as tough as her mama.  Eventually Ade and little Ruth moved into Nara Visa and opened a restaurant, cooking for the locals to
make ends meet.

Nara Visa, NM, circa 1906

When times got tough there, she sold out and moved 24 miles southwest to Logan, where she opened a more prosperous café.  She didn’t quit.  She didn’t go home to Missouri.  She just kept working and building a business.  It was the 30’s – when most folks sold out and moved to California, she stayed.

Ruth and her cousin Opal (top row) in Tucumcari New Mexico

And that’s part 1 of how we make the skeleton dance here at Pick Up Sticks.  Instead of focusing on the negative parts of our history, we celebrate it.  We’re adventurous (who in the world would have ever believed we could create a jewelry business from thin air?), we’re tough and tenacious (those early years were almost unbearable – have we told you some of our scary early market stories?), and we believe in strong women because that’s where we come from.

By celebrating where we came from, we also celebrate you.   We celebrate your own family stories, the adventurous genes coursing through your veins, the hardscrabble tanacity you share with your forebears.  It’s our goal every day to help you feel happy about who you are and where you come from.

By definition, the word “vintage” means several things:  “No longer modern.”  “a wine, especially a good one,” and “recognized as being of high quality and lasting appeal.”  We created our jewelry line with a vintage feel for a lot of reasons – most of it having to do with our history with our great-grandmother, Ade Johnston (we called her “Mother,” and you can read more about how she influenced Pick Up Sticks here).

But we also felt that by taking images that were no longer modern and combining them with the best of quotes and inspiration, we might just create something that had lasting appeal to you.  History, especially your own, is always important, and it’s
generally beautiful.  Even if there are skeletons.  Just be sure you make them dance. . .

There are more stories and more skeletons.  We can’t wait to share them with you.

Pick Up Sticks Retailer of the Month – Terry’s Floral of Logan, New Mexico

Betty Terry of Terry’s Floral and Gifts, located at 1001 Yucca in Logan, New Mexico, might seem to have a distinct advantage over most Pick Up Sticks retailers.  After all, her shop is located in the hometown of Glena and Sabrina, the team behind Pick Up Sticks.  In fact, it’s in the converted garage of Sabrina’s childhood home and just down the street from where Glena grew up.  Just by virtue of her store’s location, you might think there’s some Pick Up Sticks creative brainpower floating around in the air.

 

And of course, she knows Glena and Sabrina personally.  They grew up with her daughter, played in her yard, ran their car up and down her driveway, even ran through her front door for years, either in search of Bunny or something to wear out of her closet.  Betty knows the why and wherefore of Pick Up Sticks because she knows the why and wherefore of Glena and Sabrina.  Sounds advantageous, doesn’t it? 

But then there’s the size of Logan – not such a distinct advantage.  With a population of approximately 1,100 (yes, you read that right.  Glena and Sabrina grew up in a village without stoplights, crime or a movie theater. . .), Logan lacks what most retailers need most:  buyers in large numbers.  Despite this lack, Betty became an exclusive retailer just a few months after she began selling Pick Up Sticks. 

 

So we decided to make her our September Retailer of the Month.  We figured if Betty and Terry’s Floral can become an exclusive retailer and order $1,500 of product in a year’s time (although truth be told, she’s way past that number), anyone can do it.  We asked her for tips to pass along to you, and here’s what she told us:

“It’s all about getting charms out there where everyone can see and touch them.  My business is primarily floral, and for a small town, people in Logan really love to buy flowers for one another.  When I put a loaded  Judy bust form on the floor right in the path of every shopper, Pick Up Sticks started flying out the door.  My Judy’s an eye-catcher, and once she stops them in their tracks to take a look, customers are hooked.”

Terry’s Floral also has an active Facebook page (http://on.fb.me/oNGBQ8) on which Betty posts lots of Pick Up Sticks images, news and links to any new blog posts.  She makes sure her fans know when she gets a new shipment, posting several times each week so that collectors don’t miss the chance to buy something new.  She says if you’re not using Facebook to promote your product and your Pick Up Sticks, you’re missing a great marketing tool.

Finally, she offers initial charms on a ribbon to go with floral arrangements.  It’s a relatively inexpensive add-on that makes a bouquet immediately more personal. 

And of course, when she heads out to the Post Office every morning to pick up the mail and visit with her neighbors, Betty’s wearing her Pick Up Sticks.  “Sometimes I think I sell as much on the street as I do in the store,” she says. 

“I love selling Pick Up Sticks.  My shop is a hodge-podge of new and old things – a fun place to shop.  Pick Up Sticks is very popular here – possible because the owners/designers are local gals, but most of all because the charms are unique.  Every customer can find one that fits her personality or that of a friend.  They are great gifts for any occasion – some are quirky, some are serious, and I find that most shoppers want several to mix and match.  And the new clips are great – they make charms easy to exchange quickly.”

Great tips, and great job, Betty.  Congratulations to Terry’s Floral and Gifts of Logan, New Mexico (575-487-2420), for being our September Retailer of the Month.  Terry’s is proof positive that anyone anywhere can be a successful Pick Up Sticks Retailer!

Pick Up Sticks – More Display Ideas

Today we’re finishing up the New York International Gift Fair, and one of the comments we keep hearing in the booth is that our retailers love our display ideas.  So, here are a few more.  We just have to give full disclosure – these aren’t our ideas.  They’re from our fabulous Pick Up Sticks retailers!

These are just a few of the entries we received in our display contest.  We thought we’d pass them along – maybe one or two will work in your store.

We’re always amazed at the multitude of incredibly creative (and effective) ways retailers find to display Pick Up Sticks.  If you have additional display ideas, feel free to send them to us by e-mail and we’ll try to include them in a future blog post.

Now you can see why we had such a difficult time choosing a winner. . .

Pick Up Sticks Display Ideas – D’Accord Boutique

D’Accord Boutique in Shepherdstown, WV (134 West German Street), was just one of the many Pick Up Sticks retailers who entered our display contest, but we found their bird house display one of the most unusual we’ve ever seen.  We’re thrift store and flea market junkies at Pick Up Sticks, and we love the idea of using found items to create displays. 

We were so intrigued with Debbie’s display for D’Accord that we asked her to give us some details.  Here’s what she said:

“It was springtime, and we were enjoying an outdoor antique flea market.  In one of the booths, a vintage wooden birdcage caught our eye.  We began thinking of the Pick Up Sticks Display Contest, and thought it would be fun to display our charms in a birdcage. 

What a great way to display our bird-themed charms and trinkets.

After debating how to display the charms inside, we decided to hang them on  the outside with small clothespins.  We continued walking around the flea market, and began noticing a lot of small teal bottles at several booths.  We bought several, deciding to place them inside the birdcage to display our necklaces.  To complete the springtime display, we placed a decorative bird inside.”

“Our customers often tell us of how much they enjoy our display.  It is one of the first things you see upon entering our store, and sits atop a jewelry case.  Several customers have told us that they love birds and birdcages, and that our display is what drew them into the store. Having our Pick Up Sticks display in a birdcage allows our customers to stop a while and peek inside before looking at our example necklaces in the jewelry case beneath.

Or the bird necklace. . .

“We have found that the easiest way to sell Pick Up Sticks jewelry is to display them in a fun, cute manner and have many example necklaces present.  We have pieced together our necklaces to have certain themes, such as birds, bees, luck, royalty, flowers, and Paris. Since we are a French Boutique, our Paris themed necklace is the most popular, with some customers buying the chain and charms as a set rather than buying one of the charms on its own.”

Thanks Debbie, and thanks to D’Accord Boutique for so cleverly showing off
your Pick Up Sticks.  Find D’Accord’s website at http://daccordboutique.com/
or join them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DaccordBoutique.

For those of you who are still searching for the perfect Pick Up Sticks display idea, feel free to use Debbie’s.  Or stay tuned – we’ll be sharing more ideas from our display contest entrants in the weeks to come. 

Our best advice:  Do what Debbie did – keep your eyes peeled for great vintage finds at junk stores or flea markets (or in your grandmother’s barn. . .).  There’s no better way to display our vintage-themed charms.

Pick Up Sticks Design Contest Winner – The Mole Hole of Somerset, KY

We thought holding a contest to find the best displays from Pick Up Sticks retailers would be great fun – give us some new ideas, show us how all of you out there do it. . .We just had no inkling how tough it would be to pick a winner.  But we have, and we’re pleased to announce The Mole Hole of Somerset has taken the cake, set the standard, seized the prize!  And won themselves $200 of wholesale jewelry by doing so.

Are these displays great or what?  We especially love the dog, which The Mole Hole calls Pick the Dog.  Their story is that they found him waiting outside the front door one morning and decided to let him in for a while.  He was so grateful that he chose to make himself useful, and has been displaying their Pick Up Sticks jewelry since day one.  He makes us laugh out loud. . .

And these framed, themed displays?  Rosa from The Mole Hole says, ”One of our employees keeps a large supply of scrap-booking materials – vintage papers, stickers, quotes, decals, etc.  We thought the concept behind Pick Up Sticks would be enhanced by displaying similar subjects in a shadow box or frame. . .”

We agree.  Using vintage materials to display Pick Up Sticks, and doing it in such an appealing way (hmmmm – a frame within a frame?) is a great way to sell jewelry.  You make us proud, Mole Hole, and you’ve given us some great ideas so share with other retailers.

By the way, you can find The Mole Hole at 370 S. Hwy 27 in Somerset, Kentucky, or follow them on facebook.

Thanks to all of you who entered the contest – we posted the runners-up on Facebook, and may have space here to show you some of their amazing displays in the future.  It really was a daunting task to choose the winner – we’re blown away by how creative ou retailers have been with their Pick Up Sticks displays.  Can’t wait to see how you wow us next time!

Pick Up Sticks Retailer of the Month – General Store of Minnetonka

Part of the fun of choosing a Retailer of the Month is that we get to do a little “Harriett the Spy” investigating to find out more about our retailers.  Meeting them at market never gives us the full spectrum of what their store is all about, and although we’d love to, there aren’t enough days in the year to travel to each retailer’s site. 

Checking out the General Store of Minnetonka (14401 Hwy 7, Minnetonka, MN 952-935-7131) was especially fun.  They have a great website loaded with info and pictures that made us want to pack up and head for the Twin Cities.  Take a look for yourself, and if you’re in the area, it looks like the General Store Cafe would be a good choice for lunch. . .those soup photos made our mouths water.

Here’s what we like best, though – the General Store loves Pick Up Sticks.  Jenny Putnam says, “Pick Sticks IS creativity.  The designs are great and the price is competitive, and you’ve given us another really affordable way to let customers design their own jewelry.” 

Jenny says her best sellers in the Pick Up Sticks line are the friendship charms, and that any new charms featuring girlfriends would be welcome (wait until you see our new designs, Jenny!).  Her advice for displaying Pick Up Sticks?  “Display on trays and let you customers look, laugh and create.”

The General Store is a multi-lever 20,000 square foot store filled with unique gift items and home décor.  Located just minutes west of the Twin Cities, in Minnetonka,  Minnesota, it’s a locally owned and operated family business that was started in 1984.  

The website says that while the General Store has changed with the times, they continue to maintain the specialized service of an old time General Store.  If you ask a friendly employee to locate an item or give you an opinion, it’s their goal to give you the personalized service you could only experience during the early 1900s at the corner General Store.

And of course, once you’re finished, you can have lunch at the adjacent General Store Cafe.  We hear the salads are delicious.  Have one and let us know how it was.  We’re going to be envious. . .

Pick Up Sticks Retail Display Contest

 

Every month we get the privilege of posting photos on our blog of our amazing retailers’ Pick Up Sticks displays – we’re continually amazed at the creative ways all of you find to promote our line. To celebrate your ingenuity AND to gather new ideas for all of us to share, we’re having a display contest from today through the end of May. And to make it worthwhile, the prize for first place will be $200 of wholesale jewelry! Second place will get $100 of jewelry and third will win $50 (wholesale price).

THE CONTEST

Take a look around your retail space – if you already have a tested and true eye-catching Pick Up Sticks display, send a couple of photos to sabrina@pickupsticks.net. If you’ve been thinking about shaking things up in your store and totally changing your display, we’d love to see what you come up with in the next month.

The staff, friends and family of Pick Up Sticks will help us decide which display is the most compelling, fun and attractive (since that’s what Pick Up Sticks is all about. . .)! If it’s too close to call, we may post three or four of the best display ideas on the blog and Facebook and let you help us choose.

THE RULES

Deadline: June 18, 2011

1. Who is eligible? All Pick Up Sticks retailers! But please understand, if you win, we can only ship your prizes to United States or Canada. You may enter as many display ideas as you want, before the deadline. So if you do a fun Easter display and then change it up for Mother’s Day or graduation, be sure to send us a photo of everything you try.
2. What is eligible? Any photos of your Pick Up Sticks displays. Obviously photos must be submitted by the retailer to whom the display belongs. Don’t submit a display you’ve seen elsewhere in someone else’s store.
3. What do I need to submit? Entries accepted via email only. High resolution images work best. Please email in a jpg format. 
4. Where do I email the entries and who do I contact if I have questions? Sabrina@pickupsticks.net

You don’t have to purchase anything to win or participate. Internet access and valid e-mail address required. Void where prohibited. All entries must be received by June 18, 2011, 11:59 pm (MST) .

THE GOOD STUFF (aka The Prize!)

If your display is selected as a prize winner, you’ll receive:

First place: $200 of your choice of in-stock Pick Up Sticks jewelry (wholesale value)

Second place: $100 of your choice of in-stock Pick Up Sticks jewelry (wholesale value)

Third place: $50 of your choice of in-stock Pick Up Sticks jewelry (wholesale value)

When you submit a display idea, it means you have read and agree to the following rules:

Submissions must be the exclusive property of the entrant. You must have the unrestricted right to submit the display photo. You guarantee that the submission does not infringe upon any third party’s proprietary, copyright or other rights.

You transfer to Pick Up Sticks all rights, title and interest in and to the display photos you submit.

Pick Up Sticks will have the worldwide perpetual right to copy, display, reproduce, change, sell, assign, and market the photo of your display. Pick Up Sticks may register or otherwise use and exploit your display photo, in whole or in part, for any purpose, in any way and in any media without approval by or compensation to you or anyone else.

If you’re not the winner of the competition, you still grant Pick Up Sticks the right to use any element of your display photo if they deem it appropriate for same.

You grant Pick Up Sticks the worldwide, perpetual right to use your name as the designer of the display and the winner of this contest, without approval or compensation.

We’re going to say this part again, just so you don’t forget:

You don’t have to purchase anything to win or participate. Internet access and valid e-mail address required. Void where prohibited. All entries must be received by June 18, 2011, 11:59 pm (MST).

Pick Up Sticks – New Booth Design

We’ve already said it in a previous post - January 2011 was a month for the record books as far as wintry weather goes – Atlanta and New York both received FIVE times as much snow as they usually do – and we were right in the middle of it during show season.  

We know that meant some of you were unable to get to market to see our new booth design (special thanks to booth designer Raymond Kaiser from Toronto, Canada).  So, here it is! 

We received great feedback – everyone seemed to like the new look, especially those cute little white stools.  Judy fit right in – in fact, she was the belle of the ball wearing her black and silver.  And we had lots of people ask about the new display boards in the white frames.  So many, in fact, that we decided to use this post to give you directions for creating your own boards. 

Glena and Sabrina in Atlanta booth

We bought picture frames from IKEA ($19.99 each)  and removed the glass.  We then replaced the frame’s backer board with fabric-covered foam core board (we used spray glue to get the black fabric to adhere to the foam core board).   Once you have foam core board in the frame, you can use u-pins( http://bit.ly/egU8op) to display the charms on the foam core.  

If your store has a specific color scheme, choose a coordinating color fabric, hang the frame on the wall and you have a great jewelry display that matches the décor of your store!

Introducing Jewelie – A great new display option from Pick Up Sticks

 There’s a new girl in town – she’s sweet, sophisticated, and very cute! We call her Jewelie (she was named by a Facebook fan in a contest), and like to think of her as Judy’s little sister.

After years of having countless retail customers ask where they could buy the bust forms we use for tabletop displays at market, we decided to put our heads together and create our own.  You’ll be happy to know that you can now order your own Jewelie directly from Pick Up Sticks.  She’s got a solid foam core, making her perfect for pinning charms, and her beautiful arms will hold several assembled pieces.  Her vintage look will complement your Pick Up Sticks collection, and she takes up very little space.

Call the studio to order your’s today.  We’re sure she’ll make heads turn!

Judy, Jewelie and Glena at the New York International Gift Fair

Lothantique and Gil Tani – Pick Up Sticks in Canada!

 

Pick Up Sticks in Gil's booth in Toronto at CGTA - True Elegance!

We have our own Pick Up Sticks rock star, and we want to introduce him – he’s our distributor in Canada, Gil Tani.  His distribution company operates under Lothantique, Inc. (www.lothantique.ca), but he’s also the owner of gorgeous retail space, Belle de Provence, in Toronto (www.belledeprovence.com), so he has vast experience selling elegant gifts.  He also has great things to say about Pick Up Sticks, and good ideas for display and marketing.  If you’re feeling like your retail space may have become predictable or stagnant, this is a relevant post to ponder.

Gil’s immediate comment about Pick Up Sticks is that it surprised him.  Pick Up Sticks was the first jewelry line he purchased for his retail space, and he didn’t expect such high repeat sales numbers.  He says his wholesale customers in Canada say the same thing – they tell him that they reorder because Pick Up Sticks sells!

Gil is in the soap industry, and says it’s easy to expect soap to sell – people use it up. But jewelry?!  He was shocked to find that customers in his retail space were coming back for their 2^nd, their 8^th, even their 12^th charm.  He praises the customer service he receives from Pick Up Sticks – he finds them professional, courteous, and best of all, “When I call, there’s no blah, blah, blah. Just answers, and if they don’t know the answer, they’ll ask someone.  Their orders are accurate, always.”

Gil’s had amazing success in his retail space, and suggest that retailers be mindful of their traffic patterns.  “Everyone moves a certain direction when they come in your door,” he says.  If you watch to see what that pattern is and then strategically place items where they’ll catch a customer’s eyes, you’ll see an immediate response. 

He also says that every store has a “table” or display from which more merchandise is sold than any other.  “Figure out why that is, and then try moving your slow sellers to that place. If they won’t sell there, get rid of them.” 

When asked to compare the retail market in Canada to that in the U.S., Gil thinks that perhaps the economy has recently been slightly tougher in the U.S., but not much.  American retailers, he says, are always interested in the next new thing – the quick sale.  Retailers in Canada are more likely to find a great line and, if it sells, stick with it and wait it out.  His suggestion is that we all be more patient with what we’re selling, that we be loyal to lines that are selling well.  He thinks customers tend to appreciate consistency, and will come back for more of what they already know they like.

Great comments and great ideas.  Thanks, Gil, for your loyalty to Pick Up Sticks.

If you have your own tips for moving the line in your store, let us know. We’re dedicated to sharing both new and proven ways to market Pick Up Sticks!

Gil's entire booth in Toronto - see why we think he's a rock star?